It is useful to record all your travels. You can do this in a physical book such as your family history books. Or a five year diary, with your own index at the back or flyleaf.
Microsoft Excel
Also keep a spreadsheet. Use Microsoft Excel. For anybody who doesn't know excel, don't be put off by the technical sounding title. Its just a grid like a chessboard. You have columns and can write names or numbers down the side or across the top.
It will probably be loaded on your computer as part of the software provided. Look down the left hand column on your screen or do a search for it.
For example, you could have separate pages for different aspects. If you are not confident about excel, just make bulleted or numbered lists of years down the left margin. Countries visited alongside each year.
Have you forgotten when you went where? What can you use to fill in dates?
1 Your diary notes.
2 Passport stamps and visas.
3 Employment dates.
4 Maps and guidebooks often have printing dates showing the year printed or dated advertising offers.
5 Letters and postcards with date cancellations on the stamps.
6 Financial records such as payments for airfares.
7 Old emails from hotels and restaurants confirming bookings or offering discounts.
FAMILY HISTORY
These records can also be used to write up the history of your ancestors and parents, uncles, aunts, grand-parents. My late uncle had told me about his trips to the USA. I wondered whether had had made them up, or forgotten. Then I found the dates in his passport. I knew the year, the month, even the day he arrived and left. And which city.
8 Census records
9 Blogs
10 Facebook photos
11 Bus tickets. Parking tickets. Traffic fines. Official notes.
Details to add
I like to know the names of places visited, not just the countries. I like to know the cities, towns or villages or scenic spots. I add hotels, restaurants, museums.
You might add people, your friends and family. Restaurant owner, or anybody in your photos.
I label photos as soon as I can, on the day or when I get home.
At very least you can settle arguments. Did we ever visit such and such a place? Which year. What was the name of the restaurant I can recommend to my friend? Is it still there?
Useful Websites
Look inside. Starts with your personal details, then a packing list. Journal for a particular trip:
https://www.wordtemplatesonline.net/travel-log-template/
https://www.bulletjournaladdict.com/planning/21-best-bullet-journal-year-at-a-glance-spreads/
https://waitbutwhy.com/2014/05/life-weeks.html
ttps://4kweeks.com/products/poster
About 60 dollars (plus postage)
https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Tips_for_road_trips#Q6739884
https://www.bulletjournaladdict.com/planning/21-best-bullet-journal-year-at-a-glance-spreads/
About the author
Angela Lansbury B A Hons is the author of ten books by regular publishers plus another ten self-published books.
About Angela The Speaker & Trainer
Angela Lansbury is a teacher of English and other languages to Toastmasters clubs and businesses.
Angela has several blogs on speeches, comedy and song writing and organizing, writing intermittently, but writes almost daily on these three:
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