Memories fade over time, so it's not a bad idea to remind yourself of them occasionally. A travel journal is the ideal tool for recording travel experiences and planning them.
What is a Travel Journal?
An original notebook for recording fulfilled travel dreams. Its design is tailored to fully develop your imagination and creativity. You can write and draw in the journal or use a wide range of stickers and labels. You will also find inspirational thoughts from famous people about traveling, as well as maps of the world, Europe, and the Czech Republic.
Who is behind it all?
Jitka Štádlerová – author of the project Korálky dní and the Travel Journal. She has been working for nearly 20 years as a lecturer, coach, and mentor in the fields of communication skills, creativity development, stress management, and time management. Traveling is her great hobby.
What did Jitka reveal to us about her project?
"Human happiness is a string on which we thread small beads, small joys – the smaller they are and the more of them there are, the greater that happiness is," says the quote by Jan Werich on your website. Are travels these beads for you?
Yes, travels are those small joys (sometimes even bigger ones ?) and I enjoy them. We often forget that happiness consists of "ordinary" pleasant moments that give us a sense of satisfaction and harmony. I love discovering everything new, and one experiences a lot while traveling. And it doesn't have to be trips abroad; sometimes it's enough to just walk through a place we know, but with eyes wide open. I am glad that I am a "Prague transplant" ?, I will probably never get tired of exploring the various nooks and crannies that exist in Prague, and at the same time, I always look forward to Moravia, which I love. The Czech Republic is beautiful; there are so many places to see. But I also like to go beyond our borders to discover other cultures, other countries, and other stories.
I look forward to every trip while planning it, I experience it in the here and now, and I love to remember it afterwards (even with my whole family). A journal and photographs are an inseparable part of such reminiscing.
What led you to create the Travel Journal and share it with others?
I write in a travel journal on every trip. I like to record thoughts, feelings, but also what I heard, felt, and experienced. We can't capture this in any photo, even though I like to take photos and do so often, and photography definitely belongs to traveling. However, a journal is something more. These are authentic experiences recorded at the right moment. These are our feelings, the inspiration we have just gained, and much more....
I used to use regular pads and notebooks for my notes, and actually, that was enough for me, but then I started creating journals (written and photo books) for my children and subsequently for the children of my acquaintances. When we went somewhere, I made them a journal specifically for that country and for their age. It's been a good 8 years since the first such journal was created.
And then I created a journal for myself. It had something extra in it, and that was questions. At that time, quite a lot of questions that often make you look at things from a different perspective. Thanks to them, I also discover things I wouldn't normally notice. I then made the journal available for free download, and it proved successful. Some people liked the questions a lot, some claimed they didn't need them, and so a compromise was born. The journal kept 8 questions that can help with the notes, and other questions will be separate as cards – Travel Questions, which we hope to release before the main season.
And why did I publish it? Having your own travel journal is a challenge, and I like those. ? I made it so that it would be truly practical, yet not restrictive. Besides the mentioned questions, you will find, for example, thoughts of famous people and their view on traveling. The entire journal is divided into three parts, so you can not only record the trip in it but also plan it or evaluate it retrospectively. You can use it for one big trip, but also for recording a series of smaller trips – for example, for the whole year.
Do you think it is important to record travel experiences? Isn't it enough just to remember them?
Unfortunately, our memory is not perfect. It can often deceive us; we simply remember something different from what we experienced. Over time, memories also fade, so if we want them to be authentic, it's nice to write them down. What we felt, perceived, what we perhaps discovered about ourselves on our travels. Moreover, you can sketch pictures in the journal, paste in tickets, boarding passes, or anything you want to keep. I, for example, use stamps, paste in interesting maps. I often jot down contacts, tips for next time, and even where I enjoyed the ice cream, and so on. There is a lot for which a journal can be used.
But there are many more reasons to keep a journal, just as there are many ways to keep one. You can find inspiration on the koralkydni.cz blog. And because we all write our notes differently, we adapted our journal to that – it is actually very free. The initial plans and first prototypes were completely different – they were full of tables, options to write lists, etc., but after testing by many travelers, we abandoned that. The journal is therefore designed so that everyone can find their own way in it. Dotted paper allows not only for great line management but at the same time does not limit us when we want to draw. And if we need a table, there is nothing easier than drawing it using the dots.
In today's age of modern technology, blogs, and social media statuses, is it still attractive to write something by hand?
Definitely. We can have paper and a pencil at hand anywhere. We are not dependent on electricity and technology. Moreover, handwritten notes fix the given moment in our memory; we remind ourselves of it again. It is also one of the tips for learning. You just need to write legibly. ? And I love making small drawings, nothing complicated, just some "doodling". But I have a friend whose journals are almost works of art. It is simply up to us how we conceive it.
What kind of feedback have you had on the Travel Journal so far?
Usually, the graphics catch the eye first, for which I am glad. Maruška Brogowski did a great job. The journal is nice to look at, but the graphics do not limit us in any way, so we can finish the journal according to ourselves, we can draw in it, paste things in, create tables... The goal was to create an inspirational journal so that it encourages us to take notes, and if we want, maybe even something more – self-discovery and creativity. That's why it contains three extra pages of stickers that we can use as we please.
The feedback most often points to these three things – very good processing, purposefulness and simplicity, and practical gadgets (stickers and questions). Positive feedback naturally pleases me a lot.
In conclusion, please share some inspiration with us – what is the last entry in your journal about and where are you heading next?
The last entries are from the Czech Republic. One is about how beautifully the lemon tree blossoms smelled in the greenhouse in Veltrusy. The second remembers the recent open day at the Rudolfinum and YMCA, and because we were accompanied by great guides, I have a lot of interesting things there, whether about the architecture of both buildings or about the people who created in these spaces, and also, for example, a funny story about how Czech laziness saved one great art monument. You just can't capture that in photos.
I am also looking forward to my summer vacation; we have a sightseeing trip planned this year – we will set off for Slovenia and then we will return via Carinthia.
Thank you for your time and I wish you many more happy travels!
We couldn't resist the Travel Journal either, so you can look forward to our thorough review soon.
And what about you? Do you write down your experiences or do you rely on technology or your own memory? :-)
