From the Manual

Analog or Digital

• The second-most important part of a travel album is journaling.
• Are you analog or digital? Decide how you’ll take notes and then get it ready before it’s time to go.
• Analog people should take notes in a notebook. Recommendation: Moleskin Notebook
• Digital people should take notes on their devices. Recommendation: Apple Notes, Google Keep, Evernote, Journi

First Impressions

• If pre-vacation, then plan to take notes of first impressions while on your vacation.
• If post-vacation, then take notes of first impressions now.
• If for a friend, ask them about their first impressions.

Keep Lists

• If pre-vacation, then plan to list your itinerary with the correct spelling of things, people and places.
• If post-vacation, then take time to recreate an itinerary as soon as possible.

Family Sharing

• Note taking doesn’t all have to weigh on the shoulders of a single notetaker.
• If you’re analog, then get a notebook for each member of your traveling party.
• If you're digital, then collaborate with apps.

From the Transcript

Lets next take a look at journaling, which is one of the essential parts of a travel album.

In a later video we’ll talk about how journaling plays out in an album and we’ll create a plan for different journaling circumstances. But in this video, the plan is to simply start getting all your travel thoughts recorded in one central location.

But, before we can do that, you know the drill, get out your Before You Go worksheet and sharpen your #2 pencil. You can do this!

Most people I know have a hard time journaling. They don’t know what to say or they simply don’t want to take the time to say it. Some feel like their words sound stupid or boring. Others try to avoid it by saying that the photos tell the story, so words aren’t necessary.

Sorry, friend. But if this is you, you’re wrong. You are not empty of words or short of time. You’re not stupid or boring. And, your photos cannot possibly tell the whole story.

Let me repeat, the second-most important part of a travel album is journaling. Without journaling, your travel album will quickly become a meaningless book of photos. After all the time and expense you are planning, let’s not let that happen. You can do this.

Before you can take travels notes, you first need to decide what you’ll use to take those notes. Ask yourself, are you analog or digital. Maybe you're both.

An analog person enjoys the feel of paper and the sound it makes. They love pencils and pens and colored pencils. They love to write messy and they love to write neat. 

And because of this enjoyment, analog people do best making travels notes in a notebook or journal. The purpose of this journal is to get things written down so that they can later be referenced or transferred into a photo book. So, a travel journal doesn’t need to be pretty, it just needs to be full of information. If you’re like me and enjoy writing in quality notebooks, I recommend a traveller’s notebook from Moleskine. You’ll find a link to one in the manual.

In today’s digital age, it’s quite possible you are digital instead of analog. A digital person enjoys using technology to create a more paper-less environment. They often have several strong apps on their devices to help keep them organized, creative, and efficient.

But a fancy app is not really even necessary. Simple note taking apps, like Apple Notes or Google Keep, will be jolly sufficient. These apps record the date and time of your journaling and they will even transcribe what you want to say without you having to hunt and peck at the Qwerty keyboard.

My personal favorite app for note taking and planning is Evernote. The information in this app will sync across all your devices and there are a boatload of options.

If you are looking for something more travel related, however, I’d suggest Journi. The Journi app can help you with note taking as well as timelines and maps.

Really the choice of what you use for note taking is up to you, but you definitely need to decide and take the time to get your app installed or your notebook in place before it’s time to take notes. Once that's done, we’re ready to move on to what to say.

Plan to take some time now deciding what kind of journal-er you are and what you'll use to keep notes and journaling for your adventure. Write it on your worksheet. This is not set in stone, however, you can always change your mind later.

My plan will most likely be different than yours, but because I enjoy a mixture of analog and digital, this is what I’m writing on my my worksheet.

Everyone, whether they realize it or not, has first impression moments when traveling, especially if the destination is new to them. Think about this. . .

When you arrive at your destination, be open and try to take note of some first impressions. First impressions include seeing a place for the first time from a plane window, or when you drive around a bend and there it is, or as the ship nears some distant island—the question to ask is, "How do you feel?"

Where do your eyes go first? What do you notice about the place right away? A smell? The heat or the cold? Blistering sunlight? Mysterious fog?

A particular building or vista? The way people move? Their dress? Whatever it is, remember it by writing it down. First impressions they are invaluable sparks for journaling, and by definition they are not repeatable. You've seen the place in pictures, you've read about it. Now you're there, and all your senses can partake.

In your journal, simply write "first impressions" at the top of a note or page to serve as a reminder that you want to capture those moments in time.

Plan to return to this reminder page throughout your trip as you encounter new things.

If this is a place you’ve already been to, take some time out right now to close your eyes and remember. Go back to those first impressions. Jot down some thoughts.

If you're creating a photo book for a friend, consider asking them about their first impressions. Record what they say or jot it down in your journal. 

Besides first impressions also plan to use your journal or app to keep track of everything else word-wise and useful when putting together your travel photo album.

Things like your itinerary—a list of where you went, who you talked to, what you saw. This list will not only help you create a chronological account of your travels, it will also help you remember the spelling of things, people and places.

Also, lists like this are especially great for jogging the memory of those of us less inclined to write paragraphs of every experience.

If the travel date has already passed, take time to create an itinerary as soon as possible, before your memory fades.

We’ll talk more about journaling in later videos, but here’s one final note about note taking—it doesn’t all have to weigh on the shoulders of a single notetaker. If you are analog, get a notebook for each member of your traveling party and set them to the task of recording their thoughts. And if you are digital, all the apps mentioned above are collaborative, meaning you can invite people to help you in your efforts.

So once again I’ll ask, how is your worksheet coming along? Are the answers filled in and the boxes checked?

Here is what my worksheet looks like for this video. I’ll see you next one.