Questions re: Travel Journals

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Keitha
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Questions re: Travel Journals

Post by Keitha »

I always love seeing Marianne's travel journals, and have been fortunate enough to see a few of them in person. It's something I would like to do myself although my previous couple of attempts have failed miserably - possibly because on those road trips I did 100% of the driving and there wasn't a lot of down time otherwise. But I'm going to try again when Pat and I go to Alaska in May; for a change I won't be doing any driving, and will be traveling with someone like-minded. So Marianne and Christy and anyone else who does these, I have questions:
What all do you prepare in advance at home?
Do you write directly into your journal, or transcribe later when you're putting it all together?
Presumably photos get added later; how much/what else do you save for when you get home?
In previous discussions with Marianne I know sometimes she makes the journal first, and sometimes she puts the pages together afterwards. Any tips for which you think is better, and why?
What do you consider the must-have supplies you take with you?
I'd love to hear any other ideas and tips for successfully doing travel journals.
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paddlegal
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Re: Questions re: Travel Journals

Post by paddlegal »

Great questions and I will be interested also in hearing about the process.
FARLEY in Sacramento
ChristyB

Re: Questions re: Travel Journals

Post by ChristyB »

I have done it both ways.

For Paris & London I made a book ahead of time with my BIA, brought it and journaled every evening when others were in bed (usually while I did laundry :roll: )

For some of the others I would take a small pocket notebook and a manilla envelope. Write in the notebook throughout the trip and collect things in the envelope then when I got home assemble it all.

For this summer I am taking a travelers notebook with me (I am literally obsessed with them right now) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M0 ... UTF8&psc=1
I love this one in that I can make my own inserts on the paper I want to work on and move them about inside since they just slide under elastic bands. In this one specifically I can have 6 inserts and it fits perfectly in my shoulder travel bag.
I like the writing as I go, kind of capturing the moment as it happens. My sleep habits are a bit wonky so I always manage to carve 20-30 min alone every evening to create. Plus sitting down kind of in the moment adds a certain amount of reflection time.

I will bring 3 or 4 pens -one being black,a black Sharpie, my watercolor pencils, a water brush, glue stick, a super small pair of scissors for trimming,and probably some flat photo dots. Everything fits in a small pencil pouch or quart size ziplock bag.
I wrap several pieces of washii tape around an old gift card so it is relatively flat and fits in a card holder.
I attach several envelopes inside the journal to catch tickets, brochures etc until I can use them. As I go I will leave a few spots for pics especially if I know a specific one goes with what I am writing about.
I also add them as inserts later when I get back, just like adding new pages to an aj .

When I come back I may go through and add more embellishments as I see fit (die cuts, stamps etc)
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troublesmom
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Re: Questions re: Travel Journals

Post by troublesmom »

I also have made BIA journals and our our trip to Canada used it but most information was added at home. I saved everything, brochures, napkins (unused) receipts and all that helped me remember. We visited Niagara Falls, Montreal, Quebec City and then headed down to Main, Massachusetts & Rhode Island before heading home. My Journal has many, many postcards and it is so very thick it really doesn't close.

I would love to do a trip like that again, it was wonderful. I will try and get a picture of my journal and see if I can post. it.
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troublesmom
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Re: Questions re: Travel Journals

Post by troublesmom »

Lets see if I can add some.
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Cheryl
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troublesmom
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Re: Questions re: Travel Journals

Post by troublesmom »

Here are a few more. That is all I'll post but you can see I added a bunch of stuff and really enjoy looking back on it. No way professional at all.
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Cheryl
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mpizzazz
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Re: Questions re: Travel Journals

Post by mpizzazz »

Yikes, you said you had a 'few' questions, Keitha. :-o :shock: I'm going to need to think about this for a week or two...
marianne
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Keitha
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Re: Questions re: Travel Journals

Post by Keitha »

Cheryl I'm so glad you shared these pages. I've learned with keeping a journal or sketchbook that it doesn't matter how professional it is, the point is so that you can look back and remember being there. These pages are full of wonderful memories.
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troublesmom
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Re: Questions re: Travel Journals

Post by troublesmom »

It was fun pulling it back out and looking at it again.
Cheryl
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mpizzazz
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Re: Questions re: Travel Journals

Post by mpizzazz »

Originally I would make a stitch bound book with signatures inside. But I usually didn't have enough pages, would scrounge up paper on the trip and would end up taking the book apart when I'd get home. Now I take loose signatures and bind the books when I get home. Loose pages is better. I have fabric wraps that I keep all the signatures together in especially after they get written on.

I've tried all different sizes and shaped books and like the standard 5.5 x 8.5, a sheet of paper folded in half, size because it will hold brochures you pick up while sightseeing and is not too big.

I've done all kinds of pages-layers of painted newsprint stitched together (think that was a Donna Downey idea), random papers stitched together like Mary Ann Moss' Remains of the Day journals. I've used plain white paper and also 12 x 12" scrapbooking paper usually to make pocket pages. It can't all be cardstock weight or it's way too heavy to cart around especially once you start adding stuff to it.

Also I used to gesso over lots of things on the papers. I don't do that anymore because gesso sucks the ink right out of your pens and I always had to buy more pens on the trip.

I have pizza boxes with maps, icons, brochures, paper, etc for countries we go to regularly and I add things as I find them. I'll dig in those to make and decorate the signatures before I leave home. Then pick up stuff along the way to add. I can move the pages around to suit the day. My blank pages look a lot like Cheryl's with all kinds of papers. In last Summer's England journal, I had a lot of the CS kit for England and used those papers and cutaparts. Keitha also sent me stampings on tissue paper from a Tim Holtz (I think it was) set of English motifs and quotes.

I write directly in my journals and try to leave places for photos like Christy said if you know a photo is going to be special or a good one or I have nothing else like a brochure to put in.

When I get home I bind it all together, add photos and that is it.

My tool kit is black pens like Staedtler permanent in medium and fine tips or any other nice black pen. I take gel medium, white acrylic paint instead of gesso, double sided atg type tape, little scissors, craft knife, mechanical pencil, kneaded eraser, my Tim's tiny attacher and extra staples, metal ruler, paint brush and usually either watercolors (my Peerless ones, thanks, Farley!) or colored pencils and pencil sharpener.

Washi tape wrapped around plastic, lots of number stickers for the dates, small pieces of decorative paper, tags, etc. I pack all this flat stuff in the pockets in the journal. Sometimes I take day stamps but then that means an inkpad or I stamp a bunch of days ahead of time on tags, scraps, etc.

If flying, all this stuff has to be in checked bag or TSA goes nuts over the scissors or craft knife especially in other countries and they have no idea what the tiny attacher is! That can waste several minutes while they try and figure out what it is and the staples fall out.
marianne
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Debbie J

Re: Questions re: Travel Journals

Post by Debbie J »

My favorite travel journal was our France trip. I took Mary Ann Moss stitched journal class and loved it.
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mpizzazz
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Re: Questions re: Travel Journals

Post by mpizzazz »

Debbie J wrote:My favorite travel journal was our France trip. I took Mary Ann Moss stitched journal class and loved it.
They are a lot of fun to make. Her Ticket to Venice class was my favorite. I need to go to Italy to use the book I made. :lol:
marianne
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Keitha
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Re: Questions re: Travel Journals

Post by Keitha »

Thanks ladies, for explaining your process. A constant struggle for me is letting go of knowing the end result before I begin, which is one hurdle I need to get over for a project like this. I can see where loose signatures/pages would be an advantage. Christy, I'm really glad you shared your TN plans, as that's the direction I'm thinking I'll go. I wondered if I'd find the format big enough, but realize I'll come home and scrap a big 12x12 album as well, so having space for every decent photo I take isn't a requirement; this will be a companion volume and not a replacement for my scrapbook.
I'll confess I've 'taken' MaryAnn Moss's Remains of the Day class, but have yet to make my journal. A couple of her other journal classes intrigue me, but from the outside looking in I can't discern the difference in them. Are they different enough to warrant taking more than one?
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pamcook
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Re: Questions re: Travel Journals

Post by pamcook »

I don’t think they’re all that different. I’ve never completed one of them. I love them, I love her classes, but I don’t feel like I’m that artistic - and I’ve realized my time is just too limited! That didn’t stop me from collecting Victorian photo albums just in case! If you ever decide to do that one, I’ll send you one!
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Re: Questions re: Travel Journals

Post by ChristyB »

I did the Remains of the day class, completed the journal and now it sits unused on the shelf, where I pull it out periodically to look at it.

And you are exactly right Keith. The travel journal doesn't have to be a replacement for the scrapbook.
For our Paris/ London trip I made a huge TN (probably too big) but then I also made to volumes full of scrapbook pages.
With my journal I was able to go back and remember exactly the order of things and what we did, saw ate etc. Sometime I don't get to the scrapbooking until much later and by then many of the memories I wanted to document and stories I wanted to tell had gone out of my head. With my TN I can do it all.
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