Join the Burgess Traveller’s community:

Guest blog by Irina Petricheva from Notes to Self

Is there anything more exciting than seeing your confirmed itinerary in your inbox?! All the hard yards are done: choosing when and where to go on your holidays, planning, budgeting, saving, negotiating your away time with your boss… You can probably add a few more hurdles to my list! And now all you have to do is to plan your packing. Should you travel light, or should you just go to your destination light and then do some much needed shopping? You also need to make sure that all your papers are organised well for your trip and you don’t forget anything important behind.

Another consideration you may have is would you like to take a travel diary with you? With the easy access to technology these days you may think that it is a waste of time and money. You have your digital camera and your smartphone has camera in it as well. It feels that your trip will definitely get very well documented, at least on social media. But you also collect so many little things on your travels that mean something to you: a card from a café you had the best coffee, a ticket from an adventure park, flyer from  museum, random chocolate wrapper from a local market, etc. The list is endless.

What I used to do was collect all these traveling mementos in a large plastic bag and bring them home with me with the best intention to go organise it all somehow, so I can look back and remember my great adventure. The truth is I rarely touched that bag. We just get busy when we are back and don’t want to ‘waste’ our time going through that stuff. I find that I need to organise my little trinkets from my trip as I go, otherwise it will never get done!

Using the Travelers Notebook

One of the trusted companions on my travels and in my everyday life is the Traveler’s Notebook. I discovered this range a year ago and my Notes to Self business started with it. Traveler’s Notebook is a Japanese range and if you know anything about Japanese stationery, you’ll know their attention to detail and their passion for great quality paper. Below I will show you a couple of set ups that will help you on your travels: one with Regular Size Traveler’s Notebook and one with Passport Size Traveler’s Notebook.

Set up with Regular Size Travelers Notebook

Traveler’s Notebook was launched in 2006 and this was the original size – perfect for slipping boarding passes into it and other travel documents. The structure of the notebook is simple, therefore it is very easy to customise. It all starts with a thick genuine leather folder and rubber bands to organise your refills. The leather ages beautifully and will remind you of your many adventures. Some of the essentials to consider for your trip:

Zipper folder is great for carrying money and other valuables you don’t want to lose. You can also keep stamps, paper clips, pieces of washi tape and other loose items.

 

Card folder will allow you to take your credit cards and also a safe place to keep your hotel keys and any business cards you collect on your trip. You can also include photos – anything that is business card size or similar.

 

Kraft paper folder is a little helper with two pockets and two business or credit card slots. You can keep receipts, tickets, boarding passes and keep other loose paper bits in there.

 

Kraft paper refill is your travel diary. You don’t need to write War & Peace in there. It would look great if your entries are short but you stick some items you come across on those pages and your little polaroid photos, so when you look back you can remember what you’ve done.

I love using kraft paper refills, there is something about the warm colour of the pages. But you can always use blank paper refills, lined or grid – whatever you like using the most! You can even use Sketch Paper Refill if you like drawing and keeping an art diary.

 

And this is how it all fits together. You slip your refills in the leather folder and you are all set to go!

 

Set up with Passport Size TN

Passport Size set up is very similar, just imagine having a notebook that is literally the size of your passport. Some prefer this size for their travels. You can also select same refills as in the regular size. Have a look at these options, but remember to consider your preference and create a Traveler’s Notebook that will work for you.

 

I hope these examples will give you some inspiration. Have a look at the entire range of Traveler’s Notebook on Notes to Self website and decide what set up will suit your needs the best.

Enjoy your trip and come back with happy memories!


This post may contain affiliate links for products I love. If you make a purchase through one of these links, I will earn a commission at no extra cost to you.  All affiliate products and companies are recommended by Burgess Travel Co and may or may not be products used by the featured traveller. I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Guest Profile

Hi, my name is Irina and I am a founder of Notes to Self, on-line boutique stationery store.

I hand-pick the range of products that would make your journaling, writing and planning experience so much more enjoyable.

Traveler’s Notebook is my hero range and it can be a wonderful companion for you when you are traveling. There are endless ways of using Traveler’s Notebook, you can create anything you want with it and it will accompany you on your many travels. If you need some ideas, check out my Inspiration and Blog pages.

Pin It on Pinterest