Anyone Else Keep a Journal of Their Vacations?

[MIGrandma]

We just got home from vacation, and I just typed up my journal entries for it. I usually hand-write my entries every day, unless I take a laptop then it's much easier. Then when I get home I type them up and print out a copy. I've been doing this since 1998, and wish I would have started right when we first got married. I would love to read vacation journals from back then! Or even when I was a child, those would be wonderful to read now, from trips with my parents.

Every so often I'll dig them out and spend a day or two reading them again, and remembering the great trips. I've taken a couple of trips with my parents since I was married and kept journals of those too. Wonderful memories.

Sometimes, during the busyness of the vacation days, it's a pain to sit down and write, but then having them printed out when we get home is all worth it to go back and read every now and then.

And to read the changes at Disney from trip to trip is fun too!

So, does anyone else keep trip journals?

 

[themilesfamily]

What a great idea! Those will be priceless to pass down through the generations.

I do trip reports for my Disney trips, and take notes throughout the trip, but never really thought about doing that for other trips we take. I may start.

 

[wdwfan16]

I scrap out trips and sometimes put in a trip report with them. Other times it is much simpler with just small notes.

 

[dislaney]

I have never done this- but I really wish I had. I think it sounds like a great idea and I'm going to try this on our next trip.

 

[Pakey]

I do this when we visit other countries because there's just so much we are seeing; I want to be able to remember the details after I get home.

 

[Sgt Mickey]

No wish I would of now it sounds awesome.

 

[LuvOrlando]

My kids did Journals for school for our trip to WDW a few years ago and they are absolute treasures to me. I gave each child a camera to take their own pictures. While we were away I had each child write a little bit about each day before bed, nothing much. maybe a paragraph, some days more & some less. When we came home I had the the pictures developed ASAP and the kids arranged them along with their notes in plain white binders with their artwork on the front as cover art. I love both so much.

 

[Minnie824]

I've been doing this for a few years now. I guess I got the idea from all the Dis trip reports too. I normally do the same as you...handwrite notes and type it up when I'm home. Then I print it out and put it in a 3 ring binder. I think it'll be fun for the kids to read when they're older...see how they didn't behave one day in disney, see what their favorite ride was of a trip, or any other things. I wish I would have started earlier as well. Normally I do a pre-trip report too in the same report. Shows all the planning and changes we made as well.

 

[OK!]

I've done this since I was little. I think the earliest journal I can find at the moment was from when I was about 9 or so (there may be others out at my parents' house somewhere). I love going back and reading them years later.

 

[MIGrandma]

I've done this since I was little. I think the earliest journal I can find at the moment was from when I was about 9 or so (there may be others out at my parents' house somewhere). I love going back and reading them years later.

See, this is what I wish I would have done when I was a child as well.

My Mom found a couple letters I sent to my Dad, from Florida, when I was there with my Mom and Grandparents over Christmas vacation when I was 14 years old. In the letters I told him a little bit about Disney (this was back when they had coupon books for the rides) and I mentioned staying at a Days Inn for TWELVE DOLLARS a night! I loved reading those, and just wish I would have kept a complete journal of the trip as well.

Someone mentioned keeping their typed vacation journals in a 3-ring binder, that is a great idea that I'm going to do as well. Right now they are just collected together in my desk drawer. I've saved them all on the computer as well, might put them on a CD too.

I think it will be fun reading them when I'm 90 years old (hopefully I'll live that long ) sitting in my rocker on the front porch. DH and I can do some reminiscing.

 

[overlyspoiled4sure]

On our visits to WDW, my DD didn't really "journal" but did, at the end of the day, write brief notes about what we did & where we were. She also put the date/day on the notes. Then when she had the pictures developed for scrapbooking it was fairly easy for her to make order of it.

It was amazing the bits of trivia we would have forgotten if not for those notes. Through them we were able to sort of re-live our trips to WDW, the only ones we'll ever have.

So I say go for it; take notes, write in a notebook, whatever it takes to help you remember when you get home.

 

[Nevergrow'nup]

I have a travel journal in my camper. I started it over 10 years ago. I write a trip report and also say what site and campground we are at, who is camping with us, what I forgot, etc.

I have looked back at it often to reference for return trips, or to reccommend a campground.

 

[Jillpie]

We have been going since 1999, and my "journal" has been in my photo albums. I haven't skipped a trip, the minute we get home I'm off having my pictures done and I spend hours on eAch album with descriptions of everything that happened. I do love the idea of a journal book though, but doing both would have been a ton of work. Hey, I'm glad you posted, I have been dying to ask you about your bear picture! That fascinates me each time I see it! Can you tell me about it please?

 

[MissMet]

I do! I love it. I find there are so many little things that you totally forget about once you get home, let alone a few years later. I love to reread them. That's why I decided to start a travel blog. I figured it would be easier, I can share it with friends & family & it's secure- I won't loose them.

 

[flamingglobessigmund]

I printed out blank Disney themed journal pages from Mousesavers (I think) and put them in my binder. Every night, I wrote something about that day's events.

When I got home, I typed it out and, included pics and it became my trip report. Then I printed out a copy for me to put in my binder, and a copy I mailed to my mom to read.

It was the first time I actually fulfilled my goal to complete a trip journal.

DH typed his trip journal on his fancy phone and lost everything. Sometimes going low tech (writing it out by hand) is the best thing to do.

 

[Morganpics]

I keep a journal anyway, but I like the idea of keeping the Disney journal separate. I am working on a scrapbook of our Disney trips, and it would be great to put the journal entries there. I have been keeping a daily journal for many years.

 

[adkkev]

I journal all of my long distance hikes in a waterproof hikers journal. Makes for some interesting reading months later!!