I kept this fun travel journal on our trip here... almost five years ago. It is so great to look back on little details from our trip. If you can believe it I only took a handful of pictures. Along with general notes, I kept track of time zones, odometer readings at the end of each day, animals spotted, state licence plates, the price of gas and tolls... and my favorite part was writing down some of the crazy signs we saw along the way.
The kids were 2 1/2 and almost 5 years-old when we came this way... little man was still napping! It was a nine day trip. And was unexpectedly wonderful.
For our trip to New Mexico I want to keep an even more detailed log of our journey. Of course I am going to be taking a lot of pictures this time around, but I also want to keep little tidbits from the hotels and restaurants, maps, brochures, and other little scraps collected along the way.
In search of journal ideas I came across this idea for a small three-ring binder add as you travel road trip journal. Then Sylvia over at Artsy Ants showed me her version.. which I love because I have all kinds of little rings to make my own.
So... I am making up a little journal with a travel scrapbooking kit to go with it. Little scissors, hole punch, tape, glue stick... anything I might need to add goodies to my journal. Which really becomes our journal as everyone plans to add their own little bits to this working traveling scrapbook.
I expect this trip will be just as great and a bit more interesting for the kids. They are making plans of their own... I have permission to share a few next week.
If you have any ideas for journals, scrapbooking (not a strong area for me) or just travel with kiddos in general I would love to hear them!
Happy Friday!
What a wonderful idea. Love Sylvia's, just lovely. I can just imagine how wonderful this road trip is going to be.
ReplyDeleteCan I ask a question, I will be road tripping with my little man in March, not nearly as long as you, just 18 hours, any tips??? He is four and it will be his longest road trip yet.
Kim... I am going to do a post about keeping the kiddos happy next week. Good stuff!
Deletelove sylvia’s journal! i have to show you ours from when we traveled to montreal when the boys were little.
ReplyDeletehere’s my tip: glue dots. they come in different thicknesses and they’re great for adding things to the inside pages and the cover. (it’s a scrapbooking thing.) i used them to fix coins to the outside of my journal — they work on things a glue stick wouldn’t hold!
Oh... great idea. I have never heard of glue dots. You have the low down on all the good stuff!
DeleteAnd no I have not seen yours... link please?
Deleteoops, coming back to add... national park visiting centers all have “national park passport stamping stations” — we didn’t buy the passports but just stamped into our travel journals instead. they’re dated and include the name of the station — really great! (and if you forget your journals, they usually have plain little squares of paper you can stamp and later stick in.)
ReplyDeleteThat is a great idea. The kiddos love those stamps! I like the idea of having them stamp paper to add later if needed. Clever!
Deletegreat tips there from lori!! i love the idea of several members of the family adding words or images to the pages... how unique it will become! different coloured papers for different themes might be an idea...
ReplyDeletei can't wait to see how your journal will turn out!!
Thanks for the inspiration!!
DeleteI wrote a whole series about traveling with infants and toddlers, but you have neither of those...
ReplyDeleteI would say that there are so many eclectic place to stop at on road trips that you should just stop wherever calls to you. And bring lots of food in the car. I find lots of healthy food keeps up the moral. Oh yes and sparkle stories were a life saver on this last 8 hour car trip we did.
I am thankful they are older this time around! Memories to be made now!
DeleteYes! Stopping at all the unique places is a must. And oh... food in the car. Unquestionable. We have a few sparkle stories but need to add more for this trip.
Thanks KC!
This is a great idea! I wish I would have thought of it years ago. I do save every single calendar which has events written down (sloppily). On our trips I try to journal what we've done. You have lovely handwriting :)
ReplyDeleteCalendars are great to save. My father-in-law makes a family calendar each year so we have the added bonus of having family photos on our calendars!
DeleteThank you about my handwriting ;-)