July | 2017 | Uniquely Yours Craft Journal

The usual tips with a twist

19 Jul 2017 Comments Off on The usual tips with a twist

by uniquelyyourscraftjournal in Travel Journal Tags: photos, tips

Dear Fellow Journalers,

Ok, I know I usually write tips on how to write these different types of journals and so this one is no different. First you have to decide if you will want to remember your trip 5,10 or 15 years from now. I suppose if your trip was to commemorate a special occasion such as a trip to California to see your grandchild graduate or maybe it was your ____ anniversary , then you definitely want to remember those journeys.

What do you want to include?

a. Your route (plotted on a map), People, (photos are best with names) and “top” moments (best sunset, view, meal).

b. Don’t include everything – leave some things out. Why? As you look back over the journal and memories come flooding back, you will inevitably remember something you didn’t write about!

c. Write about your senses. (tastes, smell)

d. Pictures (postcards are nice)

E. Ticket stubs, newspaper articles.

F.Write how you talk.

G. Did you have a bad time, anywhere?

H. Did you get lost or sick?

I. Did you miss your flight and have to spend the night in the airport?

J. Do you need to buy a bigger suitcase?

~Sallie

Word Ghosts discoveries

14 Jul 2017 Comments Off on Word Ghosts discoveries

by uniquelyyourscraftjournal in Word Ghosts Tags: getting lost, paths, Word Ghosts

“…some beautiful paths can’t be discovered without getting lost.”

Erol Ozan

Writing while traveling

12 Jul 2017 Comments Off on Writing while traveling

by uniquelyyourscraftjournal in Travel Journal Tags: address, plans

Dear Fellow Journalers,

“You don’t have to be traveling to write a travel journal.” A wise friend told me a few days ago. I was lamenting the fact that we weren’t planning a grand trip anywhere. We were just thinking about a mid-summer jaunt north. “So,” she said, “why not write about that dream, those plans…” I hadn’t realized that I could do that. I mean, I could write about our trip BEFORE we actually set off. Come to think of it, I could even post- journal! Ok, here we go…

Journaling about plans sounds awfully dull, though doesn’t it? I thought I’d take some time and write the why’s, how’s and expectations of our journey instead. That sounds more interesting, doesn’t it? So, I got out a nifty book and began to write. I found out that journaling this way set me up for a new adventure to write about.

During our trip, I wrote every day, although not in the strictest sense. I wrote while waiting for a meal in a restaurant, before we turned out the lights for the night, waiting for the fish to bite. I wrote about the places we went, the people we met, what different food we ate (how it smelled, different tastes and the name and address of the restaurants – in case we wanted to visit again!

After we came back, I wrote in a special section of the journal, about how I felt to be home again. Did the familiar surroundings look different? Have you ever visited your old school and marveled that the desks look so small? How did I feel about the places we visited and the people we met? Would I go again?

‘Til then,

~Sallie

Word Ghosts visit a fairy tale

07 Jul 2017 Comments Off on Word Ghosts visit a fairy tale

by uniquelyyourscraftjournal in Word Ghosts Tags: Hans Christian Anderson, w, Word Ghosts

“To travel is to live”.

Hans Christian Andersen (The Fairy Tale of my life: An autobiography)

Why write a Travel Journal?

05 Jul 2017 Comments Off on Why write a Travel Journal?

by uniquelyyourscraftjournal in Travel Journal Tags: college, Maine, Minnesota, travel, Virginia

Dear Fellow Journalers,

“Every trip consists of two simultaneous journeys. The outer journey and the inner journey. The outer journey is everything external: what you’re seeing, hearing, smelling, doing etc. The inner journey is what’s happening in your mind. Great travel journals weave the two journeys together.” David Fox

I was going to start this month’s blog posts with the simple “the journey begins with the first step” but after reading the above, I realized that this type of journal means so much more than a flippant “remark” everyone has heard before. We’ve all taken journeys, haven’t we? Some of us took journeys to other states for family vacations or to attend college. Some of us have traveled abroad for business or pleasure. How many of us have souvenirs of those trips? How many of us have written a diary of that trip?

I wish I’d kept notes from my first trip to view colleges in states far from my own. If pressed, I could recall the different sights and sounds of life being lived in Maine or Virginia. I can remember how cold it was one winter in Minnesota and walking above a sidewalk inside a mall!

Far too often, I feel, we grab a passport, pack a bag and after checking off the hundreds of tiny details to close up a home (temporarily) leave without a thought to writing anything down while on our fabulous trip.

So, this summer I propose a challenge in writing our travel journal. I know you’re thinking why do I want to do this? Your future self will thank you. Next week I’ll share some thoughts on how to create the journal as you travel.

‘Til next time,

~Sallie