Travel is one of the most exciting experiences you can look forward to these days. The chance to travel doesn’t come too often and such, you must make the most of each trip by making a compilation of what you will encounter and experience. With a travel log, you can do this. Now, with changing times, even companies maintain a travel log but that’s entirely different from how an individual usually maintains. The company travel log is more record-oriented and keeps data of the employee’s official travel
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Travel Log Templates
What is a travel log?
A travel log is a document that contains all of the details about your trip. Companies can also use a trip log sheet to monitor their employees or customers. Originally, this log was only used by travelers for their personal reasons or to rate the experiences they had.
But since these logs contain valuable information on a wide range of fields, many organizations and companies have adopted the practice of maintaining a database of their employee’s travels. Today, the log can come in the form of a spreadsheet with columns, tables, and rows where you simply input information.
Trip Log Sheets
What should be included in your travel log?
A travel log helps you remember all of the experiences you had during your travels. You may include pictures, notes, and things that you enjoyed in the course of your trip. Then you can share these experiences with your friends and family. When making travel log templates, include the following:
- Destination
Elaborate on details like how far your destination is from where you are and how you plan to get there. Enumerate everything you expect to see and the places you will visit when you get there. - Time
This will include the time you will spend on your trip, for how long, and when you will go back home. For organizations, the time revolves around a schedule they provided. This is especially true when an employee has to attend an important event. - Budget
This refers to the money you will use for the trip. You can either express this at the end as a total cost or as a more comprehensive list where you enumerate everything you have spent. This helps you narrow down on spending and give you an idea of how much you need for your next trip. - Experiences
Record each activity you will take part in. Also, write down what you felt at that time. This helps you to either steer clear of or relive certain experiences the next time you visit the same destination. - Photos
Photos are the greatest proof that you have made your dreams come true. With today’s phones and tablets, adding pictures of your travels won’t cost anything. Best of all, you can visually share your experiences and remember what you did during your trip.
Travel Log Examples
How do I record my travels?
Because you will experience new things, travel becomes a time for learning and growth. If you’re a first-time traveler, you want to recall everything you did each time you traveled. The best way to preserve the memories of experiences is by keeping a travel log. Record your travels on travel log templates by following these steps:
- Purchase a durable but lightweight journal with a hardcover
Make sure that the journal you choose has a strong binding and it’s easy to write or sketch on. Also, choose one that’s big enough to hold photos and postcards. - Purchase art materials
Bring along pens, markers, or highlighters that you know you will feel comfortable writing with. Bring with you tools used for sketching too as there may be sights worth portraying on paper. Highlighters are cool for embellishing your tip log template. - Purchase adhesives too
You need to attach postcards, photos, and other mementos to your log. Adhesives will help you out. Glue sticks are a great option as they aren’t messy and they occupy very little space. Using decorative tapes to attach your travel souvenirs to your journal is great as well. - Pack a ruler and a pair of scissors too
With these, you can trim some of the things you will place in your log. - Find a clear folder that’s expandable
Since you will collect mementos for your journal, you might not have the time to attach them all right away. You can keep everything organized without losing any of your mementos by bringing along a clear expandable folder. Here, you can gather your mementos and keep them safe. - Buy or print out a map
You can find various cool retro maps online. Choose one that’s appealing and unique then paste this on the cover of your log. You can adjust the size of the map so it can fit perfectly, especially if your itinerary involves several destinations. - Write as you go
In order for your log to capture the mood and the tone of your travels, it’s recommended to write down events as you travel as you might find it hard to remember the most important details later when your trip is over.
Of course, this does not mean that you have to compose diary-style entries that explain everything that transpired each day. Try bringing out your log a few times a day to write down sights, experiences, and activities that come to your mind right away. - Think about who you’re writing the log for
Travel journals are mainly intended to serve as a personal memento of your exciting and interesting experiences in life. In many cases, the log is also meant for sharing with your friends and family.
That way, they can vicariously experience or get ideas should they make a decision to take a similar venture in the future. You can think of the best tone of writing and style if you know who you’re writing for. - Come up with a theme
Many people find it easier to compose entries if they have the main mood or idea to focus on. Try thinking about all of the things you have done and seen then try to see if you can spot a recurring theme that will help to shape your log entries. - Collect mementos
Chronicling your journey should start at the beginning of your trip. Start gathering materials that will fill the pages of your log. This can include boarding passes, tickets to tourist attractions, postcards, business cards from hotels or restaurants, logo napkins or paper menus from restaurants, local newspaper clippings, labels from local beverage and food products, or even receipts from the things you have purchased. All of these, trivial as they might seem, will help your memories come to life. - Take a lot of photos
No trip will be truly complete without pictures as these help you recall what transpired for many years to come – what you did and what you saw. It will be your log that will benefit most from these visual reminders of your escapade.
Fortunately, today, digital cameras have made it easier to make sure that you will have high-quality pictures. You can even delete those that you don’t like. Make sure to go for a combination of candid portraits and landmark shots to give your log more variety.
Trip Log Templates
Other types of travel logs
When you think about worldly travelers, you would picture them as people with brown derby hats, rugged appearances, and beaten up notebooks. But in this day and age, we now have many choices. If you love traveling, you can use different types of travel logs like:
- Vlogs and Videos
This type of travel log example has become very popular on social media platforms. You can create a vlog, take videos of your travels, and speak directly to the camera. Although this can be less visceral than a written trip log sheet, they can be a lot easier to share with others.
The disadvantage of vlogging is the worry of carrying heavy and expensive camera equipment and having to find the right lighting and sound to capture the perfect moment. - Apps
Using apps is also another great way to document your travels. Today, we have purpose-built journal apps where you can take notes, upload photos, record videos, and add captions. You can also auto-link the website of the destination you have visited.
Perhaps the best feature of these apps is that they can auto-capture the location, weather, and time of your location allowing you to create a detailed online log.
The main advice when making a log is not forgetting to enjoy yourself. Remember that traveling is an opportunity of a lifetime. You should have a lot of fun and your log should show that. Here are some tips:
- Begin writing in your log even before you leave your home.
- Rather than just listing things you did or places you visited, turn your trip into a story.
- Don’t forget to include details about how you thought or felt about the places you visited.
- Write down your thoughts while they are still fresh in your mind and don’t hesitate to include the not-so-great experiences.
- Using pictures can enhance your writing while aiding with your memory.
- Using writing resources will help your narratives flow well while making your log more interesting.
- This trip is all about you taking on a new adventure. Make sure to write about what you want to describe, show the pictures that you love, and summarize everything that happened during your trip.