By Bruce Shawkey
Found this interesting book in the Internet archive about keeping a travel journal, which I have done for a number of years. It's always fun for me to read about past travels, whether to the next town over, or the next continent.
In her introduction, author Lavinia Spalding writes:
"Keeping a travel journal is a time-honored art form steeped with tradition and romance, a practice with countless iterations and formulas. Some people approach it like a religious discipline, sitting each afternoon with pen and notebook to dutifully chronicle the events of their day. "
I would add to that everything I ate (being a foodie), the hotels and motels I stayed at, and the shenanigans of my two cats, who were often my semi-reluctant travel companions when traveling by car to Florida, where I spent many winters.
Here's a look at her table of contents:
1 — Let the Wild Writing Begin Choosing a journal and beginning your journey
2 — It's the Intention that Matters Finding and following your journaling purpose
3 — Write Two Pages and Call Me in the Morning Tackling discipline, routine, structure, and momentum
4 — Travel Is Stranger than Fiction Infusing your entries with elements of creative writing
5 — Distance Makes the Art Grow Stronger Behind the scenes: the making of an artistic journal
6 — Journal to the Center Traveling inward and exploring each moment
7 — And Now for Something Completely Different How to keep the love affair alive
8 — Don't You Forget About Me Teaching yourself to observe and remember in advance
9 — The Sum of Our Misadventures Embracing the mishaps to enrich your experience
10 — Free Your Mind and the Words Will Follow Tips, tricks, and how travel makes writers of us all
11 — Tell Me the Truth Finding the courage to write what's really real
12 — Having a Great Time, Wish I Were Here Technology and the journaling traveler
13 — Bring It on Home The journey ends and begins anew
I think more than anything, my mom instilled in me the love of travel. As a family, we traveled quite often. And then when my dad passed away, Mom traveled even more. Sister Dawn and I frequently joked that Mom stayed home just long enough to do her laundry, and then she was off again.
