Travelling Through the Pen

I’ve always thought there was another way to travel, and it doesn’t always require a passport.

You can travel through the pen.

Before we leave, our journal is the place where we put all those thoughts swirling around in our heads. Where are we going? What are we curious about? What have we heard about the place? What are we hoping to find? If we’re being honest, what are we slightly nervous about?

Writing those things down before we leave can be surprisingly interesting. Then, when we come home, we can see how much of our imagined trip actually happened. Usually, some of it did. Some of it definitely didn’t. Inevitably, some of the best parts probably weren’t even on the list at all.

While we’re away, the journal doesn’t have to become another item on the vacation schedule. There is no need to write a three-page essay every evening after walking 20,000 steps. A few words over breakfast, a paragraph while having a coffee, or a quick note before bed can be plenty.

Write down the funny things.

The unexpected things.

The people you met.

The place you almost missed because you were looking at your phone.

The restaurant someone recommended that turned out to be fantastic or the dud.

Write down the things you want to remember but know you’ll probably forget.

Photographs are wonderful, but they don’t always capture what was happening inside your head. A picture might show the sunset, but your journal can remind you who you were sitting beside, what you were talking about, what you were drinking and why you thought, “I really like it here.”

There is also the writing we do after we return.

That’s when we get to look back with a little distance. We may remember the trip differently than we expected. Perhaps the attraction we were most excited about was forgettable, while an ordinary afternoon became one of our favourite memories.

That is the beauty of writing while we travel. We’re not simply recording where we’ve been. We’re paying attention to our own experience of being there.

So pack the pen.

Leave a little room in the suitcase for the journal.

And don’t worry about writing something profound. Sometimes “best coffee ever” or “got completely lost and somehow ended up at the beach” is exactly the kind of valuable information future-you needs.

Travel through the pen before, during and after the adventure. You may be surprised by what you discover when you read your own story later.

Yours pen in hand, Ms. Mindful Traveller