when i was ten, i took my first trip away from home without my mom. it was a trip to disney world with my cousins, and my mom gave me some valuable advice: write everything down. turns out, my fourth-grade self was pretty hilarious, and my cousins and i have been very entertained flipping through our old travel journals. reading through my journals is one of my very favorite things about taking trips. i have a horrible memory, and i’ve found that if i don’t write down the funny, the interesting, and the strange as it happens, i won’t remember them in even a couple of days.

i now prefer the small, brown moleskin notebooks for my travel diaries. they are small enough to slip into my pocket or clutch, have lined pages (being an accountant, i’m really not one for going outside of the lines), and i can draw on the cover if i feel any artistic inspiration (that happened once in a park in mendoza, argentina, and i wish i could tell you the outcome wasn’t regrettable).

though the moleskins are my favorite, i’ve seen a lot of super cute journals recently that make me want to branch out a little. see below for some of my favorites. are there any you recommend?

1. pantone notebook, $12.99 2. field notes, $9.95 for a 3-pack 3. leather gamma journal from anthropologie, $24 4. secret agents i met and loved journal from archie grand, €12.45 5. moleskin volant mini ruled notebook, $5.95 for a set of two