I Was Here, a travel journal for the curious minded

I just came back form a 3-week trip in Asia and one of my travel companion was the fun travel journal I Was Here by Kate Pocrass, that a friend had offered me (thanks Elodie!). Here’s what I think about it:

• Flipping through its colourful pages is like travelling already. Make sure you browse it before leaving, it will delight you in anticipation of what you’ll see and discover. The journal is convenient for planning your trip ahead, though probably more appropriate for a city trip rather than a 3-week itinerary, but that depends on your way of planning trips!

• It’ll shed a new light on your travel. It’s full of fun ideas to experience and discover places differently. It’ll definitively open your mind to new encounters and will change your perspective. Are you here to run after landmarks or to enjoy sitting in this café while being inspired by the locals?

• It’s perfect to remember the little things that make travelling so rich an experience. People you meet, words you hear, objects that surprise you: it’s about taking the time to see and write down what surrounds you. Noticing all these small details, the tiny differences from your home country, things that make you wonder or amaze you… And remembering about it all once you’re back.

• It’ll awaken your creative side by playing with colours, textures or your imagination. Those of you who like to draw will enjoy recording their impressions on this travel journal’s thick pages. For the others, well, it can be a bit frustrating if talent fails you… (yup, I have an ugly drawing of what was supposed to be a wonderfully green hills-and-paddy-fields landscape, but at least I remember what I so badly wanted to picture!). Nevertheless, it’s always pleasant to give it a try and be surprised at what you can draw, so many years after kindergarten!

So I do recommend the ‘I Was Here’ travel journal if you want to take the time to travel differently. Yes, it does take time to pay attention to your environment, to play with what you see everyday, to record your experiences. But it’s definitively worth it, as you’ll have great memories in store afterwards.

The journal bears well its name and the curious minded will love its playful content!

(And if you think the donut in these pictures looks yummy, it is indeed, and it comes form Hara Donuts in Hiroshima!)