People Journal Study Guide

471 Words1 Page

Every trip consists of two simultaneous journeys. The outer journey and the inner journey, the outer journey is everything external: what you’re seeing, hearing, smelling, doing, etc. The inner journey is what’s happening in your mind. Great travel journals weave these two journeys together.
Take a few minutes to scan each of your senses. Don’t just focus on what you see. What do you hear and smell? What does your body feel like in this place? Look for the hundreds of minuscule details that surround you and make a place feel foreign.
Be brutally honest with yourself about the thoughts that pass through your mind. Sensitive travelers try not to judge a foreign culture. This is good, but culture shock is normal and inevitable. Don’t be afraid …show more content…

Try choosing a different topic each day. It can be absolutely anything: transportation, children, language barriers and communicating, toilets, food, people’s clothese2C how you feel about money as you travel accommodations, other tourists, etc. Write an essay each day about your encounters with that topic.
Try keeping a “people journal.” Write each day about someone you met that day. It can be someone you had a three hour chat with in a pub, or someone who spent 20 seconds selling you a bus ticket. Describe everything about them: How they looked, how they talked, their mannerisms, how they made you feel.
For many, the biggest challenge of travel journaling is finding time to write. Write during “hidden moments” in your day waiting for trains or buses, waiting for a meal at a restaurant, waiting for your travel partner to finish showering. You’ll be surprised how many impressions you can jot down in three minute bursts.
If you’re feeling pressed for time, try speed journaling, spill all of your thoughts and impressions onto the paper as fast as possible. Don’t try to be organized. Don’t try to write well. You might not end up with flowery prose, but you’ll have a lot more memories to take home with

Open Document