This month I’ve been writing about some of our traditions that relate to travel. Today I’m going to share one of my favourites – our family trip journal.
We started keeping a trip journal the year the girls were 6 and 3 and we spent a week in New York state. We’ve taken it on every trip since, and it’s a wonderful way to both record our trip memories and measure our changes in artistic prowess.
For example, here’s some artwork from an early trip to Vancouver Island, British Columbia to visit my father-in-law:
This illustration is from the same trip. My youngest drew the picture of a totem pole. On the page beside (not photographed), I wrote a description of the totem pole that she dictated to me.
Their artwork has matured to these recent entries:
Even their dad is an amazing artist, as witnessed by this portrait of a day in St Petersburg:
No need to photograph my entries as they are text-heavy. Does that surprise anyone?
I love this idea, Beth. Thank you so much for sharing. I am going to snag this concept for trips when my children are just a little older. It must be wonderful to go back and get to remember your trips through your family's drawings and notes.
I like the castle with the spires which look they belong in St. Petersburg. And no, it's not surprising that such a fabulous writer would put text in with her illustrations. 🙂
What a treasure this journal is! Not just a recording of places you have visited but the precious growth of your children through their sweet drawings. What fun to revisit through their young eyes 🙂
This is such a great idea and will be a treasure for your children's children too 🙂 I always kept trip journals, but they were mostly full of exagerrated descriptions of any mishaps we had. Ah, memories 🙂
How adorable! I love "The Scream". 😀
What a brilliant way to record a vacation, drawings speak volumes and they have so much more personality than photos.
I love using journals for specific purposes, and this one is beautiful. What a treasure chest filled with gems of your travels along with a document of your journey as a family.
What a wonderful idea! Makes me wish I could start vacationing all over again.
That is so wonderful! What a fantastic thing to be able to go back and re-experience all your trips. I AM impressed with your husband's drawing ability, too. 🙂
Amy
So cool to look back and treasure such wonderful trips you took as a family and to see how your children have matured through the years through their drawings and writings. What a fantastic tradition, I love it.
Super idea, Beth. Wish I had thought of it when mine were little. The kids would have had great fun doing that.
I kept journals of my travels as I got older but now I go right to the computer and post trip info with photos. I guess those have become my "journals." But I still come home with lots of notes to remind me of things.
Wonderful tradition! Great idea! These are special treasures that they will always have to look back on:)
I love the idea of a journal! We had a summer lake house a few years ago and I kept a journal. Such fun memories.
Thats really a great idea!
Oh my word! Mom made Billy and I keep journals of all of our family vacations and we had so much fun doing them, but now we have so many of them. I love the idea of consolidating an entire family worth of memories into one book and continuing it as an ongoing story. Thank you for sharing this wonderfully practical, extremely touching idea!
Those pictures are too precious! This is the best travel journal.
How wonderful, to visit beautiful places :), Miriam@Mealtess Meals For Meat Eaters
How fabulous!!! I love that you all joined in this tradition. How I wish I could turn back the clock and do this, too…I think this is the best keepsake ever 🙂
Adorable!
I do love journals, I have several going right now. Love the kids take on life. I think my grandchildren are getting journals for christmas.
How precious! This is a wonderful tradition, Beth. Thank you for sharing it with us.
What a priceless treasure! In my closet I actually have the trip journal(I was in charge of it)from when I was 11 and we went from CA to MA. Not nearly as inpressive as yours, but it does provide a few laughs now and then:)
Really neat! I have a little book I take and make notes each day of a trip. I don't think I've ever drawn a picture though. I think I need to challenge myself to do that next time!
This is a wonderful tradition! I am going to do this with my kids now. I love it!!
What a wonderful idea, my sweet friend! I love reading all these different trips and memories. It makes me excited about when Ryan and I have kids of our own! Thank you for sharing, as always…you warm my heart!
How fun is that? What a great tradition! I may have to borrow from you (again!). 😀
What a fantastic idea! I've never kept a travel journal, however I do keep a food journal. Surprised? We will definitely start the travel journal tradition on our next vacation.
On our first real big family holiday recently, I started a trip journal too! What a coincidence to come over here and read about yours. My girls didn't write in the journal as we went along (too tired after a day of sightseeing), I just left spaces for them to draw and write when they felt like it, I'm sure they'll love looking back on this in the years to come.
What a cool idea. These drawings are just as precious as photos taken during a trip.
as someone who started out as a visual artist before venturing into the culinary arts, I applaud these travel journals. You've encouraged such creativity! I love all the drawings. Especially the totem.