The dark brown leather, once dull and scarless, now boasts a sheen earned from hours sitting in the large back pocket of my camera bag. Surface scratches and weather blotches tell a vivid story of long treks 9,000 feet above sea level in the rugged Italian Alps. Hand drawn maps and mountain summit sketches of New York State’s majestic Adirondacks adorn the worn pages of my “Mountain Journal”.

I use my Travelers Notebook in many different ways. To curate custom journeys to Italy for my tour company and to record those small yet meaningful moments as my young children begin to grow. 

Pulled from the pocket of the seat in front of me at 35,000 feet I jot a note about how much I miss my children. On a 200 mph fast train (Frecciarossa) moving swiftly from the wide and even flatter lands of the Po Valley to the rolling green and golden hills of Tuscany, I retrieve a printed ticket and review the itinerary of a busy travel day. I quickly stuff sensitive items, local currency and my passport into the well designed leather card / zipped pocket insert made by 1.61 Soft Goods in Los Angeles. 

Back at work in New York City, everyday carry like credit cards, subway pass, bank slips, stamps and a brass ruler complete a make shift business tool kit. My addiction to travel and discovery pushes me to explore each nook of a familiar Gotham and my Travelers Notebook helps me record the memory. Sketches, autumn leaves, flowers and other gifts from my children are carefully added inside - a future tactile reminder of a less adventurous day in the neighborhood park or a winter getaway on a secluded beach in the Dutch Caribbean.  

The simplicity of a #001 lined notebook insert is best for me. I like to write in a longer, story form while keeping record of the day to day. I save bullet lists and schedules for less than analogue tools.

Methods for journaling are personal and I like to be open, allowing my style and preference to evolve.

As I write, I'm reminded that having a journal is much more than recording daily activities. Entries are proof that I had certain thoughts, how I came to those thoughts and how I hopefully grew as an individual, sojourning my way through life.

This article was originally posted as a blog entry by our wonderful friends at Baum-Kuchen. 

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