Cozumel Travel Journal

Before starting my new job in February, I wanted to take a vacation to relax a bit and rejuvenate. Me and my girlfriend Arpita decided to take a well-deserved trip to Cozumel. I didn't want this to turn into yet another trip that I intend to scrap about and never do. Since it was only a long weekend trip, I figured that a travel journal would suffice to cover this entire trip.

Using the ideas in the article "Make Your Own Travel Journal" by Vicki Chrisman in the june/july 2006 issue of Scrapbook Answers, I made my Cozumel Travel Journal out of manila envelopes and some cardstock. The manila envelopes serve to make a sturdier base for your journal, and also providing some pockets that are just the right size to insert pamphlets & maps from your trip.

If you'd like detailed instructions, you can email me.

The Cover



To bind the album, I used one of the new Basic Grey Magnetic buckles and some ribbon. I love the way that this looks, especially the color of this particular buckle which just seemed perfect for a Cozumel vacation.

Inside Pages






One of the pockets created by the manila envelope that's folded in half.

Supplies to take with you:

I actually took tons of stuff with me on this trip to work on the journal with, but only used a few things in the end. Here's my list of items that I found most helpful.

• 1-2 journaling pens (1 black, and 1 other of your choice - I like blue / brown)
• 1-2 small ink pads (I find the Cat's Eye chalk pads to work well, but I would make sure they are wrapped in saran wrap or taped shut, since I found that my lids came off in travel)
• 1-2 small stamps to use as a tying element throughout your pages (I like using something that leaves space to journal in the middle)
• 1 set of small alphabet stamps (I like clear acrylic stamps since they're faster to work with and easier to pack)
• 1 sheet of vacation themed stickers - I chose a set of definition stickers
• some paper clips / binder clips
• small scissor
• tape / glue stick /stapler

Travel Journal Tips:

Some of these are my own, others are garnered from various scrapbook magazine articles about travel journals (Scrapbook Answers, Creating Keepsakes, Scrapbooks Etc)

• You can keep your travel itinerary in one of the pockets created by the manila envelopes
• Remember to take your travel journal with you, and write down your thoughts while you're waiting in line for an attraction, or on the train
• Try hand-drawing a map with tidbits about the journey written in, like thoughts about the ferry ride, the length of time it took to get from one place to another, etc
• Keep receipts from the trip that have logos on them - sometimes they're a fun way to add a little local flavor to your journal, especially the ones from local grocery stores, gas stations, etc
• Take multiple copies of the free maps you usually get from hotels - they're usually a lot less busy than tourism maps, so you can attach them to your journal and highlight the spots you visited
• Have a travel companion writen down their thoughts as well
• Try doing a list of events or things to remember to make journaling quicker
• You can save tickets, pamphlets, free postcards to make tabs to add throughout your journal (I didn't do this, but I think it's a great idea)
• Save those thin bags you get when buying postcards or other paper items. You can rip off the top and attach the bag to your journal page to create a pocket for postcards, pictures, or a journaling tag (ditto my last comment)
• Remember that you can use brochures for things such as cutting out dates, or tidbits of key information, so pick up extra copies