So you thought about going overlanding? Maybe a long journey through the Amazon jungle, from South America to North America by crossing a desert, or a road trip through Africa. Whatever your dreams are, they all require preparation! And what better way to prepare for your overlanding trip than writing in a journal?
Why Should I Write a Journal on My Overlanding Trip?
Why journaling on your Overlanding trip is essential? An essential part of off-road travel is to experience and treasure memorable moments. By nature, memories fade with time, and having written evidence adds value to individual memories and the whole journey. As you go on, more things will happen, and the journal becomes more of a combined collection of all your memories.
You can also use it as an opportunity to ‘practice’ writing if you’re not used to it already. It gives you time to reflect on what happened and helps you order thoughts that could be chaotic otherwise.
Writing is also therapeutic. Writing down your thoughts or feelings can help release stress or negative emotions by forming them in words on paper. After your trip, looking back through your journal may bring up some good memories too!
[nearly any form of a journal will do, get one at Amazon to get started]
What Are Some Benefits of Journaling on My Overlanding Trip?
You’ll remember everything better
As mentioned above, having written evidence adds value to individual memories and the whole journey. You can read about what you’ve done, where you’ve been, and what you have seen anytime. Also, your journal will record sights, sounds, smells, tastes, etc., for future reference.
1. It’s therapeutic
Writing is cathartic. It allows you to process the things around you and voice emotions or events that are difficult to share verbally with others (for whatever reason). Writing also helps with stress release and de-compression after (or even during) an eventful day on the road.
2. Reflect on your journey
- You’ll know whether you’re traveling solo or with friends.
- Whether your group is getting along well or not.
- Whether you feel at home in your surroundings or alienated and lonely etc.
You’ll be able to look back on all of these factors and others that we cannot foresee now.
3. It’s an excellent way to interact with your teammates
Writing in a journal allows for reflection and facilitates conversation by showing the group what has already been written. So when you compare notes at the end of each day, it will give you something interesting to talk about!
What Sort of Things Can I Write About In My Journal?
Sometimes people overthink journaling. For example, I tried writing in a diary when I was a kid. I would write about goofy things that I thought were important at the time. I believed that it had to be sooo personal that I had to hide in my closet. So, while I had fun writing in my diary, I was afraid of what people would think. I kind of carry that with me to this day (I’m 56).
I now feel that journaling and writing is a way to express yourself, and for me, remember what I did and where I went. So, I suggest that you keep it simple.
For example, in the movie, the Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Walter, played by Ben Stiller writes the following in his journal:
May 8th “Lower Himalayas…I’ve rented two strong little men….rajgawees…I am given a ‘mountain blessing’.“
May 12th “We offer Mom’s cake to some warlords turns out to be great…conditions testing, body and soul“
“Now at 18,000 feet, my mind drifts like the snow.“
“Alone“
Secret Life of Walter Mitty – Journal
The Journey Itself
- How was the road today?
- How much did you travel?
- Who drove? Etc.
This might not be very interesting, but it helps you record where you’ve been in case you forget, and it also gives an insight into your driving team.
Journal About The People In Your Group
Diary entries can be used to document your group’s activities. For example, if someone is getting on everyone’s nerves, you can write about them. This will help prevent disputes because people might not even realize they are upsetting other members.
It also helps to build camaraderie by recording events like birthday celebrations or game nights.
Journal Your Thoughts and Feelings
It’s good to record how you feel overall, whether you’re homesick, afraid, excited, etc. It may seem strange but writing about emotions helps to process them too!
Journal Your Special Moments
This could be something like the first time you saw the sea, visited an isolated village, or spotted wildlife.
Observations About Your Surroundings
For example, how many petrol stations were on the road today, or what type of terrain you drove through, e.g., salt flats; high desert, etc. The more detail, the better! I find it interesting to note down weather conditions, temperature, and our location at regular intervals to refer to them later.
Journal External Stimuli
This could be anything from music played in your vehicle or pieces of conversation overheard during dinner time etc. They may seem insignificant now, but they all help us paint a picture of what happened over that period (and who knows – they might even come in useful later on!).
Plans for the Next Day
This is good because it serves as a reminder to take particular objects or fuel up at certain places and prevents unexpected delays (e.g., getting lost) because you can make sure everyone’s aware of what’s happening.
If you like photography or sketching, then why not combine journaling with your hobby?
It could be fun! I used to draw many little pictures in my travel diary, but now I don’t have room, so I keep them separate.
How Do We All Fit Journaling Into Our Trip Plans?
There are several ways that someone can keep a record of their journey. One is that drivers can keep a journal while passengers can use their cameras. Alternatively, everyone in the vehicle should have a go at being a writer.
This will be more difficult, but it’s also more fun because you get to share what you’ve been up to and hear other people’s stories too!
In terms of fitting it into your trip plans, there are several approaches I would advise:
Make Time Each Day To Journal
Not necessarily to write continuously for hours on end, but at least a little bit every day (even if only 5 minutes). That way, you’ll notice how much detail builds up over time and reminds us of everything we’ve done even after we stop traveling.
Keep Separate Pieces of Paper or Notebooks for Each Activity/ Trip
So, one for the journey and one for all the special moments we’ve experienced. This is a good idea because you don’t want to mix them up later on.
Save It All In Separate Journal Folders
This ensures that your trip journal is kept entirely separate from any other information (e.g., photos). The more organized you are, the better!
Keep Multiple Travel Journals
Some people keep several of these to read back on previous journeys and compare what happened before and after.
What About Sharing My Journal? Is This a Good Idea?
I shared my journal in the early days of our trip, and it helped us bond as a group and was very entertaining for others to read.
However, I would advise against documenting all your most intimate thoughts and feelings because some people might not want to share them with the world (and they may find it upsetting when reading back in the future).
Also, writing about other people in detail without their permission can lead to trouble further down the line, so please only add anything personal with everyone’s consent.
Final Thoughts About Your Adventure Journal
Journaling is such an excellent way to help us remember our overlanding trip. It doesn’t have to be long, tiring, or complicated – just a few words or even one sentence per day is enough to give you an incredibly detailed account of your journey when looking back in years to come.
Sometimes it’s also nice to include photos/drawings alongside the text to reminisce further by seeing what you were doing at exactly this time last year!
I hope this article has convinced everyone reading – if not already journaling, please give it a try now because I think everyone will enjoy using their journals on future trips.
Learn more about overlanding in our recent post here.
