travel journal

For my upcoming trip to Ireland (in 2 days!) I wanted to make a travel journal. I keep a regular journal but wanted one that was specifically tailored to the things I want to keep track of when I'm on a trip. Inspiration for this project came from this one by Tamara from Etcetorize, this one from an Italian blog, and some ideas of my own.

I started with this $2 notebook from Office Depot.

I knew the cover would be easy to transform, and inside the back cover I found this!

I don't need fractions or a multiplication chart, but metric conversions? Yes! We'll be driving a rental car in a country where speed is measured in kilometers per hour and gas is bought by the liter, so this chart is going to be very helpful!

This is the finished product!

I cut some travel themed paper to fit the front cover, applied a thin layer of Mod Podge, and carefully smoothed out any bubbles.

The back side got covered too

You can also see in these shots that I added a ribbon to use as a bookmark. I just glued it up the spine of the notebook and then cut it long enough to go between the pages and hang down a little bit. I use clear nail polish to bind the ends of the ribbon and keep it from fraying. I've done that several times on different projects and it works great!

I also added some tabs so I could have sections dedicated to the different things I want to keep a record of. I guess I should have taken this picture from the other direction :) The sections are journal, photo log, reviews (I'm starting another blog where I write reviews of airlines, hotels, tours, etc that I use in my travels - stay tuned for more info on that when I get back), budget, and other stuff.

I wanted the tabs to be a little bit more sturdy than just a piece of paper glued to the edge of the notebook paper because I thought they would tear off too easily, so this was my solution. Long tabs attached to the paper using clear packing tape. They're not going anywhere.

Inside the front cover I made a pocket where I can store any little cards or papers I want to keep.

To do that I cut a piece of paper the size I wanted the pocket to be (the one with the Eiffel Tower on it), and then cut a second piece about 1/4 inch larger on 3 sides. I cut out the corners of that piece, scored the 3 sides that are bigger than the front pocket piece, and folded them up. I didn't get good pictures of that, but hopefully it makes sense.

Then I glued the front piece to the folded edges of the back piece, being careful not to let any glue seep through and glue the whole thing together. You want it to be able to open up, like this.

Then I just glued that inside the front cover of the notebook, which I had also covered with paper.

I'm so happy with how my travel journal turned out and I can't wait to use it on my trip!

Linked to

Junk in their Trunk

Uncommon

Ginger Snap Crafts

Not JUST a Housewife

Etcetorize

52 Mantels

Crafty Scrappy Happy

The Shabby Creek Cottage