Our Favorite Reflective Travel Journal Prompts

Journaling can be a great way to practice mindfulness while on your travels and to reflect upon them after your return home.

There are no rules when it comes to creative journaling. You can sketch, create bulleted lists, draw mind maps, write, doodle, record quotes, paste mementos and materials, use maps, or not. You can document what you see, eat, do, record itinerary details, create lists of things you liked, write facts about your destination, describe favorite and least favorite moments, collect names and contact information of people you met, explore local traditions, or put down recommendations for friends or for a future visit. You can also journal prior to your adventure to prepare for it, in-the-moment to record observations and emotions, or after your trip to look back upon it.

Here at Boundaway we particularly like to go deep and reflect on the bigger picture after we completing an adventure. We believe there are eye-opening lessons that can be gleaned from our travels but that may not always be evident in the moment. We also believe that reflecting upon them helps us practice awareness, develop empathy, feel grateful, and grow as a person.

If you feel the same way, here are some of our favorite reflective travel prompts that you can use for your next journey.

Emotions:

1. Sit quietly for a few seconds. What do you remember seeing, touching, smelling, or hearing? What emotions bubble up?
2. How did you feel about yourself when you were there? Did you feel more or less like yourself?
3. Use the first 10 words that come to mind to describe this destination to someone who might be thinking of traveling there.

Highlights:

1. If you could relive a specific moment of your trip, what would it be? Why does this moment bring you happiness?
2. Describe one moment of the trip that you will never forget. Why is it unforgettable?

Overcoming challenges:

• Did you experience an uncomfortable or scary situation? How did you find your way out? Do you feel different about it now?
• What experiences made you feel most outside of your comfort zone? Why?
• What difficult thoughts or emotions came up during your trip? How did you overcome them?
• Describe a choice or an action you did that you regret. What can you learn from this? 

Expectations and Misconceptions:

• What was the biggest misconception you had about your destination that you now feel different about? What led you to change that opinion?
• How did your trip live up to your expectations? How was it different?
• Think of something that happened that you did not understand in the moment. Maybe a reaction from a local, or an activity that felt strange to you. Play devil’s advocate, why do you think this happened? What could the other person have been thinking?

Cultural awareness:

• Did you experience culture shock? How?
• What makes this place similar to your home city or country? What makes it different?
• What characteristics do you share with the locals? How might you be different from them?
• What are five things you learned about the local culture? What resonated with you most?

Lessons learned:

• How did this trip change you and your perspective? Did it help you grow in any way?
• What did you learn that may be relevant for future travels?
• Was there a piece of advice that a local shared with you? Or maybe something you learned from observation? Maybe a proverb? How can you apply it to your life?

Gratitude:

• What are you most grateful for about this trip?
• How did you feel coming back home? What were you grateful for?
• Write a letter of gratitude to someone who showed you kindness on the road.
• What aspects of your life at home are you most grateful for after this trip? 
• What issues did you encounter that were problematic for the locals? What are some ways you can help and give back?

Planning your return:

• If you could come back to this place, who would you bring with you? Why?
• Is there anything you would do differently next time you visit?
• Would you live in this destination? Why or why not?
• What is one thing you didn’t get to do but wish you had?

Now back to you. What are some of your favorite journaling prompts that are not included above?