TRAVELER’S Notebook: A New Companion for Adventures
Jackie Benefield, a social worker by profession, stumbled upon the TRAVELER’S notebook (TN) while browsing a popular online stationery store. Little did Jackie know that this discovery would transform her travel experiences and become a therapeutic outlet in her daily life. The versatility and charm of the TRAVELER’S notebook quickly captured Jackie’s interest, prompting her to explore its potential as a travel companion.
Initially unsure of how to utilize the notebook, Jackie found herself drawn to the idea of documenting her road trips. “I was always curious, but I was like, ‘what would I use it for?'” she recalls. “And then I thought, travel, okay, you know, I’ll start documenting my road trips.” This decision marked the beginning of a journey that would intertwine her love for road trips with the art of travel journaling.
The Daily Ritual: Unwinding with TRAVELER’S Notebook
For Jackie, the TRAVELER’S notebook became more than just a travel companion; it evolved into a daily ritual that helped her transition from work to personal time. After long days as a social worker, Jackie found solace in the pages of her TN. “I’m usually too tired to do anything after work, but journaling after work, um, just to relax and decompress and not think about work,” she explains.
Using the TN Vertical Weekly DIARY, Jackie developed a habit of catching up on the day’s events, creating a valuable record that serves multiple purposes. “What did I do today? I’ll write it down,” she says. This practice not only helps her unwind but also provides a reference point for future creative endeavors. “It’s good notes too, like in case I fall behind, I refer back to [the Vertical Weekly] for my doodles or something,” Jackie adds, highlighting how her daily entries support her more elaborate journal entries.
The First Road Trip: Embarking on a New Adventure
Jackie’s journey with the TRAVELER’S notebook as a road trip companion began in early 2020, just before the pandemic changed the world. Jackie and her cousin embarked on a three-day adventure down Route 66, exploring parts of California and Arizona. This trip, while not documented in real-time in her TN, planted the seed for future journaling adventures.
“We spent, I think, like three days doing that [and we] stopped at the tourist traps and all iconic places on the road and took pictures, even if it, you know, was abandoned,” Jackie reminisces. The excitement of exploring these iconic locations, even in their abandoned state, fueled her desire to document future trips more thoroughly.
The First Documented Trip: Utah Exploration
September 2020 marked a significant milestone in Jackie’s TRAVELER’S notebook journey. She embarked on a big road trip to Utah with her mother, and this time, she was determined to document every moment. “It was our first time being in Utah. We did the whole four corners of the state. It was intense,” Jackie recalls.
During this trip, Jackie began to develop her unique journaling style. “I still didn’t know what to do, how to document in the TRAVELER’S notebook. I wasn’t good with placement, so it was more like collecting … stickers that I bought,” she explains. This trip laid the foundation for her future journaling approach, focusing on collecting ephemera and drawing iconic sites from her travels in her TN.
Road Trips as Therapy: Escaping Reality and Finding Peace
As Jackie continued to use her TRAVELER’S notebook, she discovered that road trips offered more than just new experiences to document. They became a form of therapy, a way to escape the stresses of everyday life. “It’s like to escape reality,” Jackie explains. “Work, at first it was because … work [was driving] me crazy, so I found any excuse to leave and go on a road trip just to get away.”
Even after resolving workplace stress, Jackie found that road trips continued to be her go-to method for decompressing. “When things got overwhelming and I started getting stressed out, it was the only thing that helped,” she says. “I felt like it was my therapy.”
The combination of solitude, new experiences, and the act of documenting in her TRAVELER’S notebook proved to be a powerful remedy for Jackie. “My batteries would be recharged and I feel like, okay, I could go back. And I’m alone with my thoughts on my drive, and at the same time, I get to visit new places,” she reflects.
Discovering the National Park Passport: A New Dimension to Travel
A pivotal moment in Jackie’s road trip experiences came during a visit to Petrified Forest National Park. It was here that she stumbled upon the National Park Passport program and its intriguing stamp system. “That’s when I learned about the stamps. And I was like curious, like, ‘What’s this whole stamp system thing?'” Jackie recalls.
This discovery added a new layer of excitement to her travels. “I think these were the first ones I collected,” she says. “And then I found that they had this passport book and that all the parks had stamps. And I’m like, ‘Oh my God, this is like a scavenger hunt. I have to go, I have to collect them all.'”
The National Park Passport program transformed Jackie’s approach to planning her road trips. National parks became integral stops on her journeys, adding both structure and spontaneity to her adventures.
Capturing History: The TRAVELER’S Notebook as a Time Capsule
For Jackie, documenting her trips in the TRAVELER’S notebook transcends mere record-keeping. It’s about preserving moments in time, especially along historic routes like Route 66, where the landscape can change rapidly. “Route 66, it’s always changing,” Jackie explains. “Like, one day that place will be there, the next time you go by it, it’s no longer there. Like, it fell down, the building burned down, the business is no longer in business.”
This realization has made Jackie’s journal entries even more precious to her. “If I documented it in the refill and I go back in 10 years and like, ‘Oh wow, I actually took a picture of [this place] this year, and now it’s gone,’ or ‘Now it changed.’ And it’s like a snapshot of history.” she reflects. Her TRAVELER’S notebook has become a personal archive, preserving memories of places that may no longer exist in the same form.
Tips for Documenting Road Trips in a TRAVELER’S Notebook
Drawing from her experiences, Jackie offers valuable advice for those looking to document their road trips in a TRAVELER’S notebook. Her enthusiasm is evident as she shares her tips:
Save everything: “Collect everything – brochures at hotels, tickets, annual passes from national parks,” Jackie advises. These items serve as tangible memories and add texture to journal entries.
Use organizational tools: Jackie recommends using “the clear pockets from the Yearly DIARY sticker pack” to store ephemera. This helps keep small items organized and easily accessible for later use in the journal.
Create custom stickers: “Print stickers at the end of the trip to put in your journal,” suggests Jackie. This allows for personalized touches that can enhance the visual appeal of entries.
Daily quick notes: For busy days, Jackie advises, “Record your daily events in your TRAVELER’S notebook if you don’t have time to create a full travel journal spread”. This ensures that no memories are lost, even if detailed journaling has to wait.
Utilize a Zipper Case: “The Zipper pocket in TRAVELER’S notebook is handy to store your ephemera,” Jackie notes. This TRAVELER’S notebooks insert provides a secure place for small keepsakes.
Jackie’s approach to documenting her trips has evolved over time, becoming more personalized to her travels. Her tips reflect a balance between capturing memories in the moment and creating more detailed journal entries later, allowing fellow travelers to use their TRAVELER’S notebook in their own style and pace.
Looking to the Future: Dream Trips and Continuing the Journey
As Jackie continues her TRAVELER’S notebook journey, she looks forward to future adventures with great anticipation. Her bucket list trip? “Finishing Route 66, going all the way to Chicago,” she says excitedly. This ambitious journey would not only fulfill a long-held dream but also allow her to document the entirety of this iconic American road.
Beyond Route 66, Jackie has her sights set on exploring more national parks, each offering unique landscapes and experiences to capture in her journal. “I think once I finish that, then it’s just finishing the national parks. But that’s gonna be hard,” she admits, acknowledging the scale of such an undertaking.
As she plans these future road trips, Jackie’s TRAVELER’S notebook remains at the center of her preparations and experiences. It has become more than just a journal; it’s a companion on her therapeutic journeys, a canvas for her memories, and a testament to the healing power of the open road. Through her TRAVELER’S notebook, Jackie continues to find solace, adventure, and a deeper connection to the world around her, one page at a time. You can follow Jackie’s adventures and creative works on Instagram @brokenhalo81.
Have a nice trip!
