TRAVELER’S COMPANY CARAVAN visits Chicago and New York

This year marks the 20^th anniversary of TRAVELER’S COMPANY, and it all started with a simple leather TRAVELER’S notebook that helps free-spirited travelers live every day as if they were on a journey. To celebrate this milestone, the TRAVELER’S COMPANY team embarked on a global caravan and held events in locations around the world.

Following events in Tokyo, Seoul, and Kyoto, the caravan made its stop in the United States in Chicago and New York. The last time the TRAVELER’S COMPANY team had gone on a trip to the US was in 2024 during the Road Trip Caravan along the West Coast. This year, the team looked forward to visiting Chicago for the first time and returning to New York since their last trip in 2017. At both locations, the TRAVELER’S COMPANY team hosted “DIY TRAVELER’S notebook!” workshops and worked with local Partner Shops to set up an exhibit featuring the 20^th Anniversary event. Through the two events, we were able to meet new TRAVELER’S notebook users and reminisce with fans who had been using TRAVELER’S notebooks for a long time.

Join us as we recount this exciting caravan adventure and celebrate the 20^th Anniversary of TRAVELER’S notebook.

The caravan made its way to Andersonville, Chicago

The team was feeling both anticipation and uncertainty as we landed in Chicago. The city had just experienced record heat, and we were nervous about how that might impact visitors’ experience when they arrived at the caravan event. However, luck was on all travelers’ side as there was a consistent breeze throughout the Labor Day weekend – the cicadas chirping in full force as backdrop to the idyllic summer day.

We set up shop at Paper & Pencil, a TRAVELER’S COMPANY Partner Shop located on the main street of Andersonville, Chicago. The store had recently relocated to its current address on N. Clark St.; the larger square footage allowed them to expand and showcase more items to analog and paper lovers. Even on a weekday, the store was bustling with locals and tourists alike, hoping to discover fun gems in the store’s treasure trove of stationery goods.

The 20^th Anniversary Caravan event was set up at Paper & Pencil’s former store location, which was now transformed into their “Creative Studio” to host events and community activities for the neighborhood. The clear storefront windows were decorated with the 20^th Anniversary theme, welcoming curious passersby to take a peek.

From September 6^th to September 7^th, the small event space welcomed over 500 people eager to join in the festivities. On the wall, visitors could read the 20-year history of TRAVELER’S notebook and the special stories that occurred over the years. The centerpiece of the room was the “DIY TRAVELER’S notebook” workshop, where participants could assemble their unique TRAVELER’S notebook refill by picking out different paper combinations and cover options.

Along two walls, Paper & Pencil staff sold 20^th Anniversary event limited items while TRC USA Staff brought special TRAVELER’S FACTORY Original goods. Long-awaited restocks of TRAVELER’S notebook Card Size sets and 20^th Anniversary Customization Sets were ample in quantity. Visitors also enjoyed the opportunity to purchase special event-limited refills that contain mixed paper, as well as the newly introduced TRAVELER’S notebook BABY set that can be used as a charm.

Throughout the two days, we met and talked with visitors who not only are locals but also some who came from Michigan, Minnesota, Arizona, and even Los Angeles. Each of them was brimming with excitement as they showed us their well-used TRAVELER’S notebooks.

“Chicago is both the starting point and the endpoint of Route 66, the historic transcontinental highway known as America’s Mother Road. She had come all the way from Los Angeles specifically for this event, planning to take a road trip along Route 66. The photos included a “USA Road Trip” version of the TRAVELER’S notebook that we’d created for an event in the U.S. two years ago, and I was delighted that the TRAVELER’S notebook had inspired her journey.”

– An excerpt from Atsuhiko Iijima, Producer and creator of TRAVELER’S notebook on his recount of the USA caravan trip.

During our brief time in Chicago, the team also made sure to save some ephemera to add to their TRAVELER’S notebooks. We visited the awe-inspiring Art Institute of Chicago, stopping to admire the loneliness of the travelers displayed in Edward Hopper’s “Nighthawks”. We walked along the riverfront among the skyscrapers and listened to the rattling of the L train speeding above us. Of course, we ate delicious deep-dish pizza. The team was pleasantly surprised and daunted by all the cheese!

Second stop of TRC Caravan, Brooklyn, New York

While it was bittersweet to leave Chicago, the TRAVELER’S COMPANY team was also excited to see how much New York has changed since their last caravan event at Ace Hotel in 2017. Instead of the hustle and bustle of Manhattan, our caravan stops at Greenpoint, a small but energetic neighborhood in Brooklyn filled with bookstores, cafés, and a slower pace.

Welcoming the team was Yoseka Stationery, a fellow TRAVELER’S COMPANY Partner Shop, which is the stationery hub for the community of TRAVELER’S notebook enthusiasts in New York. Yoseka Stationery’s storefront may look small at a glance, but within its red brick walls is a large selection of stationery goods, notebooks, and writing tools for pen and paper lovers. Across the street, their community space “Yoseka Land” frequently hosts special events and meetup opportunities for visitors.

The second part of the caravan went into full swing from September 11^th to September 12^th. For two days, Yoseka Land was decked out from corner to corner with TRAVELER’S notebook-inspired ephemera and decor. In one half of the room, visitors can explore the full lineup of TRAVELER’S COMPANY goods as well as 20^th Anniversary Event Limited items. The second half of the event space hosts the “DIY TRAVELER’S notebook!” workshop as well as TRAVELER’S FACTORY Original goods, sold by TRC USA.

The garage-style windows of Yoseka Land let in dreamy late afternoon rays on the craftsmen’s machines, operated expertly by TRC Staff to assemble and bind each unique TRAVELER’S notebook refill picked out by participants. Around the paper buffet table, conversations can be heard about TRAVELER’S notebook users’ color preferences, notebook use cases, and shared stories about their lived-in notebooks.

Atsuhiko Iijima, producer and creator of TRAVELER’S notebook, happily looks through fans’ notebooks, snapping photos of hand-drawn calendar spreads, doodles of their favorite mug, random shopping lists, and whimsical collages from a recent trip.

Outside, Yoseka Stationery staff interview visitors waiting in queue about their TRAVELER’S notebooks. Some held a TRAVELER’S notebook Olive, released in 2016, and some are brand new customers who are eager to purchase their very first TRAVELER’S notebook.

“My TRAVELER’S notebook has grown alongside me as I’ve traveled with friends, and I prefer destinations that are a little off the beaten path. With every trip, memories of my travels are etched into the leather cover as scratches and stains, and those marks in turn invite me on new journeys.”

– An excerpt from Atsuhiko Iijima, Producer and creator of TRAVELER’S notebook on his recount of the USA caravan trip.

In Brooklyn, we had to visit the glorious waterfront overlooking Brooklyn Bridge on one side, Manhattan bridge to another. The team went off the main street and dived into Generation Records, a record store spinning tunes from the eighties, and High Valley Books, filled with stacks of archives piled high up to the ceiling. Finally, a parting meal at a retro diner left a lasting memory of New York in the TRAVELER’S COMPANY team’s memories.

Meeting TRAVELER’S notebook users in person

The best part about this 20^TH Anniversary Caravan tour was our chance to meet TRAVELER’S notebook users living in different parts of the world. The United States itself is a large country, and there are lots of corners we’ve yet to visit. While we regret not being able to visit as many places as we’d like, just stepping out of our daily comfort zone broadens our perspective a little bit. We hope that travelers who came out of their way to meet us at these events feel the same.

“During my stay, I felt right at home, as if I were a local. At the event venues, just as the 2027 theme suggests, I saw people from all walks of life coming together in one place, united by their shared love for the TRAVELER’S notebook. I really think that’s a wonderful thing.”

– An excerpt from Atsuhiko Iijima, Producer and creator of TRAVELER’S notebook on his recount of the USA caravan trip.

While the special 20^th Anniversary celebration events are completed in Chicago and New York, the caravan continues on in Europe at Amsterdam and Berlin. This milestone year is also far from finished – we look forward to meeting more TRAVELER’S notebook users in the future and seeing what marks you’ve made in your TRAVELER’S notebook!

Have a nice trip!