The art of keeping a travel journal, at Yahoo! News

This week in Yahoo’s “Traveling Light” column, Rolf takes a nostalgic look at life before professional travel writing, when idle time was spent filling battle-scarred notebooks with muddled musings of far-away people and places. Reminiscing, of course, is the payoff. Leafing through the fragile travel journal of old memories extends the life of your trip indefinitely, and leaves you with that sense of familiarity only a conversation with an old friend can provide.

Admittedly, his time journaling has been severely reduced in lieu of note-taking on assignment, so he calls on Lavinia Spalding—author of the soon-to-be-released book, Writing Away: A Guide to Awakening the Journal-Writing Traveler—to offer advice to both the would-be journaler and veteran writer alike.

“On the most basic level, a travelogue is a place to record information … It’s a log of what not to forget. It can inspire writing to publish, or share with friends and family; serve as a confidant on solo journeys; store memorabilia such as stamps, ticket stubs, and wine labels, or provide a clean canvas for impromptu sketches. It can be a mirror of self-discovery along the way.”

The question-answer format of the article offers up a wealth of inspiration to those wondering whether room should be made in that already-stuffed pack for a notebook and pen. Or, if you’re already keeping a road journal, there’s plenty of advice to help improve everything from writing, sticking to a schedule, and staying aware of your surroundings.

Being more aware, Lavinia says, will not only improve your writing, but also your traveling. “[Journaling] demands an immediate stillness and awareness, and in doing so enriches the whole experience.”

The interview is surely just a tease of what’s to come—expect a book full of advice for journal-writing travelers from Lavinia in the near future. (We’ll keep you updated!) But for now, head over to Yahoo! and check out the interview.