To blog, to write, or to simply enjoy the moment?

Photo from roblangimages

What kind of traveler are you? One style certainly isn’t better than another. You may be a tell-all traveler, posting religious updates and photos to a blog and tweeting every hour on the hour. Maybe you’re a personal diary keeper, writing not only to capture the experience but also to work through the roller coaster of emotions on the road. And for every record keeping traveler, there is a do-er who asks: why write when you can simply experience?

As my own 2012 adventure slowly winds down, I am beginning to understand how invaluable a written record of travel can be. I look back through my black moleskine and see that for every week of detailed writing, there is a month of empty pages. I often put myself in the “do-er” category, finding it impossible to write when there were so many exciting things happening around me. I couldn’t believe I would ever forget the colors of that Himalayan sunrise, or the feeling of salty emerald ocean as I dunked in Thailand for the first time.

I brushed off the idea of frequent journal writing and opted instead for doing: for seeing, for experiencing, for living in the moment. I learn now that those weeks I captured in my notebook contain, by no coincidence, the memories that are most clear. Of course, not all journal entries need to be serious. Shorts lists and musings can be just as enjoyable.

My advice? Looking back on travel journals recreates the experience, and I wish I could have captured more. Taking a few minutes to reflect does, in fact, remove you from the “moment,” but at the same time makes the experience permanent. Don’t put off journal writing out of fear of missing out. Memories on the road are fleeting – if you don’t write them down, their vivid colors will fade.

Writing on the road will not only give you something to do in even the dullest moments, it will also keep writing skills sharp and will give you the best souvenir: crystal clear memories, penned by you!