Travel Writing Tools

Over the years of writing this blog, I’ve come up with a pretty solid routine for writing and documenting my travels. After some trial and error, I’ve found what works best and what I can leave behind. I’ve found my favorite travel writing tools that I can easily throw into my bag and go. It’s really been made into a science to be the most productive and still be able to enjoy the trip I’m on without getting bogged down trying to record it. Through many adventures, here is what has worked best for me:

Notebooks & Pencils: I prefer to write everything longhand first. For some reason, I feel like this is the best way to go through and write down my adventures of the day, journal-style, without self-editing too much while I go. I’ve gone through quite a few notebooks over the years, and I have to say, there is no better feeling than completely filling up a notebook with my travel stories. Also, I’m a pencil-over-pens girl, always. I just like them.
Camera: I use a combination of my iPhone camera and a D3300 Nikon DSLR camera. If we’re going out for the night, I prefer to leave my big ol’ camera at the hotel so I’m not lugging it around; I’ll just rely on my phone camera for the evening. I like to bring my camera with us for all of the daytime adventures to get the best quality photos. After the photos are taken, I edit them using BeFunky.com, which is a free service, because I can’t bring myself to pay for Lightroom quite yet. I know, I know, eventually I’ll break down and get it.
iPhone Notes: I utilize my iPhone notes to keep a running list of all the stores, restaurants, bars and attractions we visit, as well as what we ordered there or other first impressions. I find this is the easiest and most efficient way to keep track of things, and I’ll go back to these notes when I journal at the end of the day.
Lonely Planet & Online Travel Resources: Of course before I go anywhere, I do some pretty extensive research and make a list of everything I want to see and do. This research helps us streamline our choices when we’re on a trip and ensures that we get to try out everything we want to while we’re there. I make note of operation hours, best times to visit and admission charges to stay on top of things.
Laptop: I used to own a clunky old Dell laptop that I purchased right out of college. I’d never bring this heavy thing anywhere because it only worked when it was plugged in and it was too much to carry. Recently, I upgraded to a Lenovo Yoga, which is very light and thin, and I can’t wait to bring it with on our longer trips to write, research and post from the road.