Documenting Your Vacation: Travel Journals
(62 Reviews)
100% Recommended
Laurie Zeller
Apple Valley, MN
Walt Disney World, Florida ~ A Dreamer's Paradise
I don't specialize in Disney Destinations because I took classes or studied books. It’s because I truly have a passion for Disney. I take my own personal vacations to Disney Destinations and have been to them 50+ times.
Walt Disney World. A...
I don't specialize in Disney Destinations because I took classes or studied books. It’s because I truly have a passion for Disney. I take my own personal vacations to Disney Destinations and have been to them 50+ times.
Walt Disney World. A place that automatically brings thoughts of Cinderella’s Castle with fireworks exploding above.
I’ve spent a large amount of time learning about the many resort hotels, the restaurants, the recreation, and of course the parks themselves. Especially since they are all constantly changing! Disney is known for creating memories and making dreams come true. The memories those trips have created will be with me forever.
Minnesota is my home and I’ve enjoyed helping plan Disney vacations for families here in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul since I started in this business over 30 years ago. Over the years that has expanded to include families all over the United States.
A Walt Disney World vacation is not a one-size-fits-all situation. Are you traveling with a large multi-generational group with an age range of 5 to 75? Are you traveling with friends and looking for an “Adult Disney” experience? Are you a family of four, taking your children to Walt Disney World for the first time?
For first timers, it’s my job to help you to navigate through the overwhelming amount of information that can be found on the internet. Your friends and relatives have all sorts of advice for you based on their own vacations. But this isn’t their vacation, it’s yours! I can simplify the entire process by narrowing down the Walt Disney World vacation that’s best for your family based on your budget as well as the desires of your family to create magical memories.
For the beloved “Disneyphiles” like me who return to the various Disney Destinations again and again, I can help your next trip be unique from those of years past. Backstage tours, signature dining, a new resort experience, and recreation opportunities will make each trip extraordinary. The Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney Springs, Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon, and Disney’s Blizzard Beach await you in sunny Florida.
I would consider it an honor to help you build the path towards making the Disney dreams come true for you and your family.
Can Be Reached At
1-952-432-6272
Travel Journal Basics
I find that I start off the trip writing down each and every detail just due to sheer excitement! With each passing day, I write less and less. Until I eventually quit writing altogether. My excitement and desire to see it all doesn’t diminish. However, my exhaustion increases the older I get! So when it comes time to sit down and write towards the end of my trip, I tend to blow it off and pass out on my pillow instead. Inevitably, once I arrive home, I kick myself for not keeping my journal up to date because it’s amazing how quickly the memories fade. Especially the little (yet vital!) details. The challenge becomes keeping my journal throughout the trip. Especially if it’s a long one. So as I explore ways to motivate myself, I will share my successes and failures.
Types of Journals
Journals can come in many shapes and forms. It can be anything from a small notebook that can be carried in your pocket as you travel to a sturdy hardcover book to write in at the end of your long day. I’ve even grabbed a napkin from a restaurant to write a quick note that could be transcribed into my journal at a later time. I’ve written down detailed notes during a trip and once I was home, transformed them into a detailed scrapbook complete with all my journaling, photos, and embellishments. The point is that your journal can come in many forms and you just have to find what’s going to work best for you and the trip you’re taking. In this blog, we intend to show you examples of how your journal can take shape.
Practicality is key. You don’t want to take a heavy hardcover book when you’re backpacking through Europe! So think about how much moving around you’ll be doing during your trip and how much you’re going to have to carry with you each day. If you’re staying in one or two hotels during your trip and you just plan to write each evening before bed, then a hardcover book or leather-bound journal will be great. If you’re packing light and have to carry your world on your shoulders each day, then a lightweight notebook will be just fine. You can then choose to take your notes and re-copy then into a completely different form when you get home.
The What’s and the How’s
If you have a moment to write during the day, consider the “currently” approach to your writing. “Currently I am…” wearing, loving, thinking, going, making, reading, buying, celebrating, doing, playing, wanting, eating, etc.
Be very mindful of the five senses as you write: seeing, touching, tasting, smelling, hearing. The scent of orange trees in Spain. The music you listened to on the taxi ride from LaGuardia airport to your Manhattan hotel. The taste of the baguette in Paris.
If you are proficient at drawing, be sure to include your doodles!
Bring a few colored pens or pencils with you to make your words and/or drawings have a little more life in them
You may choose to bring a compact journaling case with pens, pencils, scissors, and washi tape. But keep it very small and simple!