The 14 Best Travel Journals of 2023

Best Overall

Peter Pauper Press Voyager Refillable Notebook

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Versatility is the name of the game with this timeless refillable notebook from Voyager, and the reason we’ve picked it as Best Overall. It’s not only great for journaling but also sketching, drawing, note-taking, and list-making. Whether you want to let the world’s most impactful artists inspire your sketches or pen a poem on the banks of your favorite lake, this journal is great to have on hand. The cover is made from faux leather, and on the inside, you’ll find three separate 60-page inserts: lined pages, dotted/grid pages, and blank pages. There’s a clear storage pocket inside the front cover and another clear zippered storage pouch inside the back cover. Interior stretch bands with an elastic closure keep the notebook together, and it’s compatible with most modular notebook refills. Multiple colors are available, including classic black and a muted light blue.

Price at time of publish: $13

Page format: Lined, dotted, blank | Page count: 180  | Dimensions: 4.75 x 7.75 inches

Best Hardcover

Leuchtturm1917 Medium A5 Dotted Hardcover Notebook

4.9

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If you're a rugged kind of traveler, safekeeping your memories with a hardcover may be the wisest choice. Made from a durable material to keep your pages protected, this Leuchtturm journal is a great choice to keep in a backpack, purse, carry-on bag, or even in your hiking daypack. The pages are made from Forest Stewardship Council-certified paper, and stickers are included for labeling. There’s a blank table of contents to help keep you organized, and eight detachable sheets make for easy note-taking. There are 251 numbered and dotted pages for your journaling. It's made to open flat, which helps with reading the contents and writing. Two page markers are included, and it’s available in a whole rainbow of colors, including four shades of green like sage, bright lime, and an army-inspired shade.

Price at time of publish: $23

Page format: Dotted | Page Count: 260  | Dimensions: 5.75 x 8.25 inches

Best Accessories

Clever Fox Travel Journal

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If you’re into decorating your journal with stickers or even adding on stickers to help you stay organized, you'll love this journal from Clever Fox. It comes with more than 150 stickers plus a user guide full of examples to inspire you to create a one-of-a-kind journal that’s fun to look back on. It also includes a ribbon bookmark, back pocket, and a pen loop. The travel planner pages are great to help you plan your itinerary, and there’s a trip review section that allows you to reflect on your adventures. Added perks include the travel tips section, a glossary, a travel budget section, and an expense tracker spreadsheet.

Price at time of publish: $23

Page format: Blank, lined, dotted | Page count: 120 | Dimensions: ‎8.43 x 5.79 x 0.67 inches

Most Sustainable

Rocketbook Smart Reusable Notebook

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Keep this notebook safe and you'll never have to buy another one again. Simply scan the QR code printed on each page of the Rocketbook and your phone will automatically take a picture of your work and upload it to the corresponding app for infinite posterity. Just use the reusable pen that comes with the journal, add a drop of water, wipe with the included microfiber cloth and you'll have a blank page ready to fill with travel memories again. It's perfect if you love the experience of feeling pen on paper but don't want to lug around or waste a ton of pages. Plus, according to T+L commerce editor Lydia Price, using this "magic" notebook is just a ton of fun — as is choosing between the variety of cover options it comes in. There's also a host of different sizes available.

Price at time of publish: $20

Page format: Dotted | Page count: 36 pages | Dimensions: 6 x 8 inches

Best Pocket-sized

Letterfolk Trip Passport Journal

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At only 3.5  by 5.5 inches, this little journal fits easily in your pocket, backpack, fanny pack, or really anywhere with ease. Letterfolk makes these experience books for numerous occasions, including visiting national parks, states, countries, and even bucket-list trips. The journal has 48 pages, with 20 entry pages to record trip memories, plus eight bonus pages that include bucket lists, checklists, and other fun activities. Each entry page sits next to a blank page so you can draw the scene you’re writing about or attach a photo or memento. The entry logs also include prompts such as date, location, first impressions, sights, wildlife, and who you went with in order to help you remember all the details of your journey.

Price at time of publish: $10

Page format: Lined, blank | Page count: 48 pages  | Dimensions: 3.5 x 5.5 inches

Best Prompts

Promptly Travel Journal

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Sometimes you need a bit of prompting to get the creative juices flowing and to help you remember small details from your travels. Promptly journals are great for this, as they come with loads of prompts and questions to help you record your travels with as much detail as possible like “What did you love about the local culture?” and “What advice would you give others going here?” There are also specific sections such as memorable moments, transportation, food, mishaps, highlights, and travel companions. Plus, there’s room to add photos from your journey, too. Fill it out as you’re on the road, or complete the journal post-trip to take a walk down memory lane.

Price at time of publish: $30

Page format: Lined, blank | Page count: 88 pages | Dimensions: 5.5 x 8.25 inches

Best Leather

Wanderings A5 Leather Travelers Notebook

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Made from naturally tanned leather, this travel journal has an old-school look and can be used for years to come thanks to refillable pages. Take it with you on a cross-country road trip, while climbing Kilimanjaro, or while visiting bucket-list destinations such as Machu Picchu. Wherever you go, this journal is a classic choice that ages beautifully through the years. The pages that come with the journal are blank, so you can write, draw, make lists, and more, and then you can buy refill pages that are lined if you wish. A strap keeps the journal closed while traveling.

Price at time of publish: $33

Page format: Blank | Page count: 240 pages | Dimensions: 8.5 x 6 inches

Best Maps

Mark and Graham Leather Bound World Travel Journal

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For those exploring far and wide, a journal with some great maps is necessary. This one from Mark and Graham comes with full-color maps of major cities, plus world weather information, international dialing codes, and more. It’s leather-bound, a durable choice that helps keep your pages protected, and foil debossed monogramming is available.

Price at time of publish: $70

Page format: N/A | Page count: 320 pages  | Dimensions: 6 x 4.5 inches

Best Customizable

AndSoTheyMade Personalized Notebook

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This notebook is available with your chosen printed words on the cover and the spine in numerous colors (the emerald and lilac hues caught our eyes). On the cover, your words are encased within a hexagon shape for a minimalist look, and all words are done in capitalized letters. When ordering, simply send in what you’d like your notebook to say on the spine and cover, and you’ll receive a beautiful, custom notebook in the mail. The paper used is FSC-certified, the cover is soft and wipeable, and all materials are vegan. Use one for each adventure and line them up across a bookshelf or on a coffee table, and check the spines to remember just how far you’ve adventured around the world.

Price at time of publish: $21

Page format: Dotted, lined, or blank | Page count: 160 pages | Dimensions: 5 x 8 inches

Best Refillable

Robrasim Refillable Travelers Notebook

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Three different refillable inserts are available for this notebook: lined, blank, and kraft paper, which is great for those wanting to journal, draw, sketch, and attach mementos. The cover is made from naturally tanned leather and includes an elastic and leather closure to keep the contents safe. The paper is acid-free, resists light and air damage, and is suitable for most pen types. One PVC cardholder pouch is attached for all of your cards, receipts, and other small items, and the small journal size means you can take it anywhere.

Price at time of publish: $15

Page format: Lined, blank, kraft | Page count: 64 pages | Dimensions: 5.2 x 4 inches

Best Moleskine

Moleskine City Notebook

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If you’re exploring large cities such as Paris, Rome, Hong Kong, New York, or London, a sleek, classic Moleskine notebook is the way to go, and the City Notebooks are excellent. The notebooks come with a map of the city, a street index, and tracing paper so you can note different areas. Mark your favorite restaurants, attractions, or newfound discoveries throughout. There are personalized stickers to use as well, plus tabbed sections and blank pages for drawing, sketching, and list-making. The smaller size of this journal makes it great to stick in your backpack, pocket, or purse, and numerous cities are available.

Price at time of publish: $25

Page format: Lined | Page count: 220 pages | Dimensions: 3.5 x 5.5 inches

Best Weatherproof

Rite in the Rain Weatherproof Side-Spiral Notebook

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If you’re going to be out in rainy, snowy, muddy, or any kind of wet conditions, consider going with a weatherproof journal like this one from Rite in the Rain. It comes with all-weather paper that repels water, mud, and grease and can even survive a spin through the washing machine. The cover is also tough, weatherproof, and flexible to keep your notes free from scratches and stains. The wire binding is impact-resistant unlike standard spiral notebooks, so don’t worry about the journal getting messed up in your hiking bag. It’s recommended to use a standard number two pencil or an all-weather pen with this notebook, but standard ballpoint pens will work when the paper is dry. (Water-based inks will bead off the paper, so steer clear of those.)

Price at time of publish: $14

Page format: Lined | Page Count: 64 pages | Dimensions: 6x9 inches

Best for Kids

Peter Pauper Kids’ Travel Journal

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Kids love remembering their early travel experiences, and this journal from Peter Pauper makes it to chronicle them, as it’s full of prompts, photos, illustrations, maps, puzzles, games, and more. There’s room to paste in photos and mementos, plus lined pages to write down daily wanderings, packing lists, and experiences. There’s also blank pages for drawing and sketching as well as helpful words and phrases in foreign languages and metric information for easy conversions. Kids will also love the included travel-related quotes from children’s books and interesting world facts listed throughout. A back pocket gives extra room for keepsakes, and an elastic band keeps the journal closed when not in use. It’s recommended for ages 7-12.

Price at time of publish: $13

Page format: Lined, blank | Page count: 96 pages | Dimensions: 6.25 x 8.25 inches