When I started travel journaling I bought whatever notebook I could find. They were cheap, easy to replace and I honestly didn’t think it mattered. It didn’t take long before pages started falling out, covers became bent and the whole thing looked like it had survived a hurricane instead of a holiday.
Since then I’ve tried dozens of notebooks while traveling. Some stayed favorites, others disappointed me. These are the notebooks I genuinely recommend.
Key Takeaways
- Choosing the best notebooks for travel journaling depends on your travel style, whether you add ephemera, and your pen type.
- Look for durable binding, good paper that matches your pen, and a suitable size for your journaling needs.
- Popular notebook brands include Moleskine, Travelers Notebook, Leuchtturm1917, MD Notebook, and Sterling Ink.
- Consider your budget: notebooks range from $2 to $100; choose based on quality and features you need.
- The right notebook is the one that inspires you to write and enjoy your travel experiences.
Table of contents
Why Your Notebook Matters
At the end of the day having A notebook is essentially all that matter but there are a couple of things to take into account what your favorite notebook will be. Ask yourself the following questions to better decide which notebook is best for you.
- How do you travel? If you are on a luxury cruise you would probably be ok to bring something big and heavy, but if you’re backpacking through Asia something small and light is probably a better option
- Do you add ephemera? Are you heavy on the additions like tickets, maps, stickers, photos, postcards etc? If you are having something that doesn’t fall apart is a good idea. I do not like the notebooks that are glued together. They will almost certainly fall after. If not from humidity than definitely from adding lots of things
- What is your pen of choice? If you write with a ballpoint pen, a gel pen or a fountain pen, makes a big difference in the type of paper that works. I tend to go for paper that can hold any kind of ink.
- Daily or every now and then? How much pages you will need for a trip depends on the length of the trip but also on your style of journaling. I tend to write a lot so I need a lot of pages. Also I don’t like running out of pages halfway through so I choose something with a medium amount of pages (150+)
- Weight. More or less the same considerations as the first point. Traveling by backpack will need different notebooks
- Budget. You can buy notebooks ranging anywhere from 2 euro or 2 dollar to 100 and up. I will list a few of the general prices of my favorites below.
There is not really one perfect notebook. There is just the perfect notebook for your styling of travel!
What I Look For in a Travel Journal
Even when I just started with travel journaling I’ve always been pretty heavy handed with added lots of stuff. I used to print out our itinerary and paste it at the beginning of my journal. I would buy a second hand travel guide of the places we would go to so I could tear out maps and photos.
This was before we had such things as fancy phones and mini printers to print photos on the go. So I came prepared.
Binding
After having had various misfortunes with journals falling apart after a few days I always went with a durable cover that was usually bound. I quickly moved to Moleskine which is still one of my favorites to date.
Hardcover or softcover
I prefer to use softcover although I’ve used a lot of hardcovers over the years. The reason why I prefer soft covers these days is that they fit better into my leather notebook covers. Plus I just like the added flexibility.
From cheap pens to fountain pens
Starting out I wrote everything with a Big ballpoint. I would bring a couple in case any got lost or would empty, but I didn’t have to worry about markers or ink or watercolor.
These days I write most of my entries with either fountain pen or gel pens, which have a bit more ink than a general ballpoint. It doesn’t really matter what you write with, as long as you like it and as long as it does the job. You do have to match the paper to the pen!
So I like using paper that can handle all pens and even a bit of watercolor if I choose to use that.
Size
I absolutely love my A6 notebooks, but I find them too small for actual journaling. I use an A6 notebook for notes, addresses, random thoughts or lists.
When I sit down for a ‘proper’ journaling session I go for either an A5 or a TN (standard size travelers notebook)
My Favorite Notebooks
The list below are just some of my favorite brands but they are absolutely not the only options out there. In fact, these days there are more or more great new brands, big or small, that are all worth checking out. I do like to stick with the classics, otherwise my notebook section on my desk would go wild.
So here are my trusted notebook brands
1. Moleskine
Exists in different sizes and different cover options. I prefer the soft covers since that is easier to add to my leather journals. Moleskine XL journals are A5 slim so they can be used inside a Paper Republic Grand Voyager.
I’ve seen people complain about Moleskine not holding up with fountain pen but I’ve been writing in it with fountain pen and have had no issues whatsoever. So make sure to test it for yourself if you do want to write with fountain pen.
Additional note: since writing this I tried it in another Moleskine notebook and that was terrible with fountain pen. Not sure where the difference lies but I will be trying to find out what makes the difference!
I love the sturdiness of moleskine and it writes like a dream. It’s very durable and has survived weeks traveling through humid climates, rain and dry periods.
Pros ; very sturdy quality, comes in various sizes, comes in lines, dotted, blank or grid in a reasonable amount of colors. They have great special editions too, which I love. My current planner is a moleskine Alice in Wonderland cover. It’s great for adding lots of emphemera plus the pocket in the back is a plus.
Cons: The paper is not as smooth as something like Tomoe River Paper and it seems to be inconsistent with fountain pen. As mentioned I don’t have an issue with fountain pen but when testing on a separate paper I did see some feathering and bleed through so for caution I would suggest not using it with a fountain pen. It’s also not really cheap. A regular sized notebook ranges somewhere around 20 – 25 euro/ 23-28 dollar.
2. Travelers Notebook
There is some confusion with the term travellers notebook because any notebook could be a travelers notebook. But when I talk about Travelers Notebooks I mean from Travelers Company.
The size is very different to a regular A5 or A6 and is called N1. It’s smaller and I love it. I’ve used it as a planner and a travel journal.
When you’re using a Travelers Notebooks you have a modular system with a leather cover and two strings inside which can hold two notebooks (but more if you add ribbons) So you could have one notebook as a travel journal and a second one for one the go notes or whatever else you want.
I love the leather and for some reason it is the only notebook where I love sticking patches on. I would never do that with my other leather journals!
Pros: The inserts are pretty affordable once you have the leather cover. There is a variety of inserts from blank, lined, dotted, watercolor paper and special inserts with pouches or kraft paper. The paper holds up to all sorts of pens and I have also used watercolor which also works great.
Apart from the TN inserts you can find it from other brands as well, making this a very good option.
Cons: The slim size can be a bit of a problem if you want to add a lot of bigger items such as postcards. Not all postcards would fit in the size.
3. Leuchtturm1917
Leuchtturm1917 is very close to Moleskine in terms of the kind of notebook. It has paper that is smoother and holds up to fountain pen much better. It’s equally sturdy and has loads of options in sizes, blank, lined, grid or dotted and special editions for drawing and watercolor too.
The amount of colors they have is insane so there’s always a color that you’re gonna like. They come in A6, B6, A5, B5 and A4. Their A5 is a true A5 so doesn’t fit into a grand voyageur but it does fit in a Paper Republic Portfolio or Trifold.
One feature that I really love is the fact that Leuchtturm has numbered pages and an index in front of the journal. So you can have multiple trips in the one notebook and can always easily find it back.
Pros: Endless color options, lots of different sizes and comes in both soft cover and hard cover. Holds up to all pens including fountain pens.
Cons: Can’t really think of one.
4. MD Notebook
Midori or MD Notebooks are a recent addition to my favorites. It’s definitely one of the more affordable options and I love that it lays completely flat. None of the above options are completely flat although I find that to be more of an issue with the TN than with either Leuchtturm or Moleskine.
Midori comes in dotted, grid or lined and in A7, A6, B6 slim, A5 and A4. The paper is not very white but more creamy. I’m fine with that but good to know if you’re a white paper kind of person.
The paper is a little thicker than the above ones although not by much and is very smooth. Holds up to all kinds of pens and is great for writing. It also comes with a bookmark ribbon in each notebooks which I think is a nice touch.
Pros: Great paper, lay-flat binding, comes in many different sizes and is very affordable.
Cons: It’s made to be added to a leather cover I think as it’s a bit plain on the outside.
5. Sterling Ink
Sterling Ink is an American based company (which is a downside for me due to the tariffs and import duties) and has lots of beautiful notebooks and planners using Tomoe River Paper or Koji paper. Both are very thin 52 grams paper that are absolutely perfect for all sorts of notebooks. I love TRP (and Koji is great too) and due to the fact that it is so thin you can create a notebook with 520 pages and it is still a relatively ok size.
Of course once you fill it with lots of things that would bulk up considerably. Sterling Ink is one of the few companies that have lined paper in their notebooks as the majority of TRP have grid. I don’t mind grid but the average size is too small for me for continued writing. So for that I prefer lined.
But that’s a personal preference.
Pros: With TRP (my favorite paper!), comes in lined (for some sizes) and lots of different options and sizes.
Cons: If you’re based in Europe as I am, placing an order from the US can get very expensive due to the added import duties and taxes. Plus shipping is pretty inconsistent unfortunately.
6. Field Notes
Field notes makes small notebooks (A6) but they do come in so many different cover options and special editions. The paper is very sturdy and meant for outside use. It’s very thin in comparison as it is in general only 48 pages per notebook.
That makes it ideal for things like quick notes on the go and travel planning.
Pros: Very sturdy, thick paper. Beautiful covers. Small and easy to put in your back pocket. Perfect for taking with you on a hike.
Cons: If you write a lot it will be filled within a very short period of time.
Which Notebook Is Right for You?
I always say that the notebook that is right for you is the notebook you love to write in. That’s really the only thing that counts but of course I have a few tips to get started:
- Beginner friendly – If you’re just starting out something like a Leuchtturm1917 or a Moleskine would be perfect
- Use fountain pens? – even though I have no issues with moleskine (although check the note above!) the safer option would be to go for MD Notebooks or Sterling Ink for the smoothest writing experience.
- Love collecting emphemera? – Choose A5 over smaller sizes and a moleskine of leuchtturm can hold up to the added bulk.
- Love to write without any extra’s? – Think about Travelers notebooks or a moleskine/leuchtturm
- Want to go lightweight? – Field notes is the perfect lightweight notebook.
This is the section readers love because it makes the decision easy.
My Current Favorite
Right now my main notebooks for travel are always TRP notebooks. The reason is that the paper is thin so it’s easy to have enough to write on. I can use fountain pens and I can even use my watercolors (not too wet though!) if I feel like getting creative.
FAQ Best Notebooks for Travel Journaling
I would say ‘it depends’. I like a dotted as the lines are there to guide your writing but it’s not as obvious. So when I know I will be doing a lot of drawings I tend to go for dotted. But if I know I will be doing loads of writing lined is a little bit easier.
Again ‘that depends’. When I go on a short trip I do bring my A5 but it’s really a personal preference. I find the A6 size perfect in theory but in reality I find it too small for writing longer entries. I like the A5 size since it can hold everything I want.
Absolutely. Just make sure it is not glued together as those tend to fall apart but there are cheap notebooks out there that are bound and work well. MD is pretty affordable and is great quality but there are more.
I love Tomoe River Paper which is very thin and lightweight yet sturdy enough. That is 58 grams. But if you want to watercolor you can go higher and test it at home. Archer and Olive also has beautiful journals with 160 grams paper which is great for multi media use.
Oe, now that’s a tricky question. The short answer is ‘No of course not’ But the longer answer is that I absolutely love my leather covers. It holds the notebook, a sticker release book, my pen, bits and bobs I found along the way and a little notebook with notes for the upcoming trip, lists of things I want to see etc. I could bring those in separate notebooks of course but I love the fact that it is all together and can be swapped out when needed.
Conclusion
The truth is that the best notebook isn’t necessarily the most expensive one. It’s the one that makes you want to sit down in a café after a day of exploring and write about everything you’ve seen. The pages will get wrinkled, the cover will pick up scratches and your journal will become wonderfully bulky with tickets and little treasures. That’s exactly how it’s supposed to be.
