This is a planner and memory book made to especially help capture memories from a vacation. My suggestion - Don’t leave home without it.

A Kid's Travel Journal is by Walter Foster.

When a family trip is planned it is important to get buy-in from the kids and this really gets them excited. From the very first page where they list the location, when they will leave, who all is going, how long they will be gone; the mode of travel and the reason for the trip. The journal offers opportunities to build excitement as the child is specifically asked what they are excited about and what they are not looking forward to. By allowing them a place to log their feelings they feel that their opinion really matters.

To build anticipation for their trip they can be involved in the planning and preparation through collecting information about the upcoming location at the library, bookstore or internet. What will the weather be like? How long will it take to get there? There is a place to write down what clothes will be needed and other important stuff to bring along. The book has collection pockets for cool stuff like maps, brochures, motel stationery, postcards, ticket stubs and photographs. For each day there is a double page spread to log specific information about what the day is like and where they go and what they see and the cool things they bought and their thoughts on the day.

Suggestions for collections from the trip that need an actual box are rocks, acorns, pine cones, shells, fossils, sharks’ teeth or buried treasure. (no box included) The book has a section on games with an attached spinner, and scorecards. Suggestions for boredom busters and other fun word games such as “Riddle Me this”, “Weird Neighbors”, “Would You Rather?” and “I Remember it Well”. There is a tear-out page that can be folded up to make a fortune teller and a page to record all the strange noises and weird smells of the trip. A double page for entries about the culinary adventures of the trip with a place to list foods that were gross, and foods that had never been tried before and of course the favorite pizza toppings and strangest things ever eaten on a pizza.

Last, but not least, a section on surviving the family… who was the slowpoke, who forgot something important, who got lost, who got hurt, and who tattled the most. This journal is really a “must-have” for a trip or vacation. It helps with the preparation but also is full of activities to do and provides opportunities to record memories.

Note: I found this book while on my vacation to Idaho.

A Kid's Travel Journal and US Map Book