Why the Backpacking Journal is a Novel Idea

Travelling backpack-style, with the world as an adventure playground, is likely to be a very exciting experience, with some unusual and quirky adventures along the way. It can also be full of long endless train rides with no stops, stuffy cramped spaces, and strangers speaking another language and you’ll find yourself dreamy or bored. To halve the hours, and anchor yourself back to earth, why not think about taking a journal with you on your travels? It can make a handy companion when you’re stuck for something to do or feeling the strain of travelling alone.

A journal is a diary with that little bit extra. You can use it to clock down the ruins, sunsets and exotic menus you encountered, but you can also use the journal to collect thoughts and ideas, and it’s what you fill it with that’ll give it personality.

It’s a sort of scrap book, and a way of keeping the heart of your trip alive. You’ll be surprised at your insights at three in the morning when an entire bus is asleep and you are not, your mind racing with the epic sights of the day. Write it all down, and keep mementos from your trips; keep cut-outs of magazines or tour guides, or jot down recipes from one-off restaurants and cafes you ate at when stumbling across some little village in the depth of India. It’ll help to keep your gap year alive even when you’re back at university sitting exams, or waiting for a bus. You never know, it could inspire a great work of genius and be the start of a masterpiece novel.

Many books have been written about adventures abroad. Check out William Sutcliffe’s Are You Experienced for a witty take on the whole gap year saga, or for a more sincere version of travelling read John Steinbeck’s Travels With Charley, a travelogue about his adventures with his dog, a camper van and his search for meaning in 60s America. Or there is John Cocteau’s Round the World Again in 80 Days, a compilation of articles Cocteau wrote whilst travelling the globe in the 30s.

There is much fiction born from the ordeals of the lonesome traveller and though the cramped train rides and bus journeys may be grim, they’re a significant part of the backpacking journey, so why not make the most of them. For a list of titles relating to the gap year, or for any books to keep you entertained while you travel, check out Asda Entertainment’s online shopping service, which now includes books. For some savvy deals on cheap flights look at Cheap Flights who have a list of deals you can browse before booking a ticket for your travels.