A List of Questions to Ask Yourself in Your Travel Journal

A travel journal makes the perfect souvenir after a bicycle tour. It reminds you of the good times that you’ve had visiting other countries and meeting other cyclists from around the world. It becomes a part of your personal history, chronicling your experiences as time progresses. To remember specific details of your trip requires a quick walk down memory lane by opening up the pages of your journal.

If you want to be fully immersed in the experience of traveling, there are some things you’ll want to ask yourself along the way. The following questions help you get really clear about what you’re experiencing while traveling. Some things to think about include:

• Why you decided to travel in the first place? What was the purpose behind your trip? Explain what made you think that a bicycle tour was right for you.
• What you were hoping to gain from the experience? Did you want some relaxing time off from work? Were you hoping to broaden your travel experience by cycling through a country you’ve never been to?
• How being away from home made you feel? Describe the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and experiences that you had while traveling. How did it make you feel?
• Highlights from the trip. Keep track of cities, sights, dates, and times while on your bike. Make notations when you stop so you can update entries later.
• What you’ve discovered about yourself as a traveler. How well do you travel? What would you do differently? What about traveling surprises you?

A full travel journal is among the greatest gifts you can give yourself while bicycling across the globe. It gives you plenty to look back on and reminds you of specific details about your travels. Journaling requires few tools (a notebook and writing utensil), but does take patience as you’re serving as a record keeper throughout your trip.

If you feel compelled to share your experience with others, you can do so by starting a travel blog, posting excerpts of your journal on social media or even publishing your account of a trip. It’s a great way of letting other people know just how enjoyable cycling is. You never know, one of your photos may end up on the Ciclismo Classico blog!