LOSING MY FIRST EVER TRAVEL JOURNAL
Ever wondered why my ’08 Canada & U.S. Photo Series is lacking in written content? Well there’s an unfortunate reason for that.
INITIALLY THE LAST THING I WANTED TO DO WAS KEEP A TRAVEL JOURNAL!
Back in 2008 writing a blog was never even a thought, I only kept a diary because my mum told me so 🤣
VALUE
Anyway it wasn’t long after the trip were I became aware of the value of it, surprise surprise, she was right! I had enjoyed my time on the road so much that I could almost experience again every time I read it. But it was the events that escaped my memory that I really enjoyed reading about. I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve laughed and said “oh I forgot that!” Let this explain why there are so many strange sound bites in my articles – they are purely to trigger a memory.
RELATED READ: DIVING WITH GREAT WHITE SHARKS
MOMENTO
I used the app Momento to log almost everyday of my trip, everything from the Calgary Stampede to being accused of being in the IRA in Tijuana!!
I even enjoyed reading over it during the same trip. Sometimes people would ask me what I did and if my memory didn’t serve me then a quick read of my diary would.
GONE
Tech was really just hitting the heights back then but every app had its own issues. There was no such thing as “the cloud” back then either so a backup was impossible and a number of years later I noticed it was gone! I don’t know whether it updated itself or if it was due to me getting a new phone, but not storing a second copy is one of my few regrets I have.
Losing my first ever travel journal; If you prefer an app over a diary be sure that it backs everything up!
’08 CANADA & U.S. PHOTO SERIES
It was always going to be impossible to go back through every day of my trip and write a piece. For one it would have been entirely mish mashed and two, would have taken far too long! Usually I could go through the photos and it might spark a memory or two but I wasn’t as trigger happy with the camera as I am now.
So instead I took the hit and spilt the trip in regions or cities, posted a little intro, followed by the “best” photos. You’ll soon notice I didn’t have a clue how to take a photo back then!!
RELATED READ: SEEING MY FRIEND ALMOST GET MURDERED IN TEXAS
BACKUP YOUR STUFF
There is nothing worse than losing your data or your photos, I’ve had both happen and can say I’m doing everything I can to avoid it happening again. All of my stuff is stored on my phone and laptop as well as 2 iCloud servers and 2 external harddrives! I just have too much to lose to take any risks.
Losing my first ever travel journal: Now keeping a diary means I can record events like the time I seen a Cheetah in Botswana
FINAL THOUGHTS
So if you keep a journal, whether it be on paper or electronically don’t make the same mistake I made.
SAFE TRAVELS, DS x
This post is part of my Inspiration and Personal Series, click for more.
