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Build Your Self Confidence - how a simple Travel Journal can help
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A beautiful panorama view looking north from Madera, over the harbour at Zihuatanejo, Mexico. If any of us had to define Self Confidence, we would probably all come up with a list of character traits that most of us would aspire to: Decisive approach to life Open to taking risks Optimistic Ability to learn from mistakes Does what is right Open minded To one degree or another, we also probably demonstrate lots of these character traits. In the same breath, I think it’s fair to say that most of us would love to strengthen those...
Press ‘Pause’ - the benefits of a Travel Journal
archives blog Diary history Journal journaling life journal Memoir memories mental health pause Personal History sketch story Travel Art Travel Diary Travel Journal Vacation

The pace of modern living is certainly one of the things we find most challenging. From morning to evening, there seems to be a barrage of people and events and things vying for our attention. In the same breath, I think it’s fair to say that most of us know (even if it’s somewhere deep down inside us) that giving ourselves some form of ‘pause’ is healthy in so man ways. Mentally, it helps calm your outlook; physically, it alters your pace in good ways; emotionally, it leaves a vestige of hope that life...
Drawing The Line - a primer on travel journal sketching

This is a page from the sketchbook I have in Zihuatanejo with me. This gives me the opportunity to just play with the lines and the shapes without any kind of judgement….and it’s all good practice. One of the most enduring challenges people tell me they face when contemplating keeping a Travel Journal is that they’re not an ‘artist’. The simplest response here is - you don’t have to be. I’ll give you one important and very simple trick to start getting around that conundrum. Like lots of things in life, you’ll have to give it...
Travel Can Change Who You Are - the curious role of fate.
Ancestry archives blog Diary Genealogy history Journal memories Paddling Personal History story Travel Art Travel Diary Travel Journal Vacation

The sheer solitude of the Arctic is stunning - getting up before everyone else to be greeted by this scene makes me feel blessed. I remember that morning so clearly because I just gave myself time to ‘pause’ for a moment to take it all in. I’m going to guess that, at some point during at least one of your travel experiences, you’ve had some kind of epiphany - big or small. Something has happened to you, to someone you’re travelling with, or to those around you and the result is a whole new perspective on life. These blogs...
Simple Bare Necessities
Ancestry archives blog Diary Genealogy history Journal Memoir memories Personal History story Travel Art Travel Diary Travel Journal Vacation

This watercolour sketch was done after I got home from our epic paddle trip down parts of the Missouri River in Montana. For all the years and different places I’ve taught about keeping a Travel Journal, one of the most enduring questions I get is: How would I ever figure out what to take in a Travel Journal Kit?’ Fortunately, the answer to this conundrum is pretty straightforward. Other than the journal itself, you can see how compact your Travel Journal Kit can be - so no reason not to try it out! For the...