Make your trip even more enjoyable. How to make a travel diary from a professional with 23 years of experience

We'll be sharing our tips with you from Ichazo Zuniga, a Spanish-born, India-based photographer who has loved traveling since he was a child, and started keeping a travel diary after traveling alone at the age of 16.

When traveling, Ichaso prioritizes enjoying the trip itself over recording, and finishes his travel diary after returning home. He says that the time he spends writing in his notebook brings back memories of his travels and makes him feel like he's traveling again. We asked Ichaso, who has written more than 20 travel diaries over the past 20 years, for his tips.

Relive your travels while writing a diary. Every time you open it, memories come back to you again and again.

I started keeping a travel diary when I traveled alone to the UK at the age of 16. The purpose was to keep forever the memories of the people and scenery I met on my travels, as well as the impressions and excitement I felt. I do sightseeing when I travel, but I think the best part is interacting with the local culture and people.

It's been more than 20 years since I started keeping a travel diary, and I've written more than 20 volumes, but I'm still fascinated by how wonderful it is. Not only can I relive my travels while I'm writing them, but I can also relive the feeling of my travels over and over again whenever I look at them after a long time has passed. They're also a great way to share the wonder and excitement of your travels with your close friends.

While traveling, I collect materials and enjoy my time in the place. I start making proper notes after I get back.

I usually start writing my travel diary in earnest once I get home. But I also think about my diary while I'm traveling, thinking about what pages I want to include. I record my feelings, experiences, ideas for the layout of the pages, and so on in a notebook while I'm traveling.

When I travel, I collect things that I think might be useful for making pages later, such as train and bus tickets, receipts, movie and theater tickets, drink labels, pebbles, shells, flowers, sand, souvenirs, and things I've received from people I've met. The Traveler's Notebook, a notebook for travel lovers sold by Traveler's Company, is very convenient for storing the various things I collect. You can customize it by inserting various notebook refills and parts into the leather cover, so I put a zippered pocket in it to store diary materials.

I also use a Polaroid camera when I travel. Unlike regular cameras, you can only print one copy of the same thing, which I find romantic. Also, the colors of photos taken with a Polaroid camera change over time. So, when you stick them in your diary, the impression of the page changes gradually. If you use them together with photos taken with a regular digital camera or film camera, you can add variety to your pages.

Paste some impressive scenery, such as flowers and pebbles, into your notebook to express "3D"

When you come back from your trip, it's time to start creating your travel diary. In my case, I organize the pages by memorable scenes, not by date. It works well if you set one theme for each spread.

I recommend sticking pebbles, shells, flowers, sand, etc. that you find in the area along with photos you took of the places you found them. By doing this, the notebook evolves from two dimensions to three dimensions, and you can even recall the atmosphere and smells you felt when you were in that place.

This photo was taken at a hotel in Kochi, a city in southern India. The pond in the hotel had a beautiful color of water, and my favorite plumeria flowers were floating on the surface. The bright pink color disappears when pressed, but it's still good enough to preserve the memories.

This is a photo I took in the Gobi Desert. I also added some sand that I brought back from the desert. The trick to sticking the sand on is to apply it twice. Apply liquid glue to the entire surface of the notebook, then sprinkle a generous amount of sand evenly over it, let it dry, then apply another coat of liquid glue on top and sprinkle more sand on top. This way, the notebook will stick more firmly.

*When collecting natural materials in public places, please be mindful of etiquette and check in advance as some places may prohibit such collection. Also, if the place is privately owned, please obtain permission first.
Plant quarantine is required when bringing plant fragments, soil, sand, etc. from overseas into Japan, so please check in advance with the appropriate authority.
Plant Protection Station contact information: http://www.maff.go.jp/pps/j/guidance/outline/contact.html

Create pages by combining photos and items collected during your travels.

Here are a few other little tips that you might find useful.

In the example on this page, the photographer took multiple photos at the same location, selected the best one, and pasted it on one page in large size. By including the other shots in small size, you can remember the scene more vividly, like a short film, than if you only had one photo.

This is the cover of a travel diary from when I went to Mongolia. I cut out a square from a page to make it look like a window. The Mongolian sky and the pure white clouds floating in it were very impressive, so I wanted to make them stand out.

On this page, I've compiled my memories of shopping at the supermarket. I've pasted the shopping list and receipts I took with me, photos of the inside of the supermarket, and photos of the things I bought.

This is also from a travel diary from Mongolia. The route taken during the trip is plotted on a map, and photos taken in various towns are compiled on one page. When you open this page, your three-week trip to Mongolia will come back to life.

Illustrations, text, and numbers are all OK. Find your own way to enjoy it.

I'm a photographer, so I make travel diaries that focus on photos. But if you're not good at photography, I hope you'll enjoy keeping a diary in other ways. Of course, you can draw illustrations, write a written diary, or write stories or poems. If you're good with numbers and calculations, you can keep a travel ledger or just take notes of numbers related to your travels, such as dates, times, station platform and train numbers, hotel room numbers, etc.

Another concept of mine is to never finish my travel diary. If I feel like adding text or changing a photo later, I feel free to do so whenever I want. There's no need to worry about finishing it by a certain date or making it perfect. It's more free and fun that way.

Everyone has their own way of preserving memories. I hope you'll create your own travel diary, focusing on the things you enjoy.

I use a notebook even before I leave on a trip. I make a list of places I want to go someday, and write down places I want to visit, foods I want to eat, and weather forecasts. Then, naturally, I get more excited about traveling. If you love traveling, why not start with your next trip?