Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Tuesday Travels: Create a Travel Binder

Do you ever leaf through a travel magazine or newspaper section, spy an alluring destination, commit it to memory for the day when time and money allow, and then, in a matter of minutes/hours/days, find that the name of that charming B&B/scenic drive/educational experience/trip of a lifetime has completely ... transmeltified? Vanishized? Dipsappeared?

Enter The Travel Book. This is simple a three-ring binder, replete with page protectors, where I shove all my travel-related hopes and dreams. (Unless I read about them online. Then I bookmark them on Del.ic.ious.)

The Travel Book has four sections.
Section One: Packing Lists!
I've printed lists from WeJustGotBack.com and lists for the kids from House on Hill Road.


Keeping them in page protectors means they're easy to mark off, erase with fine-tip dry-erase markers, and reuse.

Section Two: Texas.

Here's where I keep brochures for the state park system (we have an annual membership) and promotional materials for various day/road trip destinations. Most of these trips are easily doable on a weekend.

Section Three: U.S.A.
Right now this section includes articles about St. Augustine, FL, Staunton, VA, Park City, UT, etc.

Hmmmm .... Park City, UT. I'll be gazing at that page with slobber galore come July. Good thing it's in a page protector.

(Of course, if I were truly intelligent like my friend Nicole, I'd have figured out a way to skedaddle to coastal Canada for half of every summer. But true intelligence eludes me.)

Section Four: International.

This is where I stow helpful articles on glamorous destinations found in a galaxy far, far away. Like the Dominican Republic. You just never know when duty will call, and it's good to be prepared.

There's also an Animal Tracking Guide in here, hoping I'll remember to tote it along on the next camping trip.

Do you have some way of keeping track of future (or imaginary) travel plans? And is there anything I should add to my binder?

5 comments:

NeedANap2 said...

Our missions pastor goes to the Dominican Republic a lot, want to take a mission trip?

Tsh @ Simple Mom said...

SUCH a great idea, Hannah! I'll have to see this some time.

Hannah said...

Thanks Tsh! Remind me to haul the thing out for you.
NeedaNap, that sounds like a real adventure!

JoAnn said...

Our travel plans always fall into these categories: Ken's participation in conferences (sometimes I get to go), visits to family in other parts of the country, and our family vacations. the latter two are pretty confining: Ohio and Pennsylvania with stops in virginia along the way, and then our twice a year excursions to the Hyatt Vacation Club of our choice, meaning San Antonio for spring break and Somewhere Else for the summer. We have havd some pretty exotic vacations for Ken's job, like Turkey and New Zealand/Australia, and Japan/Taiwan. I really would like to visit some of the other places, like the channel islands off the coast of Louisiana, but we don't have the time. Maybe someday....

Vanessa said...

This is a great idea (the binder thing). Now I know what to do with all the pamphlets Sam collects and hopes to visit.