AAA Traveler - June 2012 - 17
Memory Keepers
A travel journal may be the best souvenir of all
I
BY deBorah aBrams kaplan • illustration BY jack molloY
I’m not one to keep a daily journal, but on vacation I can’t stop writing. I include every detail, from the cost of public bus fare to the name, age and description of each person on our day tour, to tidbits from placards at historical sites. It’s an obsession that helps me fully appreciate what I’m seeing and who I’m meeting, while allowing me to reflect on the experience. When I read through old travel journals, many of the experiences seem like they happened yesterday. They bring me back to that moment in time, with the added knowledge of what’s to come. Like the entry in which my then-boyfriend and I
donned harnesses to climb trees in the Costa Rican rain forest. I know now that was the moment he decided he wanted to marry me, but then I just knew I was scaling a tree and sweating buckets. I’ve kept journals when traveling through exotic foreign countries as well as during camping or road trips in places like North Carolina and Hawaii. Years ago, I even supplemented my journal with handwritten letters. Friends and family returned them to me so I could slide them into the journal before packing it away. These days, my old journals sit in the attic. In fact, I haven’t bought a traditional
diary in years. Now I jot thoughts down in a notebook and transfer them to my computer later that day. I was able to transform my journaling obsession into a career as a travel writer. But anyone can share journeys with family, friends (and online communities) on blogs or in free electronic journals on sites like travelblog.org and travelpod.com. Of course, it’s not the same as flipping through a handwritten book. In fact, I may need to buy a journal for my next trip.
Deborah Abrams Kaplan is a travel writer and blogger. You can read her travel stories at kaplanink.com.
Ready to fill your own travel journal with memories?
Call your AAA Travel Specialist today to begin planning your next vacation.
june 2012
17
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AAA Traveler - June 2012
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AAA Traveler - June 2012
AAA Traveler - June 2012
Departures
Worldwise
That’s Entertainment!
All Together Now
Get on Track
Girls Just Want to Have Fun
Ask the Experts
Compass
Celebration Vacations
Where the Magic Happens
And Now for Something Different
Coast to Coast
Sail Away to Adventure
Trip Notes
Crossworld
Navigator
AAA Traveler - June 2012 - AAA Traveler - June 2012
AAA Traveler - June 2012 - Cover2
AAA Traveler - June 2012 - 1
AAA Traveler - June 2012 - Departures
AAA Traveler - June 2012 - Worldwise
AAA Traveler - June 2012 - 4
AAA Traveler - June 2012 - 5
AAA Traveler - June 2012 - 6
AAA Traveler - June 2012 - That’s Entertainment!
AAA Traveler - June 2012 - 8
AAA Traveler - June 2012 - 9
AAA Traveler - June 2012 - All Together Now
AAA Traveler - June 2012 - 11
AAA Traveler - June 2012 - Get on Track
AAA Traveler - June 2012 - 13
AAA Traveler - June 2012 - Girls Just Want to Have Fun
AAA Traveler - June 2012 - 15
AAA Traveler - June 2012 - Ask the Experts
AAA Traveler - June 2012 - Compass
AAA Traveler - June 2012 - Celebration Vacations
AAA Traveler - June 2012 - Navigator
AAA Traveler - June 2012 - I2
AAA Traveler - June 2012 - I3
AAA Traveler - June 2012 - I4
AAA Traveler - June 2012 - I5
AAA Traveler - June 2012 - I6
AAA Traveler - June 2012 - I7
AAA Traveler - June 2012 - I8
AAA Traveler - June 2012 - I9
AAA Traveler - June 2012 - I10
AAA Traveler - June 2012 - I11
AAA Traveler - June 2012 - I12
AAA Traveler - June 2012 - I13
AAA Traveler - June 2012 - I14
AAA Traveler - June 2012 - I15
AAA Traveler - June 2012 - I16
AAA Traveler - June 2012 - 19
AAA Traveler - June 2012 - 20
AAA Traveler - June 2012 - 21
AAA Traveler - June 2012 - Where the Magic Happens
AAA Traveler - June 2012 - 23
AAA Traveler - June 2012 - 24
AAA Traveler - June 2012 - And Now for Something Different
AAA Traveler - June 2012 - 26
AAA Traveler - June 2012 - 27
AAA Traveler - June 2012 - Coast to Coast
AAA Traveler - June 2012 - 29
AAA Traveler - June 2012 - Sail Away to Adventure
AAA Traveler - June 2012 - 31
AAA Traveler - June 2012 - Trip Notes
AAA Traveler - June 2012 - Crossworld
AAA Traveler - June 2012 - Cover4
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