Traveller's Notebook

I bought a Midori Traveler's Notebook. (Are they still called that? I think they dropped the "Midori" part.)

At its core, it's just a strip of leather with an elastic band to hold notebooks and small accessories, but there's something so charming and fun about customizing it that it's earned itself a pretty dedicated fanbase. As an avid journal user, who goes through a standard notebook per year, this has appealed to me for a while now.

I've used LEUCHTTURM1917 lined notebooks for a number of years. They're great, uncomplicated, perfect for bullet journaling. This year, I switched to Hemlock & Oak's lined notebook. While I love it and it ticks so many boxes for me (it's beautiful, well-made in Canada by a women-owned business, thick paper, recycled plastic bookmark ribbons, lay-flat binding, etc.), its one big shortfall is that it only has 160 (gorgeous) pages. I write a lot and am used to filling a notebook per year. Now that it's late July, there are a only around 20 pages left in this notebook. I'd have it filled by the end of August, if not sooner.

I thought of just buying another H&O, and there's truly nothing wrong with that. But this, coupled with my upcoming plans to travel abroad were the catalyst for me to try out the famed Traveler's Notebook.

My main goal with a notebook is journaling. I'm not planning to go overboard with prettying it up. I don't care about washi tape and I don't need every little accessory. I really just need a notebook. But I'm still taking advantage of its modular nature.

My current setup:

• A lined notebook; obviously
• A blank, lightweight paper notebook; hopefully for something interesting like stamps or stickers I find in Japan
• A kraft folder for holding things like boarding passes, maps, etc.
• A zipper pouch for bits and bobs; currently housing extra elastic bands

I had also planned to have a holder for up to 6 gift cards, but wasn't paying attention and ordered a book of 60 card pockets! Probably going to give that away. It feels like it's missing a pen loop, so I'll probably cave and get one of those.

Anyway, I'm really enjoying the functionality and esthetic of this thing. I've already begun using it and have archived the H&O notebook. Hoping it proves to be very handy in my travels and my every day use.

Have you ever used a Traveler's Notebook? Do you have any tips and tricks for getting the most out of it? Let me know if you do!