The 2025 Travel Journal Gear Guide: Notebooks, Pens, and Portable Printers

Your gear can make or break your journaling habit. If your notebook is too heavy, you will leave it in the hotel. If your pen leaks in your pocket on the flight, you will ruin your pants (and your mood). If your paper bleeds through, you can only use one side of the page.

After testing dozens of products on the road, here is the definitive, battle-tested kit for the modern travel journaler.

1. The Notebook: Durability vs. Weight

You need a balance. Hardcover is durable but heavy. Softcover is light but gets dog-eared.

The Gold Standard: Midori Traveler’s Notebook

This is a cult classic for a reason.

The System: It’s a leather cover that holds multiple thin, replaceable inserts.
Why it works for travel: You only carry the insert you need for this trip. You aren't lugging around 200 blank pages.
The Vibe: The leather ages beautifully. Scratches tell a story.

The Waterproof Option: Rite in the Rain

If you are hiking, sailing, or going to Southeast Asia during monsoon season.

The Tech: The paper is coated. It literally sheds water. You can write on it while it's raining.
The Catch: You need a pencil or a specific ballpoint pen (gel inks will smear).

The Artist's Choice: Moleskine Art Sketchbook

The Specs: 165gsm paper.
Why: It handles light watercolor washes and heavy marker use without bleeding through to the other side. Standard notebooks are usually 70gsm, which is too thin for art.

2. The Pens: The Flight Test

Air pressure changes in planes cause air pockets in pens to expand, pushing ink out. This is why your bag has blue stains.

The Winner: Uni-ball Vision Elite

Feature: "Airplane Safe" technology. It has a special reservoir to handle pressure changes.
Ink: Waterproof and fade-proof. If you drop your journal in a puddle, the words stay.

The Multitasker: Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto

Feature: A customizable multi-pen. You fit 4 or 5 colors into one barrel.
Why: You can color-code your day (Blue for narrative, Red for spending, Green for food) without carrying a pencil case.

3. The Glue: Adhesives for Ephemera

You have a train ticket. You want it in the book. Glue sticks are messy and melt in hot climates.

The Solution: Kokuyo Dotliner

What is it? A tape runner. It looks like correction tape, but it lays down a strip of adhesive dots.
Pros: Instant dry time. No mess. Super strong. TSA friendly (it’s not a liquid or gel).

4. The Magic: Portable Photo Printers

This is the game changer for hybrid journaling. Printing a photo in the moment and sticking it next to your writing bridges the gap between digital and analog.

Best Overall: Canon Ivy 2 (or Canon Zoemini 2)

Tech: ZINK (Zero Ink). The color is in the paper crystals.
Pros: The photos are stickers. Peel the back off and stick them right in. No glue needed. The device is the size of a phone.
Cons: Print quality is "vintage" (slightly grainy), not professional.

Best for Vibe: Fujifilm Instax Mini Link 2

Tech: Real instant film.
Pros: Classic white border. The chemical development process is magical.
Cons: The photos are thick (they bulk up your journal). They aren't stickers (you need tape corners).

5. The Extras

Washi Tape: Decorative Japanese tape. Use it to tape in maps or receipts. It’s re-positionable, so you don't tear the paper if you make a mistake.
Binder Clip: A large metal clip to hold the book open flat while you write on a windy train platform.
Zip Pouch: A clear mesh pouch to hold the loose tickets and coins before you have time to glue them in.

Summary: Build Your Kit

Don't buy everything. If you are a writer, get the Midori + Uni-ball. If you are a scrapbooker, get the Canon Ivy + Dotliner.

The best gear is the gear that removes friction. It should be so easy to use that you actually want to open your bag and start creating.