Tracing your Trail

A trip is exciting! You get to see new places, explore new activities and have loads of fun! But did you know that you can capture these experiences forever? Not only in photographs, but also in travel journals.

What is a travel journal?

In a travel journal, you can document the trips you’ve taken. From short city tours to week-long adventures, you can note down everything about the trip. You can record your experiences daily and note down what you saw, when you saw it and how you felt. And whenever you open your travel journal, you get to relive the experience!

We spoke to Noorain Ahmed, an illustrator who has been documenting all her trips since the past 10 years! She gave us some cool tips on how you can keep a travel journal and document your memories!

“I started keeping a travel journal because I liked to write about everything I saw when I travelled. Now, whenever I read my journal, I feel very happy as I remember everything I did on my trip. It makes me want to travel more.” 

Brooklyn Lopez, 7 years, Dubai

  • One for one

Keep a dedicated book for one particular journey and give it a title. For example, if you’re travelling to Manali, the title could be ‘Manali Diaries’. Mention the date so that when you look back you remember exactly when you took that trip. It’s best to make your own journal by stapling pages together, otherwise, you can use a small drawing book as it is easy to carry around.

  • Mapping fun!

One of the first things you could do is draw a map of the place you’re at. It could be the street you’re living near and the shops or landmarks around you. Just draw what you see. You could mark the street name, stores you visited, junctions, eateries or restaurants, places you hung out, or anything you noticed on the street. If you’re doing a tour of an entire state, then you could outline the state and mark places you visited in the state. Drawing maps should be done on the first day of the trip as you can keep adding to it throughout the journey. You can also add symbols to your map to remind you of the places you saw.

  • Do it Daily

One of the things about travel journaling is you do it on the spot, while you’re on the trip as that’s what makes it special. Make an entry every day as your memories are fresh and you will be able to remember every single thing you did. If you make a note and think of putting it down later, you won’t be able to capture how you felt. It makes it special to do it right away because then you have two memories—one of the moment you are capturing and the memory of you drawing or writing about it.

  • Date it!

Whatever you’re capturing every day put the date in one corner or a title for each entry summarising your day.

  • Pen it in!

To ensure you maintain your journal every day, use a pen. If you use a pencil, you won’t be able to complete it as you will keep erasing. Use a pen and ensure you finish your journal.

  • Pick, stick and go!

It’s not necessary to only write or draw in your travel journal. You can also stick pictures, bills, tickets or something you found, or anything that describes some part of your trip.

“My travel journal is full of pictures, drawings and tickets to the museum and every single place we went. I even stuck the label of this juice I drank, which is the tastiest juice I ever had.”

Nikhil Singh, 10 years, Pune

Travel Journal Checklist

  • A title for your trip (it could be funny, quirky, adventurous or simple)
  • A map (that includes places visited, street names, important locations/ spots, north direction, distances, major landmarks, etc.)
  • People you travelled with
  • Where you stayed
  • People you met and the interesting things they said
  • Places you visited and memorable moments
  • What you ate
  • How you travelled (cab, car, auto, train, flight, bus, rickshaw, by foot, etc.)
  • Signage that is unique (welcome to…, 10 km to .., metro ahead, etc.)
  • Stickers, tickets, stamps, wrappers, fallen leaves, flowers etc.
  • Things you bought
  • Do’s and don’ts that you can share with your friends later

Dignity 

You get dignity,

When you stop thinking wrong

When you do what you learn right

You can live dignified,

When you live a lifestyle that,

matches your vision.

You can get dignity

when you renounce the “ego of individuality”.

and rejoice ups and downs of life.

There is dignity,

when you have good thoughts,

in your heart and mind.

-Manasvi Mehra, 13 years

Gwalior

Summer

The warmth on my skin,

The heat on my face,

Humidity in the air,

The sweat after a race.

Longer days with fun and joy,

Is what summer brings.

The sky in a brilliant shade of blue,

And so many more things.

The cold, tingling feeling of the pool,

As our skin gives a sigh of relief.

Our minds thinking of the lazy days,

When nobody is in grief.

The sun shines merrily above the horizon,

Sharing its heat and light.

A smile on everybody’s face,

As our hearts are filled with delight!

– Harshita Das

– 11 years, Noida

Rainbow Family Pleasantness

One day came a long, serene rain,

Saplings, plants, farmers, reservoirs smiled again.

Others gave a frown of pain,

Due to foresight, there was no stink or overflowing drains.

Then arose the shining sun,

It was curtains up for a boon.

I looked up with elegant smile,

Sweet rainbow appeared within a mile.

I met the rainbow at the horizon,

It was a joyful, lovely reunion.

S. Miracle

11 years, Hyderabad

The Ocean

As I look from the edge of the ocean,

Glimmering golden, for it’s almost dawn,

So many waves coming towards me,

And yet I know, there’s a lot more going on.

The ocean stretches for miles around,

So many creatures with fins and gills,

So many miles below the ground.

The waves are splashing closer and closer,

As I realise the world is bigger than it seems,

As I stare into the ocean,

In golden light, it gleams.

-Harshita Das

11 years, Noida

TRY, TRY AND TRY

Once there was a boy

And everyone thought,

He was a useless guy.

He always Failed,

In every exam

Be it First second or third,

Or the last, Final term.

Once he saw an art,

Who was trying to climb a wall.

Fell down, but tried again,

And then it did not

This lit up his inner soul,

He worked harder to achieve his goals.

And one day he went up so high,

That he Finally touched the sky!

IF you too want achievements,

Never, ever cry.

Just set your goals and aims,

And try try and try.

-Adya Tripathi

Our Motherland

The land of diversity,

Where people live in harmony.

Different cultures and customs,

And different castes and religions

Our history today tells us all,

About great leaders and freedom fighters’ sacrifice,

Who all were very wise.

Our country was protected,

Because they protested.

The Himalayas have worn a crown,

Giving birth to some of the greatest rivers,

The atmosphere here is filled with serenity,

Creating a nature that is very pretty!

-Aniha Sheela Paraveen

-10 years, Nashik

One Moment

One moment I was in the air,

Above the clouds, nowhere to be found.

One moment I was below the Earth,

In its core I was bound.

One moment I was in a palace,

And the other in a cottage so small.

One moment I was happy with a stick

And the other, I hated my expensive ball.

Time changes as we go,

We can’t follow it; it just goes,

Time is precious

So this is what we learnt folks!

Harshita Das

11 years, Noida

Stars

Countless stars in the sky,

I love to see them in the night.

When they twinkle in the night,

They bring to my heart, delight.

One shines, while another is shooting,

Everyone holds their breath while looking,

They come out in the night and hide in the day,

They steal my heart, in the month of May.

They brighten up the dark sky,

That is why we find them nice.

Countless stars in the sky,

I love to see them in the night.

-Anhad

15 years

Mukerian

Magazine Rack

You will need:

  • Mountboard,
  • acrylic paint,
  • paint brush,
  • pencil, scale,
  • glue and scissors.

craft

1. Place the magazine on a sheet of mountboard and cut around it so that the cutout is slightly bigger than the magazine.

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craft

2. Make two more rectangular cutouts that are narrower but about the same height as the cutout in step 1. These will form the sides of the rack.

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craft

3. Make another rectangular cutout for the base using the measurements from the previous two cutouts as shown.

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craft

4. Stick the cutouts from Step 2 along the sides of the cutout from Step 1 as shown. Then stick the base as well.

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craft

5. Cut two thin strips from the mountboard and stick to the front of the rack. Paint the rack.

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craft

 

Now you can put in your favourite Champak magazine in your very own magazine rack!