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Globejotting: How to Write Extraordinary Travel Journals
Most travel diaries fizzle. By day six of a big trip, people are struggling to recall what happened on days three, four, and five. They return home with mostly empty journals, or bland writing that fails to capture the full spirit of their journeys. Award-winning travel humorist Dave Fox comes to the rescue in this book that's both informative and irreverently funny. You'll learn to:
Bring destinations to life with bold details.
Splash those details quickly onto your pages so journaling doesn't gobble up your precious vacation time.
Elude your Inner Censor and write with confidence.
Weave together your outer and inner journeys, using unfamiliar places as a backdrop for self-discovery.
Dave shares his favorite journaling techniques, shows how to find time to write in the middle of an exciting trip, and infuses it all with a generous dose of his off-the-wall humor. Whether your journeys are weekend road trips or excursions around the world, this book will help transform you into a travel journaling superhero!
Bring destinations to life with bold details.
Splash those details quickly onto your pages so journaling doesn't gobble up your precious vacation time.
Elude your Inner Censor and write with confidence.
Weave together your outer and inner journeys, using unfamiliar places as a backdrop for self-discovery.
Dave shares his favorite journaling techniques, shows how to find time to write in the middle of an exciting trip, and infuses it all with a generous dose of his off-the-wall humor. Whether your journeys are weekend road trips or excursions around the world, this book will help transform you into a travel journaling superhero!
187 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 15, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
March 23, 2016
I've never kept a worthwhile travel journal in my life, so on a whim I bought this book the night before a short trip. I'm glad I did! There isn't a lot of new information in Globejotting, but reading it gave me a little push, some timely reminders and, most important, it gave me permission to approach journaling the trip in a way that works for me. A bonus was that my conscious reflection on the trip made me enjoy it even more. The book is longer than it needs to be and drags a bit at the end, and I got a little impatient with the author's cutesy wit, but overall I found the book useful.
April 6, 2015
Really nice & cheap book about travel journaling. Lots of different topics on how to approach your journaling and bring your memories and feelings to paper, nice exercises for every chapter & even tips on how to prepare and learn before you are going on your travels. Recommended!
September 23, 2020
“People assume if they don’t write their journals while they’re traveling, they can’t do it later. But journaling has no deadlines. ... you can write about a trip years after it’s finished.”
I love to travel. It’s my number one passion in life. I have been traveling internationally for over a decade and I have no intention of stopping — the second this freaking pandemic is over, I’m hopping right back on a plane! However, although I have been fortunate enough to go on trips around the globe, not all of them are documented properly. All of my trips have taught me something or changed me in some way — whether they were only for a long weekend or 100 days, they have all had an impact. Because of this, it is very important to me to document them in writings. But although I’ve been traveling for a while, my writings for each trip vary drastically. For my trips from 2009-2016, I did not journal. While most featured daily activities in a bullet journal format on my notes app, some weren’t written about properly at all -- not due to lack of motivation, but due to lack of time. As a result, from 2017 onwards I’ve made a conscious effort to designate portions of each day to journal while I’m traveling. The result is pages and pages of memories to ensure that I will never forget my experiences. Because that’s what happens — no matter how impactful or important the trip, no matter how often you promise yourself in the moment that you’ll never forget, no matter how many photos you snap, precious details will be lost to time if they are not written down.
So for the past few years I’ve undergone a project to, in Fox’s words, “post journal” my older trips. As Fox astutely points out, that’s one of the great things about journaling — it’s the only way you can document your trip after it is finished, even after years or decades have gone by. I have had almost as much fun writing about my adventures as I did when I was living them. Can I capture everything? No. That’s impossible, unfortunately. Many details are lost to time. But by using “speed journaling” techniques as taught in this book (and looking at photos!), I can delve into my subconscious and pull up memories that had been long since forgotten.
This book stands out over other travel journaling books that I’ve read because Fox encourages journaling even after a trip has been completed. Whereas most books prep you for journaling during an upcoming trip, Fox really drives home the importance of revising past trips with a fresh perspective. Although it’s so important to capture thoughts and sensory experiences in the moment, it can be equally as rewarding to revisit trips months or years down the line with a different or more realistic perspective. For instance, there was one trip that I went on during a particularly traumatic time, and I never viewed it in a positive light because of the context of my life at that moment. But when I “post journaled” my experiences in a better, healthier mindset a few years down the line, I was able to appreciate the good moments that I did have without the negative ones cancelling them out.
However, while Chapter 8 was music to my ears, the rest of this book does what it says on the tin by providing helpful writing techniques to enhance one's musings while on the road, as well as tips and tricks to find the time and motivation to write — which, as all travel journalers are aware, are the two biggest roadblocks that writers face while on an exciting vacation! I’m particularly fond of the 10-minute “verbal snapshot” tip — I try and do at least 2 of these each day when I’m on a trip. As much fun as documenting my daily adventures is, the real heart and soul of my writings is when I take a few moments to stop, look around, and truly reflect on my surroundings and my thoughts. And although I am comfortable and confident with my journaling technique while ‘on the go’ now, I am always looking for ways to improve my writings and help ensure that I am doing justice to my travels by documenting them in a fresh, new way. If you are of the same mindset, Globejotting is right up your street! 4 stars.
I love to travel. It’s my number one passion in life. I have been traveling internationally for over a decade and I have no intention of stopping — the second this freaking pandemic is over, I’m hopping right back on a plane! However, although I have been fortunate enough to go on trips around the globe, not all of them are documented properly. All of my trips have taught me something or changed me in some way — whether they were only for a long weekend or 100 days, they have all had an impact. Because of this, it is very important to me to document them in writings. But although I’ve been traveling for a while, my writings for each trip vary drastically. For my trips from 2009-2016, I did not journal. While most featured daily activities in a bullet journal format on my notes app, some weren’t written about properly at all -- not due to lack of motivation, but due to lack of time. As a result, from 2017 onwards I’ve made a conscious effort to designate portions of each day to journal while I’m traveling. The result is pages and pages of memories to ensure that I will never forget my experiences. Because that’s what happens — no matter how impactful or important the trip, no matter how often you promise yourself in the moment that you’ll never forget, no matter how many photos you snap, precious details will be lost to time if they are not written down.
So for the past few years I’ve undergone a project to, in Fox’s words, “post journal” my older trips. As Fox astutely points out, that’s one of the great things about journaling — it’s the only way you can document your trip after it is finished, even after years or decades have gone by. I have had almost as much fun writing about my adventures as I did when I was living them. Can I capture everything? No. That’s impossible, unfortunately. Many details are lost to time. But by using “speed journaling” techniques as taught in this book (and looking at photos!), I can delve into my subconscious and pull up memories that had been long since forgotten.
This book stands out over other travel journaling books that I’ve read because Fox encourages journaling even after a trip has been completed. Whereas most books prep you for journaling during an upcoming trip, Fox really drives home the importance of revising past trips with a fresh perspective. Although it’s so important to capture thoughts and sensory experiences in the moment, it can be equally as rewarding to revisit trips months or years down the line with a different or more realistic perspective. For instance, there was one trip that I went on during a particularly traumatic time, and I never viewed it in a positive light because of the context of my life at that moment. But when I “post journaled” my experiences in a better, healthier mindset a few years down the line, I was able to appreciate the good moments that I did have without the negative ones cancelling them out.
However, while Chapter 8 was music to my ears, the rest of this book does what it says on the tin by providing helpful writing techniques to enhance one's musings while on the road, as well as tips and tricks to find the time and motivation to write — which, as all travel journalers are aware, are the two biggest roadblocks that writers face while on an exciting vacation! I’m particularly fond of the 10-minute “verbal snapshot” tip — I try and do at least 2 of these each day when I’m on a trip. As much fun as documenting my daily adventures is, the real heart and soul of my writings is when I take a few moments to stop, look around, and truly reflect on my surroundings and my thoughts. And although I am comfortable and confident with my journaling technique while ‘on the go’ now, I am always looking for ways to improve my writings and help ensure that I am doing justice to my travels by documenting them in a fresh, new way. If you are of the same mindset, Globejotting is right up your street! 4 stars.
March 6, 2019
This book is crammed full of tips, exercises and inspiration. It will definitely change the way I journal while I'm on vacation.
Here are some of the things I took from this book:
Speed journalling. I am familiar with this concept. It's a technique used when doing NaNoWriMo. While I find it easy to just blurt out the words in my head onto the page, turning off my inner editor is crazy hard. I really struggle with it. I can definitely see that it would speed up my journalling and allow me to get more of my day down on the page, thus allowing me to a) enjoy more of the day 'in the moment' and b) encourage me to keep up with my journalling and not fall behind.
He talks about choosing one interesting person each day of your trip and jotting down a character description. I love this idea. Not sure if I'd be able to do it every day, but it sounds like such a fun thing to read back over. He says to capture a quote they said that shows the way they talk, share their physical description, their mannerisms, their attitude and expressions. I'm not very good at including this kind of detail in my journalling, so I like this. I think my husband and kids would have fun with it too. Like, I could choose a character from the day that we came across and ask them to give me details over dinner or while we're on the train or in the car. Could be a fun family exercise!
Another thing was the idea of a theme to tie multiple places or multiple days together. Like, one day you could just write about foods you've tried on your travels. Or even more specifically, just desserts you've tried. Or whatever.
Write your first draft for yourself. 'If you travel intending from the start to share your journals with others, you’re likely to hold back certain details.'
He recommends that instead of writing about your day from start to finish, just choose 1-4 highlights from the day and write about those. I definitely need to start doing this. I have whole days on my trip to the UK last year where I don't know what we did because we took no photos nor spent any money on those days. We spent them with my sister and her kids, but I have no more detail than that. Those days are lost. I should have jotted down a couple of bullet points from each day, and then I'd at least have those memory joggers.
I was constantly inspired by Dave as I read this book. He made me realise that I have a unique view to share, even if I'm blogging about a place that has been often blogged about. Your history, background and experiences are different to those of your spouse, your parents, your siblings and your children... Not to mention all the other people visiting the same place as you.
I loved this book. I found it inspiring and educational. It's definitely going to change how I journal on my next trip. Bullet points for the win! And bonus bullet points under characters. Ha ha! But seriously, there was so much in this book that I can't capture it in a simple book review. Definitely read it for yourself.
Here are some of the things I took from this book:
Speed journalling. I am familiar with this concept. It's a technique used when doing NaNoWriMo. While I find it easy to just blurt out the words in my head onto the page, turning off my inner editor is crazy hard. I really struggle with it. I can definitely see that it would speed up my journalling and allow me to get more of my day down on the page, thus allowing me to a) enjoy more of the day 'in the moment' and b) encourage me to keep up with my journalling and not fall behind.
He talks about choosing one interesting person each day of your trip and jotting down a character description. I love this idea. Not sure if I'd be able to do it every day, but it sounds like such a fun thing to read back over. He says to capture a quote they said that shows the way they talk, share their physical description, their mannerisms, their attitude and expressions. I'm not very good at including this kind of detail in my journalling, so I like this. I think my husband and kids would have fun with it too. Like, I could choose a character from the day that we came across and ask them to give me details over dinner or while we're on the train or in the car. Could be a fun family exercise!
Another thing was the idea of a theme to tie multiple places or multiple days together. Like, one day you could just write about foods you've tried on your travels. Or even more specifically, just desserts you've tried. Or whatever.
Write your first draft for yourself. 'If you travel intending from the start to share your journals with others, you’re likely to hold back certain details.'
He recommends that instead of writing about your day from start to finish, just choose 1-4 highlights from the day and write about those. I definitely need to start doing this. I have whole days on my trip to the UK last year where I don't know what we did because we took no photos nor spent any money on those days. We spent them with my sister and her kids, but I have no more detail than that. Those days are lost. I should have jotted down a couple of bullet points from each day, and then I'd at least have those memory joggers.
I was constantly inspired by Dave as I read this book. He made me realise that I have a unique view to share, even if I'm blogging about a place that has been often blogged about. Your history, background and experiences are different to those of your spouse, your parents, your siblings and your children... Not to mention all the other people visiting the same place as you.
I loved this book. I found it inspiring and educational. It's definitely going to change how I journal on my next trip. Bullet points for the win! And bonus bullet points under characters. Ha ha! But seriously, there was so much in this book that I can't capture it in a simple book review. Definitely read it for yourself.
May 5, 2025
I thought this was going to be dumb fluff that could’ve just been a magazine article, but no lesser an authority than Ali Edwards has recommended it, so I decided to give it a shot.
Well, I noticed fairly quickly with the library copy I was reading that it really was hardly dumb fluff at all, so I went and bought my own copy. There is genuinely useful and creative advice in here, including tips for “troubleshooting” various issues you might run into.
It PROBABLY could have been a (long) article instead of a book, and the if author hadn’t been so drolly knowing while dropping all these jokey asides I probably would have found him incredibly annoying, but overall this is actually a solidly useful book, to my surprise.
Recommended for all scrapbookers.
Well, I noticed fairly quickly with the library copy I was reading that it really was hardly dumb fluff at all, so I went and bought my own copy. There is genuinely useful and creative advice in here, including tips for “troubleshooting” various issues you might run into.
It PROBABLY could have been a (long) article instead of a book, and the if author hadn’t been so drolly knowing while dropping all these jokey asides I probably would have found him incredibly annoying, but overall this is actually a solidly useful book, to my surprise.
Recommended for all scrapbookers.
October 21, 2018
Brilliantly funny, informative and inspiring
Very easy to read book that is both funny and informative. The ‘flight simulator’ applications are simple to apply to your own journalling journey and make this more than just a book to teach you about journalling, but a motivating force to live the life you want.
Very easy to read book that is both funny and informative. The ‘flight simulator’ applications are simple to apply to your own journalling journey and make this more than just a book to teach you about journalling, but a motivating force to live the life you want.
January 8, 2018
Love Dave Fox's sense of humor. Clear, concise, comical. Teaches you how to write descriptively (while traveling anywhere in the world) without having to sacrifice a ton of time with your face buried in your notebook.
August 31, 2020
A funny thing to be reading in the midst of lockdown, but easy and amusing to think about places have been as well as cool writing exercises. Esp drawn to ideas about writing about planning for future trips, reinterpreting past trips.
June 14, 2019
Light on content but an easy read. Didn’t find his attempts at humor particularly funny but it didn’t detract from the reading. Some useful ideas to take away.
June 23, 2021
Excited to keep a travel journal on our upcoming trip! Easy to read, lots of practical tips.
December 5, 2022
This has been my guide
December 28, 2023
This has great ideas for anyone who likes to journal on their vacations. I will refer back to it on future trips.
May 13, 2015
Globejotting by Dave Fox is quick and easy read to encourage travel journaling. Dave Fox is a seasoned writer and a seasoned traveler. He uses his experience of both to teach travel journaling through personal examples, discussion of the principles, and exercises to follow through in your own journal. I enjoyed is writing style and the instruction inside was highly applicable. I have been journaling since about 1982, and I was very pleased to learn new techniques and ideas. But more than that, I was encouraged to continue writing—even though at times I fall into slumps.
One favorite lesson from the book was a statement he made that said: “Write like no one is watching”. This is a critical piece of advice for journalers. The fear of having the writing be read by another person is a common fear—one that I struggle with. Fox’s statement offers a framework to think about when that fear pops up its head.
Another lesson that I truly liked was the author’s encouragement to practice travel journaling even when you are not traveling. This is a good lesson for me because it encourages a different voice for my journals than one that I have used in the past. He encourages this technique with the observation that if you are comfortable writing every day, then it won’t be a chore when you travel.
One final lesson that I appreciated was an emphasis on speed writing. Speed writing he explains is simply writing everything done as fast you can during the trip as a rough draft. This helps get the ideas on paper and then they can be cleaned up later. It is a great technique to use in the travel journal because it accomplished the task of capturing the moment, but doesn’t chew up your entire vacation doing it.
I wholeheartedly recommend this book for people that desire to journal—there are many trips that can be transferred into daily journaling. I also recommend it to people that want to take a travel journal with them on their next trip. I am going to use some of techniques as I travel more and develop more for my blog in the future. It is also a good book to keep as a reference after it has been read. It is full of ideas and concepts that may take some time to work through. I enjoyed reading the book of the weekend as it has helped me rethink my approach to travel writing.
One favorite lesson from the book was a statement he made that said: “Write like no one is watching”. This is a critical piece of advice for journalers. The fear of having the writing be read by another person is a common fear—one that I struggle with. Fox’s statement offers a framework to think about when that fear pops up its head.
Another lesson that I truly liked was the author’s encouragement to practice travel journaling even when you are not traveling. This is a good lesson for me because it encourages a different voice for my journals than one that I have used in the past. He encourages this technique with the observation that if you are comfortable writing every day, then it won’t be a chore when you travel.
One final lesson that I appreciated was an emphasis on speed writing. Speed writing he explains is simply writing everything done as fast you can during the trip as a rough draft. This helps get the ideas on paper and then they can be cleaned up later. It is a great technique to use in the travel journal because it accomplished the task of capturing the moment, but doesn’t chew up your entire vacation doing it.
I wholeheartedly recommend this book for people that desire to journal—there are many trips that can be transferred into daily journaling. I also recommend it to people that want to take a travel journal with them on their next trip. I am going to use some of techniques as I travel more and develop more for my blog in the future. It is also a good book to keep as a reference after it has been read. It is full of ideas and concepts that may take some time to work through. I enjoyed reading the book of the weekend as it has helped me rethink my approach to travel writing.
September 6, 2015
The book was an easy read, and has a lot of good writing strategies and exercises. Several of the ideas the author uses might be familiar if you've read other books on writing (he is careful to give credit where it's due), but the way he puts the ideas together in a clear and engaging way, with humor, made the book a fun, easy read for me. The author also teaches classes on travel writing, and this comes through in his desire to motivate and give specific advice. His caring for your success as a writer comes through. I can see how his tips would have been honed through practice and feedback, and I appreciated his examples. He's particularly good with tips about overcoming mental obstacles, and specific strategies for adding details and depth to your writing. I also thought his chapter on public vs. private writing, and his advice about finding time to write, were nice additions. As the online writing options he discusses are a bit dated, referring to myspace and typepad rather than tumblr, twitter, or facebook, it would be nice to see these updated in a future edition. Overall you may not find groundbreaking insights (especially if you've read other books on writing), but I think you'll find a well-written little book with good tips that you can quickly put into practice.
June 20, 2015
A must read for all writers!
I love to travel, but my circumstances keep me from venturing far. I have been a writer for almost 10 years. This book opened my eyes to so many new techniques, even after all these years. It is so much more than a travel writing book. Any writer can benefit from what Mr. Fox has to teach in this book. I love his brilliant wit and down-to-earth advice. The writing style is accessible and never condescending; his voice is usually very humorous and often quite touching.
He has empowered me to be more present in my journeys (even if only to the local park), and relish details. I am now a much more efficient people watcher (much to the chagrin of my kids). I have learned a few things about myself, when reviewing my journals - like the types of details and people I gravitate toward. In turn, it has enriched my creative writing by raising awareness to those details.
I can't say enough good stuff about this book. It fundamentally changed the way I interact with our surroundings when we adventure and for that I am so grateful.
I love to travel, but my circumstances keep me from venturing far. I have been a writer for almost 10 years. This book opened my eyes to so many new techniques, even after all these years. It is so much more than a travel writing book. Any writer can benefit from what Mr. Fox has to teach in this book. I love his brilliant wit and down-to-earth advice. The writing style is accessible and never condescending; his voice is usually very humorous and often quite touching.
He has empowered me to be more present in my journeys (even if only to the local park), and relish details. I am now a much more efficient people watcher (much to the chagrin of my kids). I have learned a few things about myself, when reviewing my journals - like the types of details and people I gravitate toward. In turn, it has enriched my creative writing by raising awareness to those details.
I can't say enough good stuff about this book. It fundamentally changed the way I interact with our surroundings when we adventure and for that I am so grateful.
November 13, 2009
I bought Globejotting with the goal of improving my journaling and blogging skills. As a university faculty member accompanying numerous study abroad programs, I require my students to keep journals, and have struggled with how to help them take full advantage of that opportunity for introspection and reflection. Fox's book is an OK beginning, but doesn't offer the kind of hands-on developmental assistance I was hoping for.
Globejotting was an OK, but not great, introduction to journaling. Quite honestly, though, for anyone interested in improving their travel journaling skills, I would give a much higher recommendation to Writing Away: A Creative Guide to Awakening the Journal-Writing Traveler, by Lavinia Spalding. It goes into much more depth, offers better examples, considers more techniques, and generally does a better job of teaching journaling skills.
Globejotting was an OK, but not great, introduction to journaling. Quite honestly, though, for anyone interested in improving their travel journaling skills, I would give a much higher recommendation to Writing Away: A Creative Guide to Awakening the Journal-Writing Traveler, by Lavinia Spalding. It goes into much more depth, offers better examples, considers more techniques, and generally does a better job of teaching journaling skills.
March 17, 2014
Dave does a fantastic job walking you through several techniques for travel journaling. I picked this book up a month or two before a big trip to Italy followed by a Western Mediterranean cruise. I wanted to be able to capture my trip uniquely and in a way that I could share with friends and family. I read the book with blogging in mind rather than journaling. My blog is essentially my journal. Dave provides you with techniques that help you work through your experiences while traveling (including pre travel writing and post travel writing). I'd recommend this book to anyone who's interested in journaling in general or travel journaling.
December 21, 2012
Well, first impression wasn't good. I'm afraid first contact with Dave's writing style was a bit annoying. Then this bad feeling went away but I kept mixed feelings about the book. True, some parts were priceless, truly great ideas. I took some notes and I definitely don't regret the time I spend reading the book. The minus: I kept feeling Dave was using to much unnecessary filling. I guess the book would be a better one if it was 30 or 40% shorted, naked from all that filling.
August 16, 2015
This is good book to get started on travel journaling. If I had to sum it up in three bullets...
- Speed journaling is okay, just get some thoughts down. Something is better than nothing. You can always add more later.
- Keep in mind all five senses of perception and your internal/external experiences as you write.
- The more you write, the better you'll get. Make it convenience, but make it a priority and work to stay motivated to write—you'll be glad you did.
- Speed journaling is okay, just get some thoughts down. Something is better than nothing. You can always add more later.
- Keep in mind all five senses of perception and your internal/external experiences as you write.
- The more you write, the better you'll get. Make it convenience, but make it a priority and work to stay motivated to write—you'll be glad you did.
August 15, 2014
I enjoyed this humorous, but informative book on travel journaling. I diligently carried out the exercises and learned some things about journaling and about myself as a journal writer. The lessons learned apply to all kinds of journaling and not just travel journaling. I honestly believe reading this book has helped me and will make me a better journal writer in the year to come. We'll see.
October 13, 2012
This was a great book to read right before my three week trip to Germany. Dave Fox is very funny and makes the book very enjoyable. I left with an empty journal and came back with a 26 oz. journal. I wrote every day and used his tips. I even sent him the pictures of my journal before and after and he posted them on his site globejotting.com.
January 6, 2016
Good book for college students to read for encouragement and tips on how to journal while on a global study trip or study abroad semester or year. Uses the lingo and style of college students. Quick and easy to read and grasp concept of journaling and how to succeed with small efforts that yield big dividends.
August 28, 2012
Fun book to read simply because of the author's great voice, but I'm not sure how helpful I'll find his tips. I don't think our journal-keeping styles will merge well. But I do want to get his travel memoir now!
December 28, 2015
This is the 4th or 5th time I've read this book. I keep journals on trips. Well, travel art journals really, and I read this book before trips to remind me of some really great tips.
May 17, 2012
Really enjoyed it! I found things to use not only in travel journaling(if I ever manage to do that!), but in work and home!
October 4, 2012
I really enjoyed this as a travel-writing (journal or blogging) resource.
February 17, 2013
My travel journals will never be extaordinary, but got some good tips: verbal snapshots, speed journaling, sending yourself postcards from the places you travel. Alrighty.
March 28, 2013
I came across this when I took Dave's class. This is a funny book, and he's a terrific teacher. Check out his website at http://www.globejotting.com.
July 20, 2016
I read this on my Kindle app, and it was a pretty good read. I skimmed parts of it, but still got plenty of good tips. Reading this book made me want to take another trip!
January 30, 2016
Motivated me to keep up with my journaling on our trip to Alaska. Lots of good pointers and ideas for organizing your thoughts as well as ideas I would have never considered.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews