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When I was twenty years old, my grandmother invited me to Europe for two weeks. I had never been to foreign countries before, so I was especially excited about the trip. When I told one of my professors about the trip, he suggested, “Keep a journal（日记）.” More than ten years later, I am so thankful for his suggestion, as I can look back on this first trip to Europe through my journal.
Keeping a travel journal is very simple. Bring a journal with you during your vacation and write down the things that interest you. Interestingly, what appeals to you may not be the tourist attractions but some small things, such as something in your hotel room, and a talk you hear by chance. Your journal is the best thing you can bring back from a vacation.
It is a great idea to choose a good journal style that you like. Whether it is lined or unlined paper, pick up a journal that feels good in your hands. The size of your journal is also important. Some people feel that a travel journal should be small and easy to carry, while others prefer a larger-sized journal. My journal has always been about 8×11 inches. I haven't found any real problems with carrying it. It fits well into a backpack. A good tip is to get some type of waterproof（防水的）cover for your journal. You never know when something in your bag may leak（渗漏）, or it may start to rain, which can just ruin your journal.
In addition, consider carrying some plastic bags to bring back some pictures and postcards so that you can put them in your journal. You will probably find some things during the day that you want to attach to your journal at night in your hotel.
Always carry something to write with when you have your journal. Consider carrying a variety of pens, markers, or pencils so as to make your journal look more beautiful. Even if you are not very good at drawing, a journal has a way of freeing your creative juices. You will find yourself quickly drawing things or writing poems at the sides of the pages in your journal.
Tourist maps are also a wonderful thing to consider adding to your journal because they show where you have been. You can add parts of the map to show where you have been that day and then another part on another day to show where you have been the following day.
Bring a tube of glue to stick postcards and pictures to your journal. You can cut the pictures and postcards into the shapes you like so that you can make your journal look more beautiful. Keep these things handy in a plastic bag so that you can find them easily.
There are so many things you can consider writing in your journal, such as the sights you have seen that day, a meal you have had, a person you have seen in a museum, a cafe that has caught your attention, your feelings about your trip or about the hotel you have stayed in, and a list of the things you also wish to do during your vacation. These are all the small details that do make up your trip.
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