Traveler's Notebook, The Ultra-Lightweight and Customizable Travel Journal
The Traveler’s Notebook by Traveler’s Company is one of the most customizable, lightweight, and portable notebook systems out there.
Made in Japan, these notebooks feature a genuine leather cover in two sizes that can be used and reused with their simple elastic band system and their notebook inserts. Traveler’s have such a large variety of compact notebook inserts that can be mixed and matched to suit your traveling needs, which makes it a top everyday carry notebook. Travel doesn’t always mean getting on a plane or a train - but any and all travels you do in your day to day life! The Traveler’s Notebooks are made to be customized by you and be your companion through your everyday life.
About Traveler’s Company and Their Notebooks
The Traveler’s Company is a Japanese company under the popular Japanese paper and stationery brand Midori. The inspiration for the creation of the Traveler’s notebook was about creating a notebook that would suit any person and accompany them on their journeys through life. The notebook is meant as a blank slate that can meld with its user and allow for someone to feel free to make it whatever they need it to be and express themselves. Through the customization of writing, drawing, adding charms, stickers, coffee stains - capturing your life onto its pages - is how one can connect with themselves.
“This notebook taught me that the most important thing in life is to be yourself, and to communicate with yourself sincerely.”
Illustration from Travel’s Company USA
Notebook Starter Kit and Cover
The Traveler’s Notebook starter kit gives you your choice of size of regular or passport and colour of leather cover. This cover is genuine raw leather with a simple elastic band that holds your inserts inside, and holds everything closed together. The covers are made to last and the more use it gets adds to the character of the leather as it softens over time. These covers are durable but because of its minimal design, it stays lightweight and compact.
Notebook Inserts and Accessories
The Traveler’s series of inserts have a large variety to suit any use and need! Each notebook features Japanese fountain pen friendly paper by Midori. A Traveler’s cover can hold anywhere from 1-5 notebooks and can be easily inserted, removed, and switched out with additional elastics to secure them all! This means you have different notebooks for different uses, and different paper, all in one place.
The inserts available include:
Lined: Traditional 6.5 ruling, perfect for note taking and writing.
Grid: 5x5mm grid that gives structure for planning, diagrams, or creating your own layouts.
Dot Grid: Dot grid is the perfect inbetween of grid and blank, with flexibility to use it for anywhere from lists to planning, to drawing.
Blank/Cream Blank: Fountain pen friendly blank paper gives you a canvas for anything that inspires you - ideal for drawings and doodles.
Monthly and Weekly Planner: Keep yourself organized and incorporate your planning into your Traveler’s Notebooks so it is always on you.
Sketch: Blank paper that features smooth and heavyweight paper that can handle a variety of mediums from pencil and ink to watercolour - a pocket notebook perfect for an artist or the daily doodler.
Watercolour: Even thicker paper than the sketch paper, this watercolour notebook has thick and textured pages that can handle a lot of colour!
Lightweight: Features the fountain pen friendly, ultra thin and lightweight Tomoe River paper, keeps the bulk down in your notebook without losing out on pages
Kraft: Heavier weight blank kraft paper that works great for pasting in photos, maps, ticket stubs, or anything you come across for a mini scrapbook.
Other notebook inserts from the B-Side and Rarities collection makes for a more fun variety of notebook inserts, from sticker paper to washable, waterproof paper! We wrote about these inserts in detail in a previous blog here!
Finally there are a number of accessories to pair with your notebook, including folders, zipper case, card files and pen holders all compatible with your Traveler’s notebook. They also offer spare elastic bands and a repair kit to ensure your Traveler's can last.
Inspiration on how to use your Traveler’s Notebook
Well there isn’t any one way to use these notebooks, it is totally up to you and your life adventures!
For the Organizer: A Customized Planner
Use the Traveler’s weekly or monthly planner insert at the front of your notebook to keep your dates and plans in life. Pair that with a grid dot notebook for some more creative bullet journalling to add custom structure to any additional notes, habit tracking, or even make an address book Finally, you could include the sticker paper for any index tabs, labels, or decorative stickers to use on the go!
For the Artist: Pocket Sketchbook
Grab yourself a watercolour notebook, a sketch notebook, and a blank notebook and you’ll be ready for sketching, doodling, art making, or collecting swatches across a variety of mediums! Easy to incorporate different themes per notebook, or even keep a notebook to keep track of swatches of ink or watercolours for easy reference.
For the Cook: Recipe Notebook
When you find a good recipe you’ll want to make it again and again. A grid notebook is the perfect size and gives you the structure for recording your favourite recipes. Put that into your Traveler’s and add another notebook for your grocery lists - that way you can easily refer to your favourite recipes and write down what you need before you go shopping. You could add a third notebook as a meal planner, or a money tracker.
For Going Abroad: A Travel Book
When you’re traveling abroad there’s a lot to keep track of and you want to pack light! No surprise, the Traveler’s notebooks are a great travel buddy, and the perfect size for keeping your plans and memories in one place. Keep a dot grid notebook for your travel plans and itinerary, and another lined notebook for recording your journeys and thoughts as you go! Add a zipper pouch or folder to keep tickets and keepsakes all in one place, or keep a notebook to scrapbook them as you travel.
The community of Traveler’s users is amazing and you can find inspiration of how others have decorated, organized, and used their Traveler’s and really made it their own. Check out the community on their website here!
How do you travel in your life? And how do you use your notebooks? We would love to hear and see more in the Phidon community how you use your notebooks - whether a Traveler’s or not - so leave us a comment or tag us on Instagram!