Using A Traveler’s Notebook as a Holiday Planner

So, for those of you who are keeping up with this blog, you’ll remember that last week’s post was about simplifying the holidays. And for me, keeping the holidays simple means having our schedules, meals, gifts, and other lists organized and all in one place. This has become more important as we went from a two-person household to a four-person family. After my parents moved nearby and my sister got married, we offered to have the holidays at my home each year, which means we have company staying with us for several days as well as hosting the big day at our house. The way I do it is with, yes, another planner. But wait! This one is different! It is slim, portable, and I only use it during the months of November and December.

I have tried everything to organize myself for the holidays.

I was not born an organized person, so it took a lot of trial and error to figure out how to keep track of all of these things. I started out by pretty much doing nothing to stay organized. That led to buying duplicate gifts, forgetting the gifts I purchased in months prior to the holidays, and not having meals planned out only to find the stores were closing early on a day I needed to buy more ingredients. This prompted me to look for some way to stay on top of all of these things. I tried using my weekly planner and adding all of the dates and obligations to that, but it just cluttered up my calendar and I did not like using the note pages in the back for my lists. Like the ones I use to organize my kids’ school paperwork, I tried a binder, but it was too bulky, and I would leave it home while I would run holiday errands, only to find I had forgotten something. And, my shared family planning app would allow the others to see some surprises I had for them. Only when I discovered the traveler’s notebook did I find something that worked.

What is a Traveler’s Notebook?

A traveler’s notebook is basically one or more thinly bound paper notebooks (or inserts) held together with elastic bands in a book-like cover. It’s a pretty simple concept for something so versatile. What’s more, these notebooks come in various sizes. I believe the most common is the regular or classic slim size (4.25 x 8.25″ or 110 x 210mm), which is the size that I use. However, another popular version is the passport size (3.5 x 4.75″ or 89 x 122mm). Even Erin Condren has jumped on board the traveler’s notebook bandwagon with her Petite Planners and Journals, which go inside her On The Go Folios. I recommend going with either the classic slim or passport sizes, as they have the most options for notebook inserts. That allows you to buy from places that have really unique and high quality inserts such as JM Planning Essentials, which just released a line of inserts with really beautiful covers.

Why Use a Traveler’s Notebook?

As I said before, traveler’s notebooks are so versatile. Many people use them for faith planning, personal planning, and jouraling. With a traveler’s notebook, you can add as many inserts as your cover will fit and assign different categories to them. So, for a personal planner, folks will use one for their monthly calendars (yes, they sell calendar inserts like this one here (#Ad)), one for their weekly spreads (#Ad), another for notes, and a fourth for their budget/goal-planning/habit-tracking, etc. For a faith planner, inserts can be used for taking down sermon notes, gratitude journaling, and writing down bible passages. Because they are totally customizable, the possibilities are endless! More importantly, these notebooks are not much bigger than a credit card checkbook wallet, so my traveler’s notebook easily fits in my purse, making it very portable, which helps when I’m shopping!

How I Use My Traveler’s Notebook As a Holiday Planner

I have four inserts in my traveler’s notebook and, to be honest, have just ordered a fifth. Here are the categories each one contains:

–Lists– The first insert, which is a lined notebook, contains all of my lists for that particular year’s holiday season. I always include Reminders (from the year before), a To Do List with checkboxes, and a Gift List. When I buy something during part of the year that is meant as a holiday gift or if I just get an idea to add to a list, I take out the notebook and add it to this insert.

–Holiday Meals & Menus– The second insert, also lined, is reserved exclusively for holiday meal ideas and a plan for each meal we will be eating during the week of Christmas. That may seem a bit much, but when you are having to purchase and prepare food for 10 people who will be with you 3 meals a day for 4-5 days a week, I’ve found it best to plan ahead. I do not cook each of those meals and will often include ideas for places where we can eat out.

–Calendars & Budgets– This third insert contains a grid notebook. Each year, I draw in a November and December Calendar. It honestly doesn’t take much time, but it is where I keep up with activities, family events, church obligations, and sales. I start it in November so I know to order certain items that might take a while to arrive. The budget section is new and is the reason I’ve ordered this beautiful dot grid insert from JM Planning Essentials, which I’m really excited about as it’s on 100lb Mohawk paper (!) that I think will work better for budgeting. (I also got a blank insert from this company as well so I can do some fun journaling!)

–Annual Traditions– While the list section changes every year, the annual traditions insert, also on lined paper, is where I keep a running tab of things we like to do each year. Right now I keep track of certain decorations we like to keep out, favorite meals, and activities we’ve enjoyed.

They Don’t Need to Be Expensive!

While you can totally break the bank with a traveler’s notebook, there is no need for that. Of course, the gold standard, Cadillac notebooks are made by a Japanese company- Midori. They have beautiful quality covers that I think are totally worth it if this is going to be your main planner, which it is for many people. You can buy them online – they’re found on various websites. Here is a classic sized Midori (#Ad) I found at Amazon.com. They also have the Midori passport size (#Ad), if you want something smaller. Not knowing whether I would use mine beyond my first year’s experiment, I found an inexpensive one on Amazon (I’ve heard them called Faux-doris) that fit Midori inserts. Mine is no longer sold online, but here is a comparable one (#Ad).

Some Tips for Using a Travel Notebook:

• Give each insert 1-2 categories of information. Any more than that, and it is hard to keep up with which insert contains which type of information.
• Number your pages (if your insert is not already numbered) and include a table of contents as your first page.
• Feel free to decorate it! My daughter and I used a little washi tape and some vintage Christmas stickers to pretty up the otherwise drab paper-bag colored covers.
• Use binder clips. These help to mark off pages and are useful when you want to keep one of your inserts open while you work in it.

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Here are some other ways to customize your traveler’s notebook:

• Add Various Inserts: You can purchase all sorts of inserts to customize your notebook. On Amazon alone there are lined notebook inserts (#Ad) , grid inserts (#Ad) , dot-grid inserts (#Ad) , and blank inserts (#Ad).
• Expansion Bands: To add multiple inserts into your traveler’s notebook, purchase a few elastic bands (#Ad), which are designed to link together the inserts and keep them in one notebook.
• Folders: If you wish to keep some loose paper in your notebook, include a kraft folder (#Ad), which is held in place behind other inserts.
• Pouches and Card Holders: For more storage, there are inserts that include a zipper pouch (#Ad) on one side and a few business card-sized slots on the other.
• Pens: And, since most of these notebooks include a pen loop, I always recommend throwing in a Frixion pen (#Ad). These pens have erasable gel ink that erase easily from the Midori notebooks, which have very smooth, thin paper.

Are you a traveler’s notebook fan? How do you use yours? What do you do to stay organized with holiday plans? Leave a comment below!

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