Travel journal

A travel journal, also called road journal or travelogue, is a record made by a voyager. Generally in diary form, a travel journal contains descriptions of the traveler's experiences, is normally written during the course of the journey, and may or may not be intended for publishing.

Background

See also Travel literature.

Travel writing is a long-established literary format; an early example is the writing of Pausanias (2nd century AD) who produced his Description of Greece based on his own observations. Another more recent example is Che Guevara's The Motorcycle Diaries.

Travel journals generally refer to the notes made by travellers en route, before being worked up in detail for publication. James Boswell published his The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides in 1786 and Goethe published his Italian Journey, based on diaries, in 1816.

Travel blog

Travel blogs are online travel journals, sometimes known as travelogs.

One of the web's first online diaries was "A Hypertext Journal" (1996) by artists Karen Guthrie and Nina Pope, who followed the route of Boswell & Johnson's "Tour of the Western Isles" whilst responding to ongoing requests and interactions with their remote online audience.

Many websites now offer free or cheap travel blog formats where travelers can upload photos and map their trips as well as meet other travelers. Many sites allow users to display their experiences with little or no technical expertise while keeping an archive of all their past trips. Many travel blog websites also publish articles and guides focusing on travel related issues. There are some who believe that the increase of blogs may threaten traditional postcards.

See also

• Autobiogeography