Junk Journaling Your Summer Adventures

Ah, summer. The season of road trips, beach days, iced coffee runs, and spontaneous detours that turn into the best memories. If you’re someone who loves capturing the magic of these sun-drenched days but finds traditional scrapbooking a bit too... tidy, let us introduce (or re-introduce) you to the wonderfully chaotic world of junk journaling.

What is Junk Journaling?

Junk journaling is the beautiful, creative practice of collecting bits and pieces from your life—ticket stubs, receipts, maps, pressed flowers, napkins from that perfect sandwich shop—and turning them into pages that tell your story. Think of it as visual storytelling meets scrapbooking meets a permission slip to be delightfully messy.

Why Junk Journal While You Travel?

Because photos are great, but that boarding pass you folded three times while anxiously waiting to board? That has a story. That doodle you made on a restaurant napkin during a solo lunch? That deserves a page. Junk journaling lets you document travel memories with real-life texture—crumples, creases, and coffee stains included.

Tips & Tricks for Travel Junk Journaling:

1. Pack a Mini Kit

You don’t need a whole art studio in your carry-on. Keep it simple:

• A small glue stick or tape runner

• Washi tape (fun and functional)

• A few pens or markers (black and a pop of color is perfect)

• Scissors (or embrace the jagged edge!)

• An empty notebook or journal with thicker pages

Pro Tip: An empty takeout container lid or old ziplock bag makes a great portable surface if you’re journaling on-the-go.

2. Collect Everything (Seriously, Everything)

• Boarding passes

• Coffee sleeves

• Brochures, flyers, and business cards

• Candy wrappers

• Hotel keycards

• Receipts from weird or wonderful snacks

• Sand (just kidding—unless you’re brave)

Keep a pocket or pouch with you and stash as you go. Sort later. You’re in collecting mode, not curating yet!

3. Journal in Real Time or Batch Later

Some travelers like to journal each night with a glass of wine or cup of tea. Others prefer to save everything and make a cozy post-trip collage night out of it. There’s no wrong way—follow your energy.

4. Add Personal Touches

Don’t just glue and go—write why that receipt mattered. Sketch the view. Record a quote someone said that made you laugh. The magic is in the meaning.

But...What If Someone Asks Why You’re Saving Trash?

Let’s set the scene: You’re slipping a used ferry ticket into your tote and someone gives you the look. You know the one. The “Are you...keeping that?” look.

Here’s what to say:

• The Casual Artist: “Oh, I’m a junk journaler. It’s basically emotional scrapbooking with less glitter and more receipts.”

• The Philosophical One: “This may look like trash, but it’s actually a time capsule in disguise.”

• The Bold Truth: “It sparks joy. Like Marie Kondo, but with parking stubs.”

• The Slightly Unhinged (But Fun) Response: “I’m building a collage of every bad iced coffee I had this trip. It’s performance art.”

Remember: people keep weirder things. You’re collecting memories, not clutter.

Final Thoughts

Junk journaling isn’t about perfection—it’s about presence. It’s about honoring the tiny, seemingly insignificant moments that make a trip uniquely yours. At Healing Thyme Studio, we believe in art as a healing, grounding, joyful practice—and junk journaling? It’s all that, with a side of glue stick.

So this summer, grab a journal, your favorite pen, and a pocket full of "trash." You’re not just traveling—you’re documenting your joy.

Want more tips or to join a Scrap and Yap night at the studio? Check out our upcoming workshops or follow us on Instagram @healing_thyme_studio for inspo, prompts, and peeks inside our own journals.

Happy collecting!