By the time my suitcase is zipped and my phone is fully charged, there’s one thing I always do before stepping out the door: I open my notes app and start writing.
Not a to-do list. Not an itinerary. Just a few lines.
It’s my peaceful little travel ritual, which I’ve been doing for years without understanding it had become sacred. Before every journey, whether it’s a weekend getaway or a long-awaited excursion, I take five minutes to write about who I am right now and who I hope to be when I return.
Naturally, I begin with where I intend to go. The city, the beach, the mountains – whatever is calling to me. But eventually, the writing expands to include everything I’m carrying that isn’t in my bag: deadlines I’m worried about, friendships I’m trying to understand, and doubts about my future that won’t go away. It’s like telling the universe, “This is me, just before takeoff”.
Travel has a way of transforming us in unexpected ways. New places disrupt our patterns. New individuals reveal aspects of ourselves that we were previously unaware of. Between delayed flights and late-night chats, we return a bit bolder, gentler, and more certain—or perhaps more confused, which is OK too. Writing is my method of archiving the version of myself that I’m about to leave behind.
The tradition originated during a school trip years ago. Everyone else was taking photographs and blaring music, but I was scribbling in a notepad, attempting to express my excitement. When I reread that page after returning home, I was startled by how different I felt and how powerful it was to witness that transformation expressed in writing. Since then, I’ve never travelled without creating a new note.
It doesn’t have to be poetic. Some entries are disorganised, hurried, and full of incomplete phrases. I occasionally write because I simply want this journey to give me a chance to breathe again. Other times, I hope to return with stories worth recounting. What counts is not how it sounds, but if it is honest.
When the trip finishes, I return to the same page. I include a few comments at the bottom on what I learnt, what remained the same, and what shocked me. It seems like completing a circle: confirmation that the journey was worthwhile, even if it didn’t appear spectacular on Instagram.
In a world when travel is all about reels, checklists, and properly framed images, this simple routine allows me to personalise my experiences. It reminds me that travel is more than simply visiting new locations; it’s about meeting yourself in various situations and observing how you change.
So, no matter how busy my schedule is or how early my cab arrives, I’ll always find five minutes for the first page. Because before every journey outward, I like to begin with a journey inward, one that shows me, when I return, just how far I’ve actually gone.