Ready to Go – a Trip Journal!

I now have my first Book Baby in hand, and I’m ready to head off to Spain! 

Ready to go - that journal looks good!

Well, almost ready. I still have a long to-do list, to which I keep adding as I think of some other important item that I must not forget.  

Do you like to journal? Or write poems, sketch, or paint? Most of the time, I consider my calendar/planner to be my journal. I can see what I have on my schedule, check off items on my ever-growing to-do list, jot down things I am Grateful for, and so on. 

But when I am on the Camino, I would like to keep track of different things. Like how far I walked, highlights of my day, who I met, what the weather was like, and yes, what I was grateful for.  

Since I was already writing a book and had arranged for some cover art, I thought that it would be fun to make my own Camino Journal.

My journal includes areas to record your journey to and from the Camino, as well as two pages each day to record those things I mention above, as well as whatever else you want to include. One of those pages is blank, so you can draw, write, or add extra sellos (pilgrim stamps).  

I had a vision of what I wanted, then I worked with Teena Clipston of Clipston Publishing, and she brought my vision to life. I am super excited to use it next month, and I hope other folks will want try it as well. Of course, you don’t have to walk the Camino de Santiago to use this journal. It is appropriate for almost any adventure! 

Sample page, wait until you see the rest!

So far, I just have a proof copy; but if all goes well, I will open it up for purchase on Amazon. 

I am starting my next Camino de Santiago pilgrimage walk on April 10th, from León, Spain. I am calling it my Camino Mixto, since it has some variety. I start in León and walk for a few days, then I am spending about two and a half weeks at an albergue where I am volunteering as an hospitalera (hostel host).  

Following that fun experience (I hope it’s fun, anyway) I will continue walking. First on the Camino Frances, then at Ponferrada I turn left onto the Camino Invierno. That will take me into Santiago de Compostela, one of my favourite cities. 

From there I will be making my way to Lisbon, Portugal, where I will meet up with my husband to explore the Mediterranean by sea on an MSC cruise. And to explore the ports of course. 

I hope to do at least some blogging while I am in Europe, but for sure I will be sharing my story on Find Penguins, a fun app for posting notes and photos. Here is the link if you would like to follow me: https://findpenguins.com/arlenelaskey/trip/camino-mixto

And of course I will be filling in my journal every day:)