Journey Jottings

June 2010

We believe memories from holidays and short breaks deserve just as much attention as those from a major trek ~ Its not the length that matters, its what you do with it
And when it comes to jotting those few notes that will jog the memory when nostalgia strikes, I advocate the shorter the better (Check out my *Best Kept Travel Secrets* for some pointers there!)

We exist so when your annual holiday would otherwise be but a distant memory, you’ll have a visual keepsake!

We do what we do so, for those who can’t imagine keeping a journal for a non-journeying holiday, you can now arrow in where you went on a hand drawn pictorial map and jot memorable moments in the surrounds, so this year’s holiday will be simply summarized on a single sheet for future reminiscing!

Have you highlighted your holiday adventures?

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At the end of each month I enter a Journey Jottings highlight on a Map Journal so at year’s end I’ll have 2010 simply summarized on a single sheet ~ The image above is June’s entry.

Click on the ‘2010‘ tag to see ‘my year at a glance’ so far

With the coming of the  school holidays here in Australia and their associated car trips with children, to help alleviate the ‘Are we there yet?‘s, I’ve created an Eye Spy game with the aid of either of our maps ~ the Map Journal, which is A2 size, or a little Mail-It Map that is A3 size.

1.  See how many animals you can spot on a Journey Jottings Map ~

(Clue: There are 27 different creatures illustrated)

Journey Jottings Map of Australia

2. When, after a period of time, only ”some’ have been found and the need for a few pointers are required ~

Click this link:  How many animals can you find LIST

and print out ready to provide either a list that can be called out one by one, or if the child can read to mark off the animals as they are found.

Some are fairly easy such as this kangaroo…

Kangaroo

3. When it gets to the point of needing a few visual clues, have the pages in this

Click link: Find the Animals

ready printed out, which offers pictures of what to look for

Such as this koala…

Koala

Some are a little more tricky to spot than others, such as this crocodile

Crocodile

Now, where could he be lurking?

There is one ‘sneaky’ animal, and that is the platypus, who is only visible by the ripples he’s making on the water’s surface, which is accurate in that that is usually all you do see of them!

Platypus

Is he too shy to show himself?

Looking for other car game ideas?

This time last year I posted the Post Office Passport game ~ For this, children have to Eye-Spy the red Australia Post Office  ”P” symbol, which then requires a pit stop so as to get your Map Journal or Mail-It Map rubber stamped with the individual postmark for that location ~

And here is a link to ’10 fun family games for travel time’

Happy travels

Tuesday Tip :

At the end of each month I jot down on one of our Map Journals what has been the main highlight for that month, so at the end of the year (and for the fun of future reminiscing) I’ll have the year simply summarized on a single sheet ~

The highlight for May was the expansion of our Map Magnet range! Back in January we launched the first of our Map Magnets, which covered 22 regions across the country ~ We’ve added a further 8 areas so now we have 30 Map Magnets covering most of Australia!

And for something new for me…. here is a little video clip ~

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tp-kclvroY

Click on the ‘2010‘ tag to see a synopses of my year at a glance

Tuesday Tip:

Map Journals are great for ‘simply’ summarizing where you’ve been and what you’ve been doing ~ on a single sheet

March & April 2010

Within days of returning from the Sydney Trade Fair at the start of March, I flew off to Scotland (click  ‘Scotland‘ under ‘Tag Cloud’ or ‘Great Britain‘ under ‘Topics Talked About’ in the column to your right to read all about that trip!)

Up, Over & Out of Australia

Each month this year I’m entering a highlight into one of the jotting boxes so at year’s end I’ll have a visual keepsake for 2010 ~

Click on the ‘2010‘ tag to see my year at a glance :D

Tuesday Tip 5:

Do you ever get to the end of a year and say -

Where did the time go?

What did I do? Where did I go? And when exactly was that?

Book type journals are great for all the detail, but they just don’t cut it for seeing the year at a glance.

So for each month of this year I’m going to jot just one or two highlights in each of the boxes on a Map Journal so when I get to December the year 2010 will be laid out before me ~

simply summarized on a single sheet!

January 2010

I get the impression this year has started brightly ~

Click on the ‘2010‘ tag to see my year at a glance

Tuesday Tip 4:

Often overheard upon first seeing a Map Journal –

‘Oh, if only I were going on a major trip, or doing the big lap?’

(i.e. travelling all the way around Australia)

Why, only if you’re doing a ‘big’ trip?

Aren’t annual holidays and last minute weekend breaks away to the beach just as much fun to remember?

How many times have you heard people say…

“‘We stayed at the most gorgeous little place, now… ummmm what was it called?”  

So, next time you’re heading off over the hills on hollers, decide to go on a spontaneous short sortie, or simply enjoy a long weekend away with the family…

take a Map Journal to arrow in the ‘where’ and jot down those names…

before you forget!  :)

We’ve had a major removal company take a bundle of our Mail-It Maps!

They’re going to give them to their clients who are moving home to use as change of address cards that will visually illustrate where they used to live and where they are now!

We’re over here… where are you?

I’ve been contacted by a High school whose theme for their end of year 12 graduation valedictory is to be Dr Seuss’ ‘Oh, the Places You’ll Go’

“Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You’re on your own.  And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.”

To mark the start of their life’s journey beyond school they wish to honour the occasion by giving each student a Journey Jottings Map Journal for tracking their future trails & tales ~

What a charming symbolic idea for stepping out into the world

School holidays in Australia, can mean lengthy car trips with children to either go and visit interstate relatives or simply go on hollers to the beach ~

I thought it may therefore, be a good time to share an idea put to me by a Post Office owner who I met at a Trade Fair. She was telling me how each Post Office has its own individual rubber-stamp specific to their location.

There’s a great travelling eye spy game to be had here!

Children must have eyes peeled on a car journey to spot the red Australia Post Office symbol. Armed with either a Map Journal or Mail-It Map for using as their ‘Post Office Passport’ the children go into the Post Office to ask may they have their map uniquely stamped in one of the surrounding (jotting) boxes.

Eye Spy with my little eye a red & white Australia Post Sign!

Keeps the children occupied en route, gives a sense of purpose during pit stops and what a fun visual memento of every car trip having a map surrounded by rubber stamps commemorating all the places they have been

A great travelling game whether going on a long trip, short trip or even popping to the shops!

I was talking with Rosemary this week!

A few years ago she decided to pack up home to travel around Australia on an extended holiday.

When she reached Central Australia she came across Journey Jottings Map Journals, bought three and posted one to each of her grandchildren who live over in Great Britain.

From here on, she informed them where she was by Postcard or email and the children had to search the map to find where she was and once located, plot and dot their grandmother’s progressive route around the country.

Grandma's Footsteps

What a fun, educational and interactive way of involving them in her travels as they together discovered and then shared the adventure