Create your own travel notebook

You’ll no doubt remember the technique from school, folding a single sheet of paper into a multi-paged booklet, that is. I was never very good at folding them properly and I wasn’t much better at finding a use for them afterwards either.

However, an online service that was launched a few years ago, has helped me turn these booklets into small travel notebooks that I keep in my back pocket when travelling.

The PocketMod describes itself as “the free recyclable personal organizer” and is in essence a Flash application that makes it easy for you to create the booklet.

The service provides a number of templates, such as calendars, writing guides and lists that you can drag on to the individual pages of the booklet, before you print and fold it.

The PocketMod also features a folding guide, which comes in handy for people like me, who never got it quite right at school.

This is what I have put in my travel notebook for my next trip:

• Front page: One of my travel photos.
• Page one: A weekly calendar for my draft itinerary.
• Page two: Blank lines for writing notes.
• Page three: The finance template, so I can keep track of credit card transactions, etc.
• Page four: The storyboard template with directions to my hotel and a basic map of the area around my hotel.
• Page five: The table template, which I’ve filled with important addresses and telephone numbers I might need when away, such as contact details of my credit card provider, bank, airline and taxi company.
• Page six: The 2008 calendar.
• The back: The emergency template with the details of my emergency contact person, in case I should fall unconscious. (not that I have a habit of falling unconscious)

You can see and download an empty PDF version of my travel notebook here (opens a new window).

Of course nothing stops you from creating your very own notebook, like you may have done at school, but why bother when The PocketMod makes it so easy with its handy templates?

The latest version of PocketMod fits letter size paper only, and if you print it on A4 paper, you will need to trim the pages. Hopefully this will be changed, as the old version included a “fit to custom size” option. But if you can’t wait for this to happen and don’t want to trim the pages, the old version is still available.

I’m also quietly hoping that PocketMod eventually will allow you to save your PocketMod as an electronic file, so that you can reuse it. I’m currently achieving this by printing the PocketMod with Acrobat Distiller and saving it on my computer.

The responsible travellers amongst us will be pleased that the PocketMod is of course, as they say, recyclable. Do remember to shred the booklet when you’re done with it though, if you have printed any personal details such as the emergency contact form.

You can make it even more environmentally friendly, if you print it on the blank back of already used paper. Obviously bank statements are not suitable for reuse, but e.g. “begging” letters from charities often don’t include any personal information.

Try PocketMod yourself, and if you personally can’t find a use for a travel notebook, it could be a fun little travel tool for young children.

Note

I was reminded of PocketMod by a post on makeuseof.com. While not travel focussed, makeuseof.com writes about useful travel tools from time to time.

TAGS: notebook, PocketMod, travel