Before I left for my trip, I bought this black denim, flimsy Herschel backpack from Urban Outfitters and it turned out to be absolutely indestructible. I’m talking broke the fall for both Ashley and I after we flipped our moped on a sand patch on the island of Formentera on our last day in Ibiza-indestructible. A painful, yet hilarious narrative for another time.

I still use the bag to this day, though its contents have changed since. When I was traveling, a few things pretty much lived in this backpack; my disposable camera from Walmart, some random book I picked up along the way, wallet and sunglasses case, a snack or two, and my travel journal. I adore looking through the amateur disposable photos from my trip, but nothing brings me back quite like my own raw, real-time writing.

Traveling solo is sometimes the best and only way to explore parts of the world that spark our own curiosity. Still, as many of us know, it can often be lonely. I remember walking through the gorgeous palace of La Alhambra in Granada, Spain and wading in the calm waters off of Molos beach in Paros, Greece, wishing for someone to share it with. It was during times like these that I turned to my floppy, turquoise blue Moleskine journal—the one my boyfriend gifted to me before I left—and let the words flow from the tip of my fine point pen.

Just the same, my journal was where I scribbled down the names and home countries of my best companions in Lisbon, the dive bar where this talented saxophonist electrified a dance party that lasted until about 5am in Lagos, and so much more. I’ll be honest, I don’t have the best memory. Rereading my various entries incites the same emotions I felt while writing, which makes the memories associated with each entry all the more vivid. As I sat at my desk skimming through my journal in search of blog inspiration, I found myself chuckling here and there. One thought went like this:

“Well, I better get some sleep. I’m supposed to go on a walking tour of Athens with Wah, a girl from South Korea who goes to school for fashion design in London. She better have a good outfit on tomorrow…”

I either found myself hilarious or really had no one to talk to at that point. In short, if I were to draft a list of things to bring on a backpacking trip, a travel journal would sit at spot #1 (in addition to my list of Essential Gear for Backpacking through Southern Europe). I’m so thankful for this bent and wrinkled keepsake to remind me of both the highest and lowest points of my trip— and that I got through it all on my own.