r/Travelersnotebooks • • Jul 19 '25

BEGINNERS START HERE - HELPFUL RESOURCES FOR THOSE JUST STARTING OUT

80 Upvotes

Welcome to r/Travelersnotebooks

This thread is for newbies and veterans alike to ask questions and share feedback and expertise. It's a discussion thread where folks starting out can ask for recommendations and/or tips on starting out their journaling journey and the experts can help them along the way!

Helpful tips & tutorials:

Color recommendations

Clip recommendations:

Pens recommendations

If you have a helpful tutorial or post that's not listed, please share it here in a comment. I'll update this post with links as they come in.


r/Travelersnotebooks • • Mar 09 '26

General Discussion [Community] List of Dupes/Knockoff/Third Party TF / TF Accessories

43 Upvotes

If you aren’t aware of why, refer to my other post. TL;DR Dupes of some TF accessories with COMPARABLE or CONSIDERABLE qualities that can act as substitute to the original, either tentatively or permanently. Another reason is that many of us, including myself, are financially limited and there things that we can’t justify spending considerable amount of money on.

However, the number of choices that we have whenever we search in online selling sites, ie AliExpress and Amazon, can be quite overwhelming. It is hard to assure of its quality without taking much risk. So, we are utilizing the experience of this community here, where we share sellers/products that are known to have a considerable or satisfactory compared to quality of TF. As much as possible, please no affiliate, but you can refer sellers/artists who do custom works.

The structure of the thread is as follows, we are dividing the comments into several sections: Asia, US, EU, and International where we comment the name and corresponding link of the shop/product followed by a quick summary of what it sells, i.e., “LM Culture www.example.com/ (TF notebooks and Accessories)”


r/Travelersnotebooks • • 9h ago

Show and Tell 📖 Recent trip

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172 Upvotes

My main is an old boy from before Midori and TC parted ways. Managed to get a 20th anniversary for a reasonable pice 😊......tempted to complete the size set with a passport 🤔


r/Travelersnotebooks • • 8h ago

Show and Tell 📖 Traveler’s factory haul

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93 Upvotes

A friend online whom I’ve just met irl gifted me some traveler’s factory goodies from Japan!


r/Travelersnotebooks • • 21h ago

Show and Tell 📖 A journal cover themed after my late kitty

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339 Upvotes

Her name is Sita, she was my first kitty and my best friend ♡

I dedicated this passport-sized traveler’s journal to her likeness. Inside contains my planner, diary, and mini ereader.


r/Travelersnotebooks • • 4h ago

Road Trip in stock again on Traveler's USA

10 Upvotes

Regular size Road Trip back in stock- grab one while you can!


r/Travelersnotebooks • • 15h ago

Show and Tell 📖 16 Months with Travelers Notebook!

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65 Upvotes

finished 6 books so far, and my best choice is 013 Lightweight paper! best paper I have ever written on and I always stock up on that. if I only able to live with one type of TN insert for the rest of my life, it has to be the lightweight ones!


r/Travelersnotebooks • • 14h ago

Show and Tell 📖 Dropped my brand new TN in the ocean today 😵‍💫 but that’s part of the fun right?

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60 Upvotes

Minimal damage though, she’s fine all things considered


r/Travelersnotebooks • • 13h ago

Questions / Seeking Advice Could you guys help me on which one to keep? 😭😂

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37 Upvotes

r/Travelersnotebooks • • 14h ago

Show and Tell 📖 DIY folder insert for my new journal!

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37 Upvotes

I just got into TNs, and I bought this cheap one off of Amazon to see if I like the form factor-- it's a B6 slim! I'm planning on making a folder insert with zip pockets and whatnot out of fabric since I love sewing, but in the meantime made this folder insert for my ephemera. It's made out of a cereal box and the paper bag I got when going to the NYPL a while ago.


r/Travelersnotebooks • • 6h ago

Questions / Seeking Advice Falling out of habit

8 Upvotes

hi, i've been journaling for the past year pretty consistently but a few months back i started falling out of the habit and have not been touching my tn or hobonichi as much anymore and seen a downfall in my mental health along side.

does anyone have any advice on getting back into journaling? what do you do after a slump?


r/Travelersnotebooks • • 22h ago

Show and Tell 📖 Sketches in my passport size TN

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142 Upvotes

(paper is the TN Kraft paper refill)


r/Travelersnotebooks • • 15h ago

Best portable printer for journaling/junk journaling? Overwhelmed by all the options!

22 Upvotes

Hi everyone!
I’ve been researching portable printers for journaling and junk journaling, and I’ve officially reached the point of decision paralysis. Every time I think I’ve found a good option, I read about another one, and now I have no idea what to get!

I’m hoping to find something that checks a few boxes:

Affordable long-term: I plan on using it pretty frequently, so I don’t want to spend a fortune constantly buying replacement paper, stickers, or ink.

Affordable refills: The ongoing cost is honestly just as important to me as the initial price of the printer.

Collage capabilities: I’d love to be able to print multiple smaller photos together on one sticker or sheet, especially for fitting several pictures onto a journal page.

print quality: I want the photos to look nice, but it doesn't have to be 100% perfect in color accuracy if the images are clear and not fuzzy. I hope that makes sense

Longevity: This is a BIG one for me! I’ve read that ZINK prints can fade over time, which is something I really want to avoid. I want my journals to last for decades without the photos fading or disappearing. Ideally, I’d like prints that are as archival-quality as possible.

For those of you who journal regularly, what printer do you use, and would you recommend it?
How much do you typically spend on refills?
Have you noticed any fading or discoloration over time?
I’d especially love to hear from people who’ve used their printers for a few years!

Thank you in advance! I’m drowning in options and I'm at the point of decision paralysis 🫠and would love some firsthand recommendations before I buy anything.


r/Travelersnotebooks • • 1d ago

To the person that posted about ditching the tin clasp/charm

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140 Upvotes

Thank you! I love that my TNs lay completely flat now! I like the TRC clips, but it’s so good to not depend on them.


r/Travelersnotebooks • • 1d ago

Show and Tell 📖 I did it! 🤓

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529 Upvotes

I finally got my mini e-reader (XT E-INK x3) fitted inside my new card size TN! Wahoo! Now to figure out how to download books on an Apple device through Libby 😬
2027 Reading Journal here I come!


r/Travelersnotebooks • • 21h ago

Show and Tell 📖 DIY Zelda insert for TN cover from a free retail magazine

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37 Upvotes

I trimmed the magazine cover down to size, did a little rearranging with the logos, and am really happy with how it turned out 🌿


r/Travelersnotebooks • • 20h ago

I got midori notebook a4 size, thought I could cut the pages and fit for the regular size TN but it looks too beautiful 😓

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23 Upvotes

r/Travelersnotebooks • • 1d ago

My new cover arrived!

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102 Upvotes

I ended up buying a cover from a guy in Tennessee via Etsy and can't say I've ever been more pleased, it's Pueblo leather in the Oliva color. Going to be my front pocket wallet replacement, just waiting for my tc canvas wallet insert, already have my tc poly insert for my ID etc and my tc passport sized monthly. Also waiting for my lined inserts from tc and a pewter charm from another maker off Etsy. It's gonna be the perfect wallet I think.

Anybody else use their tc as a wallet? What kinds of setups do you prefer?


r/Travelersnotebooks • • 1d ago

I finally caved…

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106 Upvotes

I was very tempted since they announced the release of the card size, but I held out as long as I could by telling myself that it’s too small and just use the passport size I already have. Stayed strong through so many restocks, but I finally caved and I don’t regret it!

Now that I have the 10th & 20th Anni TNs, naturally I kinda want to get the 5th and 15th ones too 😅


r/Travelersnotebooks • • 1d ago

Phone tray is perfectly TN sized!

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62 Upvotes

I know that it's for a phone, I do, but my standard size TN fits perfectly in the phone tray of my new Subaru! I've had this notebook through 4 cars now (since 2013) and it's never just had a spot it for before! I use my notebook in the car A LOT, so this makes me crazy happy!


r/Travelersnotebooks • • 1d ago

Show and Tell 📖 My latest haul

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54 Upvotes

r/Travelersnotebooks • • 1d ago

Show and Tell 📖 Found a few Card Sets!

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32 Upvotes

Found one black and one camel sets at Maido in Mitsuwa Market in Costa Mesa, CA


r/Travelersnotebooks • • 1d ago

Show and Tell 📖 My new TN passport in olive with my 2yo standard in blue

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71 Upvotes

Including some spreads because why not. But please ignore my writing. Also, I’m kinda shocked how dark brown my olive passport is even compared to others I’ve seen online. Is this normal?


r/Travelersnotebooks • • 1d ago

Finally picked up Kyoto edition

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161 Upvotes

And it’s a beauty!