The History of Traveler’s Notebooks

If you’re a notebook buff (as I am) you’ve likely heard of or encountered the Traveler’s Notebook system. 

On the surface, the Traveler’s Notebook system seems quite simple: a leather cover with several vertical and one horizontal elastic band, and refillable paper inserts that can be combined and swapped out at will.

The beauty, however, is in the ability to customise the notebooks to the user’s specific needs and preferences.

How the Traveler’s Notebook was invented

In 2005, the Midori company knew they would be exhibiting at ISOT (International Stationery & Office Products Fair Tokyo), and hosted an in-house notebook design competition. Atshuhiko Iijima put together a prototype of the Traveler’s Notebook: a simple leather cover with an elastic band to hold a paper insert that could be swapped out and refilled. 

It was very well received in-house, and the company decided to make it into a product. Iijima remembered visiting the leather production facilities in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and decided to try to work with them to develop the product, and the distinctive covers are still manufactured there today.

Iijima began to think of the notebook as a way to document your travels, and then look back on them. The idea was that you might put in a new paper insert for each trip, or each time it got filled, and would then have a library of journals from your journeys.

As they worked on the product, Iijima became more excited about the idea of user customisation. 

The design team realised the possibilities of different types of inserts, and the idea of using different inserts for different parts of life. In an interview, Iijima says he uses one insert for work and one for personal doodles and art. 

As he shared in the interview, he feels that the popularity of the system comes from the fact that he and the design team were creating something they wanted and use every day. Their passion shines through to the finished product. 

Today, the Traveler’s Notebook features multiple vertical bands inside the leather cover, for holding multiple inserts that could reflect the many different areas of your life.

Traveler’s Notebooks in a digital world

Interestingly, the Traveler’s Notebook debuted just four years before Instagram — another platform that was originally about documenting interesting travels and life, but through digital photographs.

Instead of acting as a competitor, Instagram and other social media channels became an important place for Traveler’s Journal enthusiasts to share their passion and their journals. Just check out the #travelersnotebook hashtag, and you’ll find more than 4.5 million examples.

Some use them as planners or Bullet Journals while others use them as art notebooks or diaries. 

As with so many analogue products, the advent of digital versions hasn’t diminished the popularity of this paper system. In fact, there seems to be a trend of people seeking out beautiful stationery supplies, like Traveler’s Notebooks, as an alternative or antidote to the pace of digital life.

Types of Traveler’s Notebooks

The original Traveler’s Notebooks come in two sizes, regular (which is taller) and passport (which is about the same size as it’s namesake). The leather covers come in an assortment of colours, including black, blue, brown, camel, olive, and the company sometimes releases special editions or partnerships with other companies. 

The inserts come in a variety of paper types, including thin, kraft paper, sketch paper and watercolour paper; as well as in lined, dotted, grids, and pre-printed dated diaries as well. 

In addition, a cottage industry has sprung up with other companies making covers, accessories, and additional inserts that fit the Traveler’s Notebook system and allow users to continue to customise to their hearts’ content.  (I’m particularly enamoured with this book review insert from Yellow Paper House.)

If you’d like to try a Traveler’s Notebook for yourself, we carry both sizes of covers and a variety of inserts and accessories for each. Think about how you intend to use it, what broad categories you might want to have (with one insert for each) and the type of insert that might work best for each category. Then you can experiment and customise until you find your perfect system.