What to do with all these blank books . . .

(One day late on my Monday series, sorry! It was a busy day, and then suddenly over!)

Over the weekend I went to the nearby city of Portsmouth, NH. It's only 2 hours away, so perfect for a quick escape. Never one to go empty handed, I brought with me a small journal that has become my roadtrip journal. What's great about this journal is that it often goes on the same trips year after year, so it's a great reference for cities we like to revisit.

Which brings me to this week's journal idea (which may seem kind of obvious, but comes in so handy that I feel it's worth mentioning). Bring along a small glue stick, or get a cute journal with pockets, and save business cards of the places you love. I can't tell you how many times I've been to a city and we've thought, "Where was that place with the great appetizers" or "Where were those delicious fried clams?" I love that I always have the answer right there, complete with address and phone number.

Since my main traveling companion is also a major foodie, I gotten into the habit of writing down what we're eating and what we think about it. This often serves as great inspiration for the cook when we get home (who doesn't happen to be me, so I like feeling useful and keeping track of the inspiration!) With good food goes good wine, so we also have a habit of doing the same for the wine we drink, so we can remember when we got home what we had and what we loved. This is invaluable if you go somewhere like Napa or Bordeaux where you'll be tasting lots of different wines.