Travel Tuesday: Routes, Notes & Memories

Some people collect souvenirs. I collect routes, notes, and the little details you forget if you don’t write them down.

Travel has always been part of my life — not just the going, but the planning. In high school, I attended Tri Star for Travel & Banking, then went on to college for Travel and Hospitality Management. I’ve always loved researching places, mapping routes, and figuring out how to turn a trip into more than just a destination.

Growing up, that made sense. My dad has driven semi for over 50 years, so highways, fuel stops, and “what’s the best way to get there?” were everyday conversations. Travel was never rushed — it was intentional.

Why Travel Tuesday?

Because the best trips aren’t just planned — they’re remembered.

Travel Tuesday is a space to share:

• Routes taken

• Plans changed

• Notes written along the way

• And the moments that don’t always make it into photos

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It’s not about perfect itineraries. It’s about the stories that happen when things don’t go exactly as planned.

A Trip That Started It All

When my parents asked me to help plan their two-week western U.S. trip for their 50th wedding anniversary, I went all in.

I created printed daily itineraries and placed everything inside a folder with plastic sleeves — a place to tuck ticket stubs, brochures, receipts, maps, and anything they picked up along the way. I also included a travel notebook so my mom could document each day in her own words.

And she did.

Some days were short and sweet. Others told stories only road trips can create.

One entry started with:

“Rainy, dreary, ugly day — we drove ALL day.”

Travel Tuesday ✈️The best trips aren’t just planned — they’re remembered. From printed itineraries to handwritten notes, Travel Tuesday is about routes taken, plans changed, and the little things you forget if you don’t write them down. This story started with my parents’ two-week western U.S. road trip for their 50th anniversary and a simple travel folder that became a place for memories. Welcome to Travel Tuesday.

Another mentioned my dad slipping back into “trucker mode,” running the gas tank so low that even he was afraid they’d run out before finding a station. They were supposed to stop in Dodge City… but they didn’t. They just kept going.

Those notes?

That’s the good stuff.

Inside the Travel Folder

That trip shaped how I think about travel planning to this day. Inside that folder was:

• Printed daily itineraries

• Ticket stubs & brochures

• Receipts & maps

• Daily handwritten notes

• And all the little things you forget if you don’t write them down

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It became part planner, part scrapbook, part memory keeper.

Daily Notes From the Road

Since then, I’ve helped plan:

• A two-day trip to Holmes County, Ohio

• My daughter’s trip to Wrightsville Beach, NC

• A girls’ trip to Florida

• And now, a group trip out west

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Different people. Different trips. Same idea.

Plans change. Weather happens. Routes shift.

But the memories stick when you give them a place to live.

What You’ll See on Travel Tuesday

Every Travel Tuesday won’t look the same — and that’s intentional.

Some weeks might be:

• A trip highlight

• A planning tip

• A memory pulled from a notebook

• Or a reminder that it’s okay to keep going when plans change

  
  

Travel Tuesday is about the journey and the documentation of it.

Because years later, it’s often not the landmarks you remember most — it’s the rainy days, the detours, and the notes you took along the way.

Welcome to Travel Tuesday ✈️

Tracy