[dropcap custom_class=”normal”]I[/dropcap] have a romanticized vision of traveling overseas and penning endless observations in a journal each night. And, try as I might, I’m just not that kind of girl. I’m more likely to return to the hotel armed with an iPhone full of photos and a purse brimming with receipts, ticket stubs, and coasters. However, the new Moleskine Voyageur notebook takes a unique approach to travel journals, offering flexibility and plenty of features to satisfy various journaling–and travel–styles.

• The worrywart will find comfort at the beginning of the book. There’s a place for personal data, local emergency numbers listed by country, time zones, and a reference for local dialing codes. Other must-haves can be tucked in the interior back pocket.
• The planner will appreciate detachable packing and to-do lists.
• The social media maven will love the removable paper band that features “I AM HERE” written on the reverse side. It’s ideal for destination selfies and Instagrams tagged #m_IAmHere.
• The serious traveler is no match for the journal’s sturdy canvas cover.
• The perfectionist will gravitate to the online tool to format itineraries, photos, and journal entries to print and paste into the Voyageur.

I’m taking the latter approach (mostly because I was such a lazy writer on vacation) and am using the journal as a scrapbook. I’ve been sifting through mementos and recalling obscure stories to include along side of some of my favorite Instagrams.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary Moleskine Voyageur notebook for the purposes of this post. 

[dropcap custom_class=”normal”]T[/dropcap]he day after we visited Bruges, we went to Ghent, another medieval city in the Flanders area of Belgium. It still has the same gothic charm as Bruges, but with the hustle and bustle of a real city with people who aren’t tourists. It’s also much bigger and we didn’t anticipate the walk from the train station to be as long as it was. (Definitely take a bus or tram to the city center if you visit.)

We spent most of the afternoon poking around the canal and side streets, but did manage to check off two cultural must-sees:

• Belfort en Lakenhalle: This is the building in the last photo of this post. We went up to balcony under the clock for fantastic views of the city. Inside you’ll see the historic dragon weather vane and, if you’re a beer drinker, you’ll recognize it from the Gulden Draak label. Learn more about the building’s cultural importance here.
• Sint-Baafskathedraal: Inside this elaborate cathedral is perhaps one of the world’s most influential paintings: The Ghent Altarpiece. Commonly known as Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, the work by van Eyck also has the misfortune of being one of the world’s most stolen pieces of art. (A panel is still missing from a 1934 heist.) I urge you to read about its storied–and fascinating–history here.