I have been circling around the travelers notebooks for some time now. Of all the planner systems this one seems the most mysterious. I have a couple of "fauxdori's" made of fabric, a cheaper version of the leather ones, so I can try them out and see if I can make the system work for me. I have been doing a lot of research and decided to make a series about the system and all my findings. I want to keep the massive amount of information as simple and complete as possible. I don't want you to go crosseyed looking at a very long list links.

Part one is just the basics, an intro to the system. Next post will have more on all the options out there. Maybe a third post on all the different ways people use this system. We'll see how it goes.

Who Started This

Midori Travelers Notebook, a Japanese stationary company that was started in 1950, is the original brand of this notebook. The notebook consists of a rectangle piece of leather prepared from Chaing Mai, Thailand. The leather has an elastic strap along the spine, that holds small notebooks, with papers that have been carefully crafted to be used with fountain pens along with regular ink pen and more. These papers are made in Japan and are called inserts or refills, for journaling, sketching and planning.

Well that sound very simple doesn't it. So why is it so complicated?

Because people are inherently very creative and have tweaked the system to fit their needs. This very simple idea has blown up to a never ending array of options, which of course was the idea.

What Sizes Do They Come In

Midori’s regular line of Traveler’s Notebook consists of 2 different sizes:

Regular Size: 22 x 12,5 cm / 8.4 x 5.1 inches
Passport Size: 13,5 x 10 cm / 6.1 x 4.5 inches

There are now many other sizes from other makers of the travelers notebooks. Why do we need so many sizes? Because, many people want more then just the 2 or 3 inserts that the original midori was meant to carry. Many of us want to be able to fit 4 or more inserts into our leather cover. The problem with that many inserts is that the inserts start to push out and hang over the edge. This means that the edges of the notebooks are going to get bent and mashed. So wider options allow for more inserts and the inserts don't hang out the of side. There are also many that prefer wider inserts then the original.

How to Set up a Travelers style notebook

This is much easier to show on video then with words and pictures. Below are some great basic videos on different ways to add inserts. It is amazing that you can get 5 or 6 inserts while using some rubber bands and the one elastic band that comes in the notebook!

Youtube Videos

The Reset Girl Midori 101
Stuff and Things ( a man's perspective)
Toyko Pen Shop basic 101
Cari Harling another option
Chic Sparrow size comparisons

Just to Wet your Appetite

That is about all the information I am going to put in this post. But, I wouldn't want to leave you without any eye candy or rabbit holes to go down. Here are a few places to go to get yourself overwhelmed if you so desire.

Google Image Search

Blog Posts

Travelers Notebook Times This is a one stop shop as far as travelers notebooks are concerned. He keeps a current list of the blog posts and youtube videos that talk about the travelers notebooks. Of course he has other wonderful posts too.

Groups