Why It's Time to Ditch The Printable Camping Journal Template and Go Digital

Think printable camping journal template is the perfect way to preserve camping memories from your summer adventures? Think again!

Let’s be real—a printable camping journal template sound like a great option. They’re customizable, easy to print, and seem perfect for capturing your adventures. Right?

But remember those AAA Trip Tiks from the ’80s? At the time, they were cutting-edge: a paper map with your route, highlights, and maybe a ball of yarn or two. But the world moved on, and so should we! Technology has evolved far beyond paper maps and highlighters—and now, your RV camping journal is ready to leap into the 2020s with digital files that make organizing memories a breeze.

If you’re still using printables, that’s cool. But I’m here to show you why it’s time to upgrade and share some awesome options that Sara and I swear by.

Honestly, I almost started this post by praising printables. Then I stopped and said, “Mike, that’s terrible advice—you’d never use one!” I mean, who has time for arts and crafts on every camping trip?

So, are you ready for a more efficient way to memorialize your RV camping adventures? LET’S GO! I’ll even share free prompts to level up your journaling game. Say goodbye to printable templates and hello to the future of camping journals!

It seems to me that you can spend a lot of time feeling frustrated or like a failure because printables aren’t working for you when you’re not the problem!
I know because back when I was starting my own camp journal, I tried printables, and I just didn’t get great results.
In fact, I found it frustrating to manage a 3-ring binder, keep track of loose journal sheets, and deal with pages getting torn or smudged during outdoor adventures. I eventually gave up and decided to explore digital options—and I’m so glad I did.

With digital tools, my journal became easier to use, more organized, and way more enjoyable. Plus, I finally felt like I was being authentic to the way I actually camp and travel.

What’s Not So Great About Printable Camping Journals

Here’s the thing. Printable camping journals aren’t a good idea because:

paper journals take space and aren't always easy to carry like your phone!

They’re High Maintenance: Let’s face it, someone in the family always ends up as the historian, and more often than not, it’s Mom. She remembers everything, maybe even reminds you (with a little side-eye). Meanwhile, someone else (ahem, Dad) might be “busy” doing something…less urgent. Mom naturally gets frustrated (putting it nicely) and takes over because no one else will. Let’s give her some time back and skip the clutter that just collects dust—because we know busy moms have more important things to do than sort through stacks of paper!
Limited Durability: Printables don’t stand up to the great outdoors and rugged outdoor adventures. All it takes is one spilled cup of coffee to ruin the journal you painstakingly pieced together from a Pinterest-perfect template. And once it’s damaged, those memories are gone for good.
Hidden Costs: Sure, the printable camping journal template might be FREE. But the printing, paper, ink, and photos? They all add up fast and leave with less money for camping gear. If you camp as often as Sara and I do, we’d need an entire bookshelf just for our binders!
Inconvenience: Picture this—you’re sitting around the campfire with your new campground best friends when someone asks, “What’s the best campground near Mammoth Cave?” You could drive 80 miles home to grab your binder (not ideal), or you could pull out your phone, connected to Starlink (the best internet ever), and check RV Trip Diary. Boom! Instant info: “Sally, y’all should stay at Cave Country Campground—it’s the best!”

Still not convinced? Think about how hard it is to keep track of important notes across pages when your binder falls apart or gets left behind on your next camping trip. Now imagine losing favorite memories because the pages were misplaced or damaged.

A Better Way to Preserve Camping Memories

Fortunately, there’s a better way. Instead of relying on printables, switch to digital camping journals. They’re more organized, portable, and effective for capturing your RV camping journeys. Here’s how:

Step 1: Organize Your Camping Journey Digitally

Digital camping journals let you store specific details for every trip in a single campground journal, from favorite activities to notes about the perfect spot. Ever scored the only available site in a campground, only to discover why it was available? We’ve been there, cramming our 33-foot trailer into a 25-foot site. Bad day!

Digital tools let you log details about the best and worst sites, so you never make the same mistake twice. Features like cloud storage ensure your campground logbook & RV entries are always safe and accessible. Plus, you can store photos, download entries, or copy text into Google Docs. No more worrying about losing paper notes.

Step 2: Add Fun and Functionality

Use writing prompts to document special moments and plan for future trips. Many digital journals get regular updates, and as AI advances, we’re excited to see tools with smarter prompts to capture the essence of your adventures. Until then, grab our FREE RV camping journal prompts to get started!

Digital journals also let you attach photos and videos. Tools like RV Life’s Trip Wizard make it easy to add visuals to campground reviews. These reviews not only remind you of your experiences but also help other campers create EPIC family memories!

Step 3: Share and Revisit Special Moments

Easily share your camping journey on social media to inspire friends and family. Whether it’s posting a favorite site or reliving memories, digital journals make sharing a breeze.

Plus, keeping everything in one place means no more misplaced papers. In our house, anything left on the counter gets trashed or lost. With digital tools, you can access your reviews and journals anywhere, anytime.

Why Digital Journals Are the Future

The best part about digital journals? They’re adaptable. Even if you don’t love tools like RV Trip Diary or RV Life’s Trip Wizard, you can use our FREE prompts (yes, I said it again!) to create a simple Google Doc.

Want to get fancy? Canva is great for creating polished journals, but let’s be real: formatting templates isn’t my idea of fun. I’d rather watch paint dry! With a digital journal, you skip the hassle and focus on what matters: preserving your memories.

The Best Digital RV Camping Journal Templates: Our Go To Tools!

Let’s dive into three great tools perfect for creating your RV camping journal:

1. RV Trip Diary

RV Trip Diary is a free app available on Apple’s App Store or Google Play for Android. It’s designed for mobile devices and tablets, making it perfect for RVers on the go.

Cost: Free to download and start using! Pro features, like photo uploads, come at an additional cost. (We stick with the free plan.)
Ease of Use: This app is incredibly user-friendly and packed with features. Check out my complete video on how to set up a fresh version of the app.
Awesome Benefit: Export your reviews and journals as a PDF to save on Google Drive or share with friends and family. Show them the fun they’re missing out on by not RVing!

Other Features:

Plan your trips directly in the app.
Use the free-text notes field to document special moments or fun things you did in the area.

Cons:

The app lacks a comprehensive campground database like RV Life Trip Wizard.

2. RV Life Trip Wizard

RV Life Trip Wizard is my go-to RV journal app\u2014and for good reason. It’s a one-stop shop for planning, journaling, and reviewing trips.

I use Trip Wizard to plan all our trips, from quick getaways to Charlestown State Park (20 miles from home) to EPIC cross-country adventures like Yellowstone, Acadia, and the Great Lakes.

What Makes It Great:

Plan every detail of your trip, from routes to campgrounds.
Document your campground experiences with review features.
Share your reviews to help other campers create unforgettable family memories.

Want to see it in action? Watch my full video below to learn how to get started!

Ready to Try It?
Sign up for RV Life Trip Wizard here!

3. Google Documents

Looking for the most versatile and cost-efficient option? Google Documents is your easy button for creating the RV camping journal of your dreams.

Why It’s Great: Create and customize your journal without spending a dime.
Get Started: Grab our sample template and make a quick copy to your Google Drive. From there, you can personalize it however you like!
Pro Tip: Use tables, photos, and our FREE RV journal prompts to make it truly unique.

While tools like Canva can help you design polished journals, let’s be honest: formatting templates can feel like watching paint dry. Keep it simple with Google Docs and get straight to journaling.

Still Want a Hardcopy Memory Journal?

Hey, we get it! Growing up in the ’80s, we loved pencil and paper over typing, too. When our kids were younger, Sara discovered Blurb picture books. They were a great way to capture photos from the year and even include a short memory or two.

But Blurb had its downsides. The layout could be clunky (matching vertical and horizontal pictures wasn’t easy), and adding extra pages got expensive.

That’s where Google comes in—it really is a solution for just about everything! With Google Photos, we can create a digital photo book in minutes. It’s affordable, easy to use, and they deliver the photo journal right to our door. Now we make journals at least twice a year—sometimes for a specific trip, like our upcoming 2024 adventure to Acadia National Park!

Turn Your Voice Memos Into a Stunning RV Camping Journal (In Minutes!)

Who doesn’t love a quick, time-saving hack? If you’re always on the go but still want a unique RV camping journal, this one’s for you. And the best part? It’s practically effortless!

Recently, I unlocked the hidden power of audio recordings on my iPhone. Did you know this tool can do more than just remind you to grab milk at the store? I didn’t! Honestly, I thought voice memos were just a time-waster since you’d have to listen to the whole thing again.

But here’s where the magic happens:

Record Your Thoughts on the Go: Pop in your AirPods, and record a voice memo while walking Finn, relaxing by the fire, or driving (hands-free, of course!).
Transcribe in Seconds: Upload the memo to Microsoft Word and use the Dictate and Transcribe feature. (Click here for easy instructions.) Microsoft turns your audio into a full transcript in minutes.
Polish With AI: Copy the text into ChatGPT, Gemini, or your favorite AI tool. Ask it to clean up and format the content into a professional journal entry.

BOOM! In just a few steps, you’ve got an amazing journal entry with almost zero typing.

You might need to tweak a few details, but this hack saves hours. It’s perfect for capturing your thoughts on the go without sacrificing time or creativity.

Think it sounds complicated? I promise it’s not. Watch this quick video and see just how easy it is!

Conclusion: Ditch The Printable Camping Journal Template for Stress FREE RV Life!

Preserving your RV camping adventures doesn’t have to be a hassle. Whether you’re exploring tools like RV Life Trip Wizard or creating polished journal entries with Canva, the right tools ensure happy camping for everyone. Take the first step and ditch that FREE Printable Camping Journal Template you’ve been using for years.

With so many options, there’s no reason to let memories on your next trip slip away or get lost in a pile of papers. Digital journals make it easier than ever to stay organized, revisit special moments, and share your experiences with others. And if you still love the feel of a hardcopy, tools like Google Photos let you create beautiful photo books that bring your travels to life.

So why not take the leap? Say goodbye to the clutter of printables and hello to a streamlined, future-proof way of capturing your journeys. Whether you’re planning your next camping trip, reliving favorite memories, or creating something to share with family and friends, the right tools will help you enjoy the journey—and remember it forever.

Now it’s your turn: How are you going to ditch the printable camping journal template? Let us know on our Facebook page, and don’t forget to grab your free RV journal prompts to get started today!

About Us

We are Mike and Sara, and our kids and dog are exploring the US while camping in our fifth wheel! Since the late 90s we have been exploring the great outdoors one hiking trail at a time. We introduced our kids to hiking while they were young and they love exploring new places. We call Kentucky home and we find ourselves exploring the state parks, national parks, and other wildlands in our area as often as we can!

Our RV camping journey began during the COVID-19 pandemic. Waking up close to the trails we love hiking was enough for us to get hooked on the camping lifestyle! Thanks for following our adventures!