Travel Journals Make Good Gifts for Grads

With the proliferation and ease of use of online travel journals, keeping a paper journal sounds old fashioned -- it's not. "Talking" to a journal connects a traveler with home while on a train or in a hostel bunk -- give one as a graduation gift and glue a picture of the two of you or the backpacker's family onto the inside back cover, and travelers can take a piece of home on the road. Or get a journal with a case, tuck a prepaid European phone card into the pocket and write your number in the contact section.

This graduation gift search can be as easy as a trip to a superstore, like Walmart: grab a few small spiral notebooks, thread in a cool pen and add a clip-on book light for night writing and you've put together a great package. Or get the sturdiest just-for-travel journal around -- find one just for women, too. Read on to learn where to buy journals, phone cards and lights, read journal reviews and compare prices on all.

Nomad Travel Journal

This very sturdy journal, pre-printed with soy ink, comes from Colorado with its own zippered case, or fits (trim back cover slightly) in an LL Bean passport holder (pictured) that I've traveled with and like very much. Lined and captioned pages (refills available) offer spots for all the crucial info; covers are ruff-tuff cardboard. Several journal types; "adventure" pictured above and at left.

• Read Nomad Travel Journal review and buy direct
• Read LL Bean passport holder (pictured) review and buy direct

Women's Travel Journal

Publisher Ten Speed Press always comes up with the goods, and the Everywoman Travel Journal is the goods. Lotsa practical travel info, like international dialing codes, calendars, maps, women-specific travel advice and room to jot down travel memories.

Fisher's famous Space Pen writes regardless of position or gravitational pull (hence the "space" factor) -- carpenters and chimney sweeps love it. And if she can write anywhere, she may write home. Wrap up the pen and journal with a clip-on book light for an excellent graduation gift set.

• Compare Fisher space pen prices and buy direct
• Compare prices and buy the women's journal direct

Add a clip-on book light

Little bitty book lights are a great travel accessory -- they can be used to read maps in a darkened train, check guidebooks on a night bus or, of course, clipped to a journal for late night writing in a hostel dorm. Your local book store probably has at least one variety of little book lights, as do superstores like Walmart.

• Read book light reviews, compare book light prices and buy direct online

Add a prepaid European calling card

With a prepaid international calling card, your graduate can call home in an emergency or just to say howdy. A GSM phone is a better budget idea for a roaming student's long term phone needs, but a phone backup plan is always good. Minutes available for the money you spend on a prepaid international phone card will vary wildly, but with an international calling card tucked in a passport holder or journal case (above), a student traveler always has at least a little phone time. And if they can call home, they may call you.

Related: Top 10 Gifts for Traveling Graduates -- more graduation gift ideas | Travel Journals as Gifts