A few months ago, I purchased my first ever Traveler’s Company notebook, which I reviewed here. I bought the blue passport size and the card holder refill so I could use it in place of a purse or wallet, and so far, it’s been really working out for me! I’ve been loving the convenience of having a notebook on me at all times, and I’ve been really impressed with the level of quality, and how the leather is wearing so far. 

However, as per usual when I find a product I like, I instantly wanted another one in a different colour. But I’d resisted so far, as I didn’t have any specific need for another TN, considering I already own a couple of standard sized ‘fauxdori’ traveler’s notebooks. But recently I’ve been wanting to set up a notebook to help me manage my various writing projects, and the ability to swap inserts in and out made the traveler’s notebooks system an attractive option…so I finally caved and bought the Traveler’s Company standard size notebook in Olive. Plus a couple of specific inserts that I knew would be useful, and a third that I was simply curious about!

So let’s take a look at what I bought! 

The main attraction is obviously the Traveler’s Notebook itself. I chose Olive because alongside the blue (which I already have in passport size), it’s definitely one of the more unusual colour options that Traveler’s Company offers. 

In real life it’s a lot more brown than it looks in the promotional images, but it has a nice green tinge to it that I really like. Overall, though I think I prefer the blue colour of my passport size, but I didn’t want two in the same colour. I’m definitely intrigued to see how the Olive wears over time though, and whether it becomes more green or leans more brown as the leather ages. 

As with all Traveler’s Company notebooks it came with a blank page insert, which I promptly removed. I’m sure I’ll use it at some point, but I don’t love the thickness of having four inserts in my TNs, and I had already bought three that I specifically wanted to use. 

The first insert I bought was the lined insert (001), that I plan to use as a writing journal. I’m currently working on two different novel projects, and regularly write short stories, so in this insert I’ll try to keep track of my plans and goals, and how my various projects are going. 

The next insert I bought was the Monthly Calender insert (017), which was actually quite an expensive insert compared to the others (probably because it has printed pages). I think it’ll be worth it though, as this will likely be the most useful one. 

In this refill you have blank monthly calendar pages you can fill in with the dates for your chosen month. I’ll be using these calendar pages to note down my writing progress on all my various projects. I’m writing one project by hand, and typing the other (I find this helps me keep them separated in my mind!), and so each day I’ll note down how many pages I wrote of the handwritten project, and the word count of the typed project. This should help me keep track of my progress and keep me on target for my goals. 

The third refill I bought was the one I bought out of pure curiosity: the Kraft paper insert (014). I was just really intrigued by the idea of this one, and since I’d toyed with the idea of starting scrapbooking or junk journaling recently, I figured this insert could be good for that. It doesn’t fit in with the writing theme of the rest of the notebook, but I’m glad that I bought it!

I’ve been impressed overall with the quality of the Traveler’s Company inserts so far, but the Kraft paper one is particularly nice! To say that it’s Kraft paper it feels smoother than I expected, and is also a lighter colour, meaning it should be easier to write, paint and stamp on.

I’ve now fitted all the inserts into the notebook – the calendar first, then the lined paper, then the Kraft – and I’m excited to use it. 

These notebooks are quite expensive, but I’ve found the quality to be incredibly high, much more so than any of my fauxdoris, and the beauty of the traveler’s notebook system is that it’s reusable and refillable. If my current setup doesn’t work out for me I can swap around and change the inserts, and if I fill up an insert I can remove it, file it away, and replace it with a new one. Plus one thing I’ve been enjoying a lot with my passport notebook is the way the leather has worn over time, making it unique, and feel like it’s truly mine. 

Now I have one in each size I have no plans to get any others, especially as the other colour options don’t appeal to me too much, but knowing me, I can never say never! Especially as they do come out with special editions from time to time! 

So are you a fan of the Traveler’s Company notebooks? What do you use yours for? And what is your favourite insert?