As a travel blogger, I often get asked what I use to write my articles when I am travelling.  Do I use a Moleskin notebook and pencil? A laptop or old fashioned journal? Well, it depends on how long I am away for and where I am, but here are the two things I use most on blog trips and my travels around the globe.

My Notepad

I got my latest toy a few months ago and the novelty still hasn’t worn off.  The Asus Eeepad Slider is a tablet with a twist. With one easy movement the screen slides up and a fully QWERTY keyboard appears, giving it all the flexibility of an electronic notebook.  This is invaluable because I can’t write properly for any length of time on a touch screen.  They are great for tweeting, texting, brief emails and all sorts of other things as we know and I would not be without my iPhone (other ones are available!) but when it comes to writing articles or composing a longer email then a proper keyboard is a must.  It’s light and easy to carry in my bag and has a really good battery life, another plus for a travel blogger.  The most I have got out of it so far is almost 7 hours.

There’s loads of memory (mine has 32G) and it’s got a really neat camera which can shoot HD video – mind you, I haven’t worked out how it use it yet!    It took me quite a while to used to the Android system; I have had to tell myself it is not a pc but more like a super-duper phone as it is App-driven. Fortunately the Polaris software is compatible with Microsoft so there’s no problem transferring documents, which I have to do regularly. What I love is the expression on people’s faces when I am using it – it lies there like a regular tablet flat on the table as I scroll through photos, emails, websites etc – then I suddenly flip it up to write something and hey presto – it’s a mini-pc.  Magic!

My fountain pen

For many people the very idea of writing with a fountain pen is an ancient skill, lost in the mists of time … but for me it is the ultimate way to connect with my creativity, although a very inky one at times.  I’m of the last generation that was brought up with the scratchy old fountain pen and inkwell at school; I can still remember the pottery ones we had in our old desks.  The invention of the biro was a godsend to all but I’ve always loved the flow of ink from a good fountain pen and still use one regularly today.

I have a collection of different pens (and coloured inks) but my absolute favourite and the one I take on all my blog trips, is a very old Montblanc fountain pen with a gold nib.  For those of you not familiar with the pecking order of fountain pens, the Montblanc is considered by some to be the Rolls Royce of the writing world.  I bought mine from a quirky little shop in Kendal, run by the lovely Alan Lloyd, well-known connoisseur of vintage pens, inkwells and writing accessories.  He also introduced me to Italian Visconti ink and I have a vast supply of the turquoise – and you’ll often see my fingers covered in it!

Travel Blogger Journal

I write in a journal and in 2011 published The Quirky Traveller Travel Notes, which is a lined notebook with favourite quotes, and I made sure it was designed with a spiral binding big enough to take my favourite pen.  I’ve no idea how old my pen is, but when I use it I seem to be more creative and connected to my thought-process. Long may the travel blogger and others be able to combine old and new forms of communication …

Disclaimer

I received the Eeepad Slider as a gift from ASUS but was under no obligation to write about it. My views are unsolicited and represent personal opinion.