My travel stationery must-haves

So you are going on a trip. But you have no idea what to bring to journal it. 

As delightful as it is to end up bringing everything + the kitchen sink, one must consider their luggage limitations (how is one supposed to go shopping freely if they bring too much XD~)

I went on a two week trip to LA recently and here's what I brought with me :

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="748.0"] Brush pens - makes my chicken scratch look fancy right away Copic pens - waterproof and dries fast. Great for drawing too. Pencil with eraser attached on one end - for notes, drawing etc Coloured markers - for colouring Frixion ball point pen - i use this to sketch so i do not have to deal with erasing the lines later. Since it disappears on contact with heat, a hairdryer will remove all traces immediately and without any effort. Side note: I also decided that I would journal everything on this particular trip in a certain colour scheme [browns, blues hence the colours you see chosen [/caption]

Pens aside, here are a few other things to consider...

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="748.0"] Masking tape - for decoration and that emergency wrapping job you need to do (eg fragile items you bought on the trip) Bullclip - more useful than you think. (i even used it to hold my curtains shut in the hotel XD) Paperclips - one of them was sacrificed so that i could remove the sim card in my phone  Coffee stamp - a gift from the Tea Drinker White out - for the mistakes i inevitably make Tenori glue - perfect for sticking receipts what not into my travel journal Travel journal - well that's obvious xD~ [/caption]

What do you bring on a holiday?

Do tell us all about it!

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Traveler's Notebook Camel

The Camel Traveler's Notebook was released 5 years ago to celebrate the brand's 5th Anniversary. It's been so popular that Traveler's Company have brought it back as a part of their permanent range. 

To be perfectly honest, I wasn't keen on the colour when it was first announced but as the first batches were delivered and pictures of it started appearing on Instagram, I liked it more and more until I finally caved and bought one. 

The Camel Traveler's Notebook is indeed as gorgeous in real life as it looks in pictures and I can see why it was much sought after. The leather is smooth and supple like the other colours but there's something really refreshing about the camel, could it be because it's not as dark as the other colours?

A common complaint about this colour is that it scratches easily but I feel that's just part of it's charm. I adore it so much, I swapped all my notebooks over and it's now my primary Traveler's Notebook. I'm interested to hear, what's your favourite colour from the Traveler's Company range and why? 

 

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Traveler's Factory, Airport

A few weeks ago, the Tea Drinker wrote a blog entry about the Traveler's Factory store in Nakameguro. Today, I'll tell you about the one at Narita Airport.

Tucked in a small corner of International Terminal 1, the Traveler's Factory store is chockfull of treasures for the journal enthusiast. 

Other than the usual items one is be able find in their usual outlets and online store, they are lots of items exclusive to the store here.

Rolls of washi tape, die cut stickers for decoration and even two exclusive Traveler's Notebook leather covers (with accompanying notebook refills) is available. They feature a print on their covers depicting the journey from Japan to overseas. (More pictures on these to come soon.)

There is even a can badge dispensing machine which has badges exclusive to the store! Though note to wise, do not try putting your coins in directly. You will need to buy a token from the store which is to be used with the machine. I saw many people who made that mistake and the staff members had to take the machine apart each time to get the coins out. 

Needless to say, I made quite a decent haul there since nothing captivates my attention more than the words "exclusive" and "limited edition".

Expect to see what I got in a later post!

A visit to this store is highly recommended.

 

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Traveler's Notebook 'Departed' Stamp

This week, we're totally loving this Traveler's Notebook 'Departed' stamp. It has a solid wooden handle, brass plate and the stamp has all the makings of a passport-worthy stamp*. We sure are excited about filling in the date field, as long as it's not too close to the arrival date. 

The biggest question now is, where to next? We'd love to hear about your exciting travel plans so do share in the comments, it might inspire us to book our next trip!

*Please don't use it in your passport, we're not sure if that's legal. 

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Possibly the most beautiful Starbucks in the world

Located in Fukuoka and designed by architect Kengo Kuma

 

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Eslite Bookstore, Taipei Taiwan

There is little I enjoy more than coffee (hence my moniker) but a beautifully stocked bookstore is certainly one of them. 

A recent entry into my "favourite bookstores list" has to be the flagship Eslite Bookstore in Xinyi Taipei Taiwan. The Eslite chain is probably already famous amongst fellow Traveler notebook users since they do collaborations with them quite often to produce a limited edition collection of goods. Aside from that, they also produce their own masking tape, notebooks and other stationery. All bearing the Eslite name and usually features a famous quote on books. Quite lovely really.

Its not all just books either! There are six floors of goodies to look at and one of my favourite restaurants in Taipei is also located within it. FYI, its called Kiki's and the food is fantastic.

All in all, highly recommended.

Now, if only they started selling fantastic coffee too.

But then again, I might never leave...

 

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Traveler's Factory Order Name Stamp

In the last blog post, I talked about the Traveler's Factory. Whilst I was there, I picked up a kit for the 'Traveler's Factory Order Name Stamp' 

The kit comes in an kraft envelope, like the ones the TN notebook covers come in. Inside, you'll find an instruction sheet, a FAQ sheet, an order sheet and a prepaid return envelope. 

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1971.0"] Image: Traveler's Factory  [/caption]

There are 5 different designs you can choose from, names can only be written using the english alphabet (numbers and certain symbols included), both lower and uppercase letters can be used and character limits vary from design to design. 

Also, the stamps need a month to be made before they are sent and therefore, can only be mailed to a Japanese address. 

I sent the form off after a couple of days of mulling over what design to get and a month (and a bit) later, it arrived. The self inking stamp came in a small plastic sleeve and its small rectangular size made it very compact and portable. 

I chose the pen design, just because I thought I would feel fancy signing off letters and mail with this stamp. I use it to personalise stationery from time to time and it feels really great. 

My only complaint with it is that there's a sweet spot when pressing down on the stamp and thatt takes a few tries to get it, so definitely test it before you stamp the real thing. 

For more information (Japanese Only)

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Traveler's Factory, Nakameguro

If you're a fellow Traveler's Notebook user, a trip to Tokyo is not complete without a trip to the Traveler's Factory in Nakameguro. The Coffee Drinker and I visited this fabled place in November, 2015. 

It's a short walk from the train station and the building is located in a back alley. Since we were coming from lunch, we decided to take a taxi. We soon learnt that the Nakameguro back alleys were incredibly narrow, but our taxi driver was game and it wasn't long before we found ourselves standing in front of the Traveler's Factory. 

The building only had it's name painted on and a small shopfront. Step in and it feels like you've entered someone's house, someone who travels and displays the items they collect. 

The first floor contains the shop, you can find all the TN refills and accessories including leather items and anything you might need for your travels. Order your coffee or drink here and head to the second floor, there are seats and tables here. The room where custom notebooks are made is here, together with the toilets. 

On the day we visited, there was a mini exhibition on 'Herb Catalog'. As well as mini corners showcasing various TN special editions, such as the Hong Kong collection from a few years back. After a nice quiet tea break, we went back to the shop to play with the travel stamps. I also purchased a mail order name stamp, which I'll write about in another post. 

If you love TN, this is one place you should definitely visit. My next goal is to visit the TN store in Narita Airport (unfortunately, I've been flying into Haneda so have never had to the chance to visit it...yet). We'd love to hear about your trip in the comments below. 

 

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Fiveday : 5 markers we love

Colour always adds the special something in an otherwise dreary journal entry (sometimes you just cant make a note on a dentist appointment interesting). With the massive range of coloured markers out there, where does one start?

Here are our top 5.

1. COPIC Sketch Marker

2. Pure Color C-land

3. Akashiya Sai

4. Ace Wan Brush

5. Zig Clean Color Real Brush

Has your favourite made the list?

Tell us more!

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Fiveday: 5 Pencil Cases we think you absolutely need in your life

As frequent travellers, putting together a kit and packing it in our luggage is essential. 
I've rounded up our 5 favourite ways of carrying pens and other odds and ends around. 

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1500.0"] 1. Kokuyo Neo Critz [/caption]

A pen stand and case in one, absolutely genius I say. The Neo Critz comes in a variety of colours and collaboration designs. It comes with 2 zips and a small pocket so loose items don't get lost. Just unzip it, fold down the flaps and pick up a pen. As a bonus, these make fantastic makeup brush holders. 

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1500.0"] 2. Sun-star DELDE [/caption]

The DELDE is one I recently discovered, it's also a pen stand and case in one but instead of fold down flaps, you pull the tabs of the top of the case down over it's bottom half. It takes up less table space but stores more pens. It's becoming a firm favourite but as it's quite new, the colour selection is a bit limited.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1500.0"] 3. Kipling 100 Pens & 50 Pens [/caption]

Cult item alert! I only discovered this last year but this is incredibly popular with stationery bloggers (don't believe me? Try a Youtube or Google search). I like how spacious and organised this is, it holds A LOT of pens with space for other compact stationery and the best part, it holds up very well when you throw it in a suitcase with other stuff. Also comes in a smaller version called the 50 Pens. 

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1500.0"] 4. Lihit Lab Pen Case [/caption]

The Lihit Lab Pen Case looks like a smaller version of the 100 Pens. It's compact, has compartments for 3 different sets of pens and you can slot in other small items. Perfect for toting around everyday. 

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1500.0"] 5. Kokuyo Pen Tray C2 [/caption]

The Kokuyo Pen Tray holds the least out of all the pen case on this list, but I reckon it's the most amazing way to hold pens. It starts out looking like a normal case but it opens out into a tray that shows off all the cute stationery I own. Also stores phone accessories and makeup. It's extremely compact size makes it suitable for purses and small bags. I really like this moomin print too, a touch of colour never hurt anyone. 

I hope this list has been helpful, if you know of any pencil cases we should check out, leave us a comment below. 

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Fiveday : 5 Brush Pens we love

Brush pens are all the rage over here at the TN5C headquarters. Its a lot more fun than the conventional marker for adding a fun quirky bold dimension to your lettering and let’s face it, they make even the worst handwriting look good.

Here are our top 5.

1. Pentel Sign Pen

2. Pilot Fude-Makase Color Brush Pen

3. Copic Gasen Fude Pen

4. Sailor Fude Nagomi Brush Pen

5. Tombow Fudenonsuke Brush Pen

 

Do you love brush pens too? Has your favourite made the list?

Share your thoughts with us! 

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