This Language Notebook Will Finally Help You Learn A Language

This article about language notebook may contain affiliate/compensated links. For full information, please see my disclaimer here.

This language travel notebook is a little guide that will walk you through your language learning process. Not only will it help you stay organized, but it’ll also be your memory stick, a place to write all your vocabulary down. Once you forget a word or won’t be able to think of anything, your language notebook will be there to help you out.

The language notebook consists of 5 main parts. This article will walk you through and explain how you can use this language travel notebook step by step. 

 

 

1. PART: Your Motivation

In the first part, I’m giving you some motivation and showing you how to keep up with your language learning process. Because let’s be honest, we all have bad days from time to time. Days when we feel unmotivated, lost, and unable to keep up with our activities.

That’s why I’ve included this little motivational section right at the beginning. First, you’ll define the reasons why you want to learn the language. Then, every time you feel unmotivated, you can look back at the front of your language notebook. It’ll make you think again about why you started this process. It’ll keep you motivated and boost your learning process.

So now, open your language travel notebook on a page where it says ‘My Motivation.’ Think about a few reasons why you want to learn the language and your motivation for learning the language. Write everything down.

 

 

2. PART: Choose Specific Topics

In the second part of our language notebook, we’ll choose specific topics to learn vocabulary and practice speaking later on.

Choosing a topic for your language learning process means thinking about situations in real life when you’ll need to speak the language. You’ll learn specific vocabulary within this topic to communicate in the situation later on once you travel.

I’m giving you some examples for topics in the language travel notebook. These are a few areas in which you can choose an even more specific topic. 

Now, think about 5 topics/situations within which you want to learn new vocabulary. Write these topics down into your language travel notebook, into the page ‘My 5 Topics’.

 

 

3. PART: Define Your Language Learning Goals

After, there is a section for your specific goals. You’ve chosen a general topic, for example, accommodation. Still, it’s quite a broad topic. Narrow it down a bit. For example, you can say you’ll learn how to greet the receptionist at a hotel and do the check-in. This will be your specific goal and topic, in which you’ll learn new vocabulary and eventually practice speaking.

I’ve written a separate article where I walk you through setting up smaller and specific language learning goals. So, check it out.

Then, it’s time to write the goals down in your language notebook. Also, write down the time you’ll spend learning vocabulary within each situation. Be as specific as you can. It’ll also help your motivation. Once you look at this section, you’ll always know what you want to learn and continue in the process.

Now, write your specific goals in the section ‘My Specific Goals’ in your language travel notebook.

 

 

4. PART: WRITE VOCABULARY WITHIN EACH TOPIC

This takes us to the fourth section of our language notebook. It has 5 parts, where each part represents one topic. Each of these topics has 3 small sections.

In the first section of the topic, you have space to write new vocabulary that you want to learn.

The second section gives you a place to create sentences using the vocabulary and write them down.

The third section is just a page where you can write additional notes for yourself. Something that you have come up with during the language learning process. Or something you have struggled with, a few words that you still can’t remember. Basically, write anything that might encourage you in the language learning process.

 

STOP – Learning vocabulary

Have you written vocabulary within your first topic and also created some sentences? Great job. Now it’s time to stop, reflect, and learn the vocabulary. Get inspiration for fun and effective ways to learn vocabulary.

 

STOP – Vocabulary practice

 You’ve now mastered the vocabulary within the first topic, created sentences, and have also learned them. Next, it’s time to improve your language skills and start practicing.

Initially, I highly recommend you talk to yourself using your words and sentences. It can be when you are going or driving to work in the morning, during your lunch break, or maybe once cleaning your flat or house. Keep this vocabulary and sentences in your head, and try using them while talking to yourself.

Pretend that you’re in that hotel. Imagine the receptionist is in front of you and try talking to her in your head. If you’re alone, feel free to say everything out loud. Just keep talking and refreshing these words and sentences from your language notebook so that they stay in your mind.

 

In this stage, you can already start doing various activities to understand the language as a whole. You’ve now learned vocabulary, and you have to learn how to use it in a context. Read my article to find out how you can keep improving your language skills.

Eventually, once you feel confident enough, it means you already have all the words and sentences you wrote down in your head. Congratulations. You’ve completed your first topic and situation. Now, you are prepared to practice and speak in the situation once you are traveling.

 

 

Repeat The Process With Each Topic

After, you can pass on to another topic. Open the language travel notebook on page ‘2. TOPIC’ and start the whole process again. Write down new vocabulary, then create sentences using these words, learn the vocabulary, and try speaking using these new words and practice.

This way, you’ll go through the entire language notebook. You’ll eventually learn all 5 topics you wrote down at the beginning. After, you will be able to talk to people in these situations once you travel.

 

 

5. PART: Notes & Ideas

Lastly, the fifth section of your language travel notebook gives you some space to write more notes down. Something you have come up with during the learning process, or words you still struggle with. This section is for you to keep you on track. I’ve also included a few stickers. Feel free to cut them and glue them into the topic sections as a decoration.

At the very end of your language travel notebook, you have some motivational quotes about language learning and travel. I hope it can motivate you, help you stay focused, and achieve your goals.

 

Repetition Is Key

Every once in a while, I highly recommend you to come back to some topics and try practicing again to repeat and double-check if you can still remember everything. Just keep refreshing the topics and the vocabulary you’ve already learned. 

The last stage of learning a topic vocabulary is to practice speaking. These are the 4 best platforms to practice speaking and start using your vocabulary in real situations. 

If you want to follow the entire language learning process with my strategies, read my article about how to learn a language for travel in 7 basic steps. It’ll reveal to you the whole process step by step. 

 

Carry Your Language Travel Notebook Everywhere

Once you start practicing the vocabulary, carry your language travel notebook with you. When you are going to work, you talk to yourself on the way, and you can’t remember some words or sentences. Use your language travel notebook as a guide.

Open it and have a look. You can also write the word into the section ‘NOTES’ at the end of each topic. This way you’ll remember it for next time. The following day, you’ll already remember it because you had to look it up yesterday.

The language travel notebook has a great size to always carry with you; keep it in your bag. Take it as your new friend everywhere you go, if you mean it seriously with your language learning journey. I believe you do, and your language travel notebook will constantly remind you of it as well.

 

 

How To Overcome Difficulties On Your Language Learning Journey

I know it might get tricky sometimes. Just remember why you’ve started learning the language. Go back to the first section, where you wrote your motivation and specific goals, and read them again. Remind yourself of the reason why you want to learn the language again. Then take a break, leave it for a day (or a week), and start practicing and learning the next day again. Don’t let anything put you off. Stay focused and motivated.

 

 

Well, this is a step-by-step guide for you on how to use this language travel notebook and learn languages with it. It’ll constantly help you to stay on track. You’ll know where you are, what you want to learn, and what you’ve already achieved.

These are the reason why I designed it for you. To make the language learning process easier for you, keep motivated, and help you stay focused. And most importantly, to make the language learning journey effective and fun for you.

 

GET YOUR LANGUAGE TRAVEL NOTEBOOK