Wanderings A6 Traveller's Notebook Review

Why an A6 traveller’s notebook?

After years of planner-hopping, I finally landed on an A6 traveller’s notebook. Here is how the Wanderings version held up.

I’ve tried Day-Timers, Filofax, generic ring planners, and disc planners. I’ve experimented with bullet journals and digital apps such as MyLifeOrganized. Nothing has stuck.

Ring planners work, but the covers are far larger than the paper itself, and the rings quickly become annoying. They’re fine in a winter bag, but far less convenient in the summer when I’m wearing shorts. Digital apps are powerful, but the lack of RAS (Reticular Activating System) engagement and the constant digital noise eventually causes me to ignore them entirely.

As my kids grew out of childhood and organised sports, my personal planning needs shrank to the point where I no longer needed an extensive planner. I thought a bullet journal (BUJO) would be ideal. It almost was.

I started with a single notebook, but I have many long-term projects and wanted a separate book for them. Enter the traveller’s notebook. I liked the rustic, sustainable leather cover and the support for segregated inserts, but I didn’t care for the paper size. Then I discovered A6.

At 105 × 148 mm (4.1 × 5.8 in), it’s a genuine game changer. It’s wider than personal size but not as tall, making it more portable and easy to slip into a cargo pocket or a small messenger bag.

What was I looking for, and why this notebook?

I was looking for an A6 traveller’s notebook that could hold multiple inserts without bulging awkwardly. Also, I wanted something suitable for everyday carry, which meant pockets were important.

I came across the Wanderings A6 Traveller’s Notebook on Amazon for about $34 CAD. I didn’t want to spend too much on the system before I knew I’d like it, so the price made it an easy call. I pulled the trigger and waited.

For clarity, I’m not affiliated with Wanderings, and I paid full price for this notebook.

I ordered the A6, but it also comes in A5, B6, Standard, and Passport sizes, so chances are it’ll suit whatever floats your boat.

Pros

Apart from its rugged, understated aesthetic, there’s a lot to like about this cover:

Close-up of a single brass bobble cord end emerging from the spine of the Wanderings A6 traveller's notebook. — One of the brass bobbles up close. Small hardware, but it is the detail that makes the cover feel considered.

Close-up of the brass bobble cord ends and black elastic closure on the Wanderings A6 traveller's notebook. — The brass bobbles. A small detail, but they give the whole thing a classic, well-made feel.

Dotted-grid insert page with fountain pen writing, testing a Lamy Safari on the 100 gsm paper. — Testing the 100 gsm paper with my Lamy Safari. The paper handles it beautifully. My handwriting, less so.

Supports three inserts. This turned out to be a slight issue, which I’ll get to below.
Nice elastic brass “bobbles” with a classic style.
The leather is thick and sturdy at about 2.0 mm.
Very nice included paper with a slight, pleasant cream colour. The 100 gsm stock is great for fountain pens.

Cons

With all that going for it, it would be easy to think this notebook is perfect. Unfortunately, there are a few downsides:

Side view of the Wanderings A6 traveller's notebook showing three inserts stacked inside the single leather strap. — Three inserts in, and you can see the strap starting to strain. This is where the middle one wants to wander.

Side view of the Wanderings A6 traveller's notebook overstuffed with four inserts that jut out past the edges of the leather cover. — Push it to four inserts and they spill past the cover edges. Three is the sweet spot.

Close-up of the suede-like underside of the Wanderings leather cover showing its fibrous texture. — The underside is where the leather gets puzzling. That fibrous, almost fabric-like texture is what raised my eyebrow.

No pen loop. I ended up clipping a pen to the cover directly, which is fine, but I really missed a loop since I carry two pens.
The leather is a puzzler. It seems to be leather, but there’s an almost fabric-like pattern on the interior. The outside marks readily and, if it is real leather, it’s very heavily conditioned.
The cover has a single strap, and while it does hold three inserts, it’s a bit “fugly” as the middle insert has a tendency to stick out a bit. With four inserts, they actually jut out from the extents of the cover which is an issue. As long as you limit the number of inserts, it’s fine.
The included inserts are blank. This is just not for me. I immediately went and purchased dotted grid books.

How do I use it?

The Wanderings A6 traveller's notebook open to blank dotted-grid pages with a Lamy Safari fountain pen resting on top. — Open and ready to work. Dotted-grid inserts and a fountain pen, which is the whole point for me.

Many people buy blank inserts, start writing, and call it a day. Dotted pages are a good compromise, offering alignment without being visually overwhelming. As I stated above, I went this route.

For now, it’s enough to say that I’m using three inserts:

GTD: I’ve been a proponent of this system for YEARS. This insert holds my project list, my projects, and my contexts.
Daily log: The core of my system, set up like a modified BUJO daily log with my tasks, the day’s calendar items, and notes.
Journal: A dedicated insert for long-form journaling on the go.

It’s inexpensive, flexible, and surprisingly enjoyable. (See my next review, on the September Leather cover, for the updated mod to this system.)

Would I buy it again?

As someone new to traveller’s notebooks, it’s doing its job for now. That said, I won’t use it due to the limited number of inserts it can hold. As it turns out, I ended up changing things around radically.

This notebook will, however, serve as a reference and a learning tool. For the price it is REALLY hard to beat.