My husband recently retired so we decided to take off for a month and be beach bums on the northern California coast. Rather than keep a written journal to document my trips, I like to poetically record what I see in my travels, much like Japanese poet Matsuo Basho (1644-1694) did while he traveled.

In Basho’s book, NARROW ROAD TO THE INTERIOR AND OTHER WRITINGS, he records notes, poems, and sketches of his journeys. He documents his visit to the Yakushido Shrine and The Shrine of Tenjin 22 and notes that a poet named Kaemon gifted him a pair of straw sandals with iris-blue straps as a farewell gift upon leaving. He wrote this poem about his experiences here in his travel journal (which is much more fun that writing “my friend gave me some sandals”) :

To have blue irises 
blooming on one's feet—
walking-sandal straps

I’m sharing some of my travel haiku and senryu here today. Hopefully, the imagery in these poems will help you “see” what I saw while I hiked, explored beach-town life, met new friends and enjoyed the sea air!

taking more
than prescribed
ocean RX

october sunset
husband with buzz cut
lets down his hair

coffee house
sparks from firepit
wet dog steams

a long way from home
the boy's pockets
filled with seashells

beachside shop
incense lingers
longer than husband

a lone aster
throws itself
into the ocean

steep mountain climb
thick fog softens
sea lion's call

farmer's market
dark chocolate toffee
california grown?

measuring
our love
in ocean waves

nature trail
winds
around my soul

©Travel haiku: Carmel CA by Danna Smith 10.2025 at poetrypop.com All rights reserved.

Poetry Pop Challenge

Create a “Travel Journal” tab/section in your notebook and record your observations during your next journey. Try making simple sketches or paste photos next to your poems.

If you haven’t already, select a notebook to keep all the exercises and challenges from this blog in one place. You can purchase an official Poetry Pop notebook (paperback or hardcover) by clicking on the image below:

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THANKS FOR POPPING IN

I hope you will start a haiku journal and take it along on your next vacation. If you enjoy Poetry Pop, please share the love with your friends and family using the buttons below. I am growing my site and always appreciate a shoutout. And as always, thank you for following the blog for your little pop of poetry.