Regular vs. Passport Size: Choosing Your Traveler's Notebook

The Regular Traveler's Notebook is tall and slim, with a writing page about the height of an A5 notebook, and it suits daily journaling, planning, and sketching. The Passport size is a little over half as tall and fits in a jacket pocket, which makes it better for quick notes, lists, and travel. If you write a lot in one sitting, go Regular. If you want something that's always on you, go Passport. The details below will help you decide which side of that line you're on.

Regular vs. Passport at a Glance

The Regular Size: Room to Write

The Regular is the original Traveler's Notebook shape, and it's the one most people picture. Its tall, narrow page is about the height of an A5 notebook but roughly a third narrower, so a two-page spread gives you plenty of room without feeling as wide as a standard journal. That proportion is why people who write long entries, keep a weekly planner, or sketch tend to prefer it.

The trade-off is size in the bag. A Regular cover with two or three refills is too tall for most pockets, so it lives in a tote or backpack. It also has the widest range of refills, including the watercolour, kraft, and sketch papers, plus the free diary layouts, so if you plan to try a lot of setups, the Regular gives you more to choose from. Shop the Regular leather cover or browse the full Traveler's Notebook collection.

The Passport Size: Always With You

The Passport size was designed, as the name suggests, around the dimensions of a passport, which makes it a natural fit for anyone who travels. It slides into a jacket pocket, sits flat in a small bag, and is easy to pull out on a crowded streetcar to jot something down. It's the size people reach for when they want a notebook they'll actually carry every day.

The smaller page changes how you write. A Passport spread fits a to-do list, a short diary entry, or a quick sketch, but long journaling feels cramped. Many people use it with one or two refills for lists and notes, plus a card file so it doubles as a wallet. Pair it with a compact pen: a pocket pen like the Kaweco Sport fits the Passport's proportions well, and our Kaweco pen sizes guide shows which models stay pocket-sized. See the Passport leather cover for colours.

Which Size Fits the Way You Write?

A few questions settle it for most people:

• How much do you write at once? A paragraph or more most days points to Regular. A few lines, a list, or a single thought points to Passport.
• Where will it live? On a desk or in a backpack, Regular. In a pocket or small bag, Passport.
• What's your handwriting like? Large handwriting fills a Passport page very quickly.
• Are you sketching or painting? Regular gives you more room and more paper options, though a Passport watercolour refill works for small studies.
• Is it a planner? A weekly layout is much easier to use in Regular. A monthly overview works in either.

If you're still undecided, think about what you'd put inside first. Our list of 10 ideas for what to put in your Traveler's Notebook notes which uses work best in each size.

Refills and Accessories: Not Interchangeable

This is the part beginners most often miss: refills, connecting bands, folders, and zipper cases are made for one size or the other. A Passport refill will slide around inside a Regular cover, and a Regular refill won't fit in a Passport cover at all. Once you choose a size, buy refills with the matching label. At Take Note, Passport refills are marked "Passport" in the product name, and Regular refills either say "Regular," "(R)," or have no size label.

Setup works the same way in both sizes. Our beginner's guide on how to set up your Traveler's Notebook walks through attaching refills and adding connecting bands.

Can You Use Both?

Plenty of people end up with one of each: a Regular for journaling at home and a Passport for carrying around. If you think that's where you'll land, start with the size that matches your main use, give it a month, and add the second once you know what the first one isn't doing for you. The two covers age the same way, so a matched pair in the same leather colour looks good together over time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Traveler's Notebook Passport size the same size as a passport?

It's designed around passport dimensions. Passport refills measure 12.4 x 8.9 cm, very close to a standard passport, so the cover works well as a travel document holder alongside your notes.

Is the Regular Traveler's Notebook A5?

Not quite. The Regular refill is 21 cm tall, about the same as A5, but only 11 cm wide, which makes it noticeably narrower. Standard A5 notebooks will not fit a Regular cover.

What is the difference between Passport size and A6?

A6 is 14.8 x 10.5 cm, so it's slightly larger than a Passport refill in both directions. A6 notebooks won't fit a Passport cover without trimming.

Which Traveler's Notebook size is best for beginners?

Regular is the most versatile starting point because it has the widest range of refills and room for journaling, planning, and sketching. Choose Passport if carrying it every day matters more than page space.

Can I put Passport refills in a Regular Traveler's Notebook?

They'll technically sit under the elastic, but they move around and look lost inside the larger cover. It works better to match refills to the cover size.

Find Your Size at Take Note

We carry both Regular and Passport Traveler's Notebooks, along with refills and accessories for each, at our shop in Toronto's Junction, and we ship across Canada. The easiest way to decide is to hold both, so stop by 2950 Dundas St W to compare them in person, or browse the Traveler's collection online.