Brett Eldredge Explains Love of Gratitude Journaling

Brett Eldredge is a songwriter, but he also loves other forms of writing, including journaling. The 32-year-old carries a journal with him everywhere he goes, where he writes down the things he is thankful for.

“What I’ve really gotten the most into is journaling,” Eldredge reveals to Travel + Leisure. “I’ve been writing down anything from my experiences to something that’s called The Five-Minute Journal, which is a gratitude journal. I do it every morning and every night and it shows you what to be thankful for, and you start your day on a positive note. It asks you questions like, ‘What would make the day great?’ and I’d write, ‘Go on a hike and try to find a view I’ve never seen before,’ and you go with that intention in your mind of going to do that.

“At the end of the day, it asks you, ‘What made the day great?,’ and you’d write down, ‘I danced like a goofball on the streets of Key West,’ or ‘I met a funny character at a bar wearing a cowboy hat, and he told me all the crazy things that happened in his life and we shared stories over a drink,’” he continues. “It makes you appreciate the little things. I literally freak out if I forget to pack it, because I feel like I just need it and I’m missing out on telling myself a story.”

Eldredge dreams of shaping a tour around his love of travel, especially beach destinations.

“I love islands, so if I could just play on a stage on a beach, or island-hopping in the Bahamas — I love the Bahamas,” says Eldredge. “Maybe the Virgin Islands, or it could be down in Fiji, wherever it is, I just love to play on the beach. There’s something really magical about it. Some islands are really hard to get to, but I don’t care what size the crowd is. As long as I’m playing on the beach, I think I’d be happy.”

The Illinois native just released his latest single, “Love Someone,” from his self-titled 2017 record, which he says is a great tune for summer travels.

“It kind of encapsulate the simple feeling of love,” notes Eldredge. “It’s a feel-good song, and it’s a good travel song. It’s a summer song — you don’t have to overthink it. I can’t ever stop once I get fueled and inspired through travel — it makes me want to go back to the road, because it re-inspires me to continue to make music, see different places, and tell these stories for people I never met and just share this whole ride together.”

In between spending time at the beach, Eldredge is playing fairs and festivals over the summer. Find dates and details at BrettEldredge.com.

Download “Love Someone” on iTunes.

Photo Credit: Getty images/Mike Coppola