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So I did look for a topic similar but couldn't see one (apologies if I missed any) but I have now left it too late to travel with my Yama-Budo ink (I go tomorrow night) and so will have to use my MB travel sized bottle, but I want to get some kind of travel container to take ink in the future on trips. I looked at glass vials but I can never tell how small they are from the photos and wouldn't know if the pen would fit in them. How do you travel with ink? (aside from carrying the whole bottle). TIA

It was my father who planned the Varanasi outing last December , I was initially not much excited for the trip but as the trip progressed I quite liked the idea. Nevertheless Varanasi is around 250-300 Kms from Lucknow and a Night train world always work as long as you are in the AC compartment . So apparently we booked a rather decent hotel which we found out not to be so nice as on the left of the hotel just below two floors from our window was a milk delivery factory from where the Milk Delivery Guys refilled their cans and this went on 24X7 so there was a lot of noise even at 2 am . Well the next day when we started walking towards the Dasashwamedh Ghat from the Hotel which is very nearby . We went through a market called "Dashashwamedha Market" . 'Voila ' on the left side of the street I found a pen-shop which was its literal shop name as well . So I went there alone leaving my parents to venture into other shops . The shop owner as I expected wasn't an elderly gentleman but a rather awkward looking teenager . But apart from his looks he had quite a collection of vintage pens which he straightaway told me were not for sale . But he pulled out a pen from the same tray , which was this beautiful maroon swan pen and a Sheaffer which looked brand new. I was unfortunately low on cash so I bought the Swan for real bargain at Rs 250 which is around $ 3.4 . He was asking Sheaffer Rs500 for the Sheaffer approx $6-7 but I thought I can always buy a Sheaffer in Lucknow but a Swan is a real treat . I think I should have bought both . As I saw the "Made In India " etched in the barrel I did suspect whether it is a real deal or not. But I think I read somewhere that Mabie Todd made pens in India as well. Sorry for the phone camera as it is not taking good pictures now so I could not get the whole picture of the etching . But it says (Swan Senior Mabie Todd & Co Made In India. I guess the pen was made somewhere during the 1950's but it can be as old as from early 1940's .

This year I made a resolution that I am going to spend the majority of my time outdoors, away from the hustle of city life, out of the malls and into the woods. Camping, hiking, photography, WRITING! Trying on the Thoreau shoes for once in my life (however moderate it may be -- I wish I could go all the way like he did) and write about it. I have this idea of bringing a notebook with me and jotting things down with a fountain pen. I was wondering if anyone has a suggestion for a fountain pen that can be taken onto the trails. I'm looking for any brand that offers a fine nib, sturdy build, good flow when using Noodler's Ink, and can possibly take a light beating. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

I'm hoping to travel to Florence later in the year or early next year from the UK, I plan on taking pens and drawing equipment with me but I'm unsure about what pens to take as my luggage will be carry on only. My regular drawing kit is an A5 conference folder with a small tin with 6 watercolour pans, a couple of water brushes, 2 pastel pencils, paper, a pencil sharpener and a couple of fountain pens. I vary the pens I use but normally include a Kaweco Lilliput as it's very small and takes cartridges which means I can always carry a few spare cartridges with me, my concern with taking the Lillput is that it's made entirely of aluminium, I can't see how anyone would say it was dangerous or a risk to carry but I've not traveled abroad for 10+ years and I know travel restrictions are very different now. I was also thinking of taking one or two cheaper pens like a Pilot 78g and a Pilot Elite but both are converter fillers so I'd need to take a small bottle of ink, I'd probably use a plastic 30ml Diamine bottle with 15-20ml of ink. My concern about the bottle is the liquid restrictions and also potential leaking, I was thinking of putting the bottle in a couple of zip lock bags in case it did leak. Are my plans ok or can anyone offer any advice please? Also does anyone know of any good art or pen shops in Florence in case I need to pick anything up while I'm there? Thanks

Hey everybody! I'm a new fountain pen user, and I was wondering what are some good journals for me to use? It will be used as a diary, and I travel a lot. Specifically, I will be spending two months in China in the near future (yay!), and need a good journal for my Lamy Safari XF. I typically either use Diamine Sherwood or Waterman Black, if that helps at all. I'm looking for something not too expensive, though I am willing to spend up to 25$. I prefer something that looks nice but not girly, is medium sized, and maybe has a hardcover? Also, I tend to fold the cover back, and my last journal fell apart because of this, so does anyone know of any ones with really strong bindings, because it may be abused a tad. Finally (this is a lot, I know, but bear with me), any travelling tips? I'll have one suitcase and one carry on, so I really need to know how to properly store this stuff. Can I write on the plane with my Lamy and not have to worry about it exploding? Should I use a ballpoint (cringe) just for the ride? Thank you so much! PS I already love this website.