Traveler's Notebook Regular: Cover, Refills & Sizes

Drawing of the TRAVELER'S notebook Regular brown cowhide cover, 220 × 120 × 10 mm, closed with its elastic band and opened flat with a 110 × 210 mm refill held on the spine elastic — The Regular cover closed and open, drawn to scale (1 mm = 1 px).

Product facts

Product: TRAVELER'S notebook, Regular Size, leather cover starter kit (Brown, Blue, Olive and other colors)
Brand: Traveler's Company
Brand origin: Japan
Made in: Thailand (cover); Japan (refill)^*
Material: Cowhide leather cover, elastic band, MD Paper refill
Released: March 2006^*
Price range: $$$$20–75 for the cover or binder with its starter insert

Notes on these facts

Made by Designphil Inc. (Tokyo). Made in Thailand (cover); Japan (refill): Traveler's Company says the leather cover is made in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and the notebook refill in Japan; its Japanese product page for the Brown Regular marks the cover MADE IN THAILAND. Retailer spec sheets (Pulp Addiction, Paper Whisper) give the same split. Source. Price: example listing. Released: Traveler's Company says the notebook launched in Japan in March 2006 with five refills, under the Midori brand.
Price bands are typical US retail, checked October 2026. Conversions to US dollars are approximate, at October 2026 rates (US$1 = ¥158 = ₩1,330 = NT$32.5 = CN¥6.7 = SEK 9.9 = DKK 6.7 = ₺49.6 = C$1.41 = A$1.43; €1 = US$1.12; £1 = US$1.32; CHF 1 = US$1.21).

Key takeaways

The Regular leather cover is 220 × 120 × 10 mm (about 8.7 × 4.7 × 0.4 in); refills are 210 × 110 mm (8.3 × 4.3 in).
The included refill has 64 blank pages (32 sheets) of MD Paper, saddle stitched and 4 mm thick.
Traveler's Company says the cover is made from leather in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and the notebooks are made in Japan.
The smaller Passport size takes 89 × 124 mm refills, also 64 pages each.
The Regular starter kit falls in our $$$ band ($20–75 for a cover with its starter insert); extra refills link in with connecting rubber bands, accessory 021.

What is the TRAVELER’S notebook?

The TRAVELER’S notebook is a leather cover with an elastic band down the spine that holds thin, replaceable paper refills. It comes from Traveler’s Company, a brand of Japan’s Designphil, and was introduced in March 2006 under the Midori name. The Passport size followed in 2009, and the brand was renamed from MIDORI to TRAVELER’S COMPANY in 2015.

When a refill is full you swap in a new one and keep the cover, which Traveler’s Company says is handmade in Chiang Mai from roughly cut leather.

TRAVELER’S notebook Regular specs

Spec	Value
Cover	Cowhide leather, 220 × 120 × 10 mm (8.7 × 4.7 × 0.4 in)
Cover leather thickness	2.4 mm (Goulet Pens)
Refill size	210 × 110 × 4 mm (8.3 × 4.3 in)
Included refill	Blank, 64 pages (32 sheets), MD Paper, saddle stitched
In the box	Cover, refill 003, spare orange rubber band, cotton bag (240 × 140 mm)
Colors	Black, Brown, Camel, Blue, Olive
Item number	13715006 (Brown) · 15239006 (Blue)
List price (Japan)	¥6,160 (about US$39) with tax, since October 1, 2025
Made in	Cover: Thailand · Refill: Japan

Traveler’s Company’s Japanese product page for the Brown Regular gives the cover as 220 × 120 × 10 mm cowhide, MADE IN THAILAND, the refill as 210 × 110 × 4 mm, blank, 64 pages of MD Paper, MADE IN JAPAN, and the box contents. Only the leather thickness comes from a retailer (Goulet Pens).

To-scale drawing: TRAVELER'S notebook Regular cover 120 × 220 mm, Regular refill 110 × 210 mm with 64 pages, and Passport refill 89 × 124 mm — The cover is 10 mm wider and taller than the refill it holds.

What refills are available?

Traveler’s Company sells numbered refills for each size, from plain and lined to grid and kraft paper. The Passport size has its own range, such as 001 (lined, 6.5 mm).

The included refill is 003, blank MD Paper, which Traveler’s Company says resists feathering and show-through even with a fountain pen. Most notebook refills cost ¥330 (about US$2.10) in Japan.

How do you add or change a refill?

Slip the refill’s center fold under the elastic band that runs down the inside of the cover’s spine. The starter kit comes with one refill in place and a spare rubber band, per Traveler’s Company.

To carry two or more refills, loop a connecting rubber band through the center of each extra refill and hook it onto the first. Traveler’s Company sells these bands as accessory 021. Traveler’s Company doesn’t publish a maximum number of refills.

What inserts are available for the TRAVELER’S notebook Regular?

Traveler’s Company’s official Regular-size refill page lists numbered inserts from 001 to 032, from lined, grid and dot notebooks to undated diaries, pockets and files. These are the main ones in the current lineup.

Insert	Item number	What it is
Lined notebook	001	Lined notebook
Grid notebook	002	5 mm grid, 64 pages of MD Paper, ¥330 (about US$2.10)
Blank notebook	003	Blank white MD Paper, 64 pages (Goulet Pens)
MD Paper Cream	025	Blank cream MD Paper, 64 pages (Boston General Store)
Dot Grid	026	5 mm dots, 64 pages of MD Paper
Watercolor Paper	027	24 perforated blank pages for paint, pencil or collage, ¥440 (about US$2.80)
Free Diary Monthly	017	Undated, two pages per month (Boston General Store)
Free Diary Weekly Vertical	018	Undated, 28 weeks, 64 pages (Gentleman Stationer)
Free Diary Weekly + Memo	019	Undated week plus grid memo page, 28 weeks, 64 pages (Gentleman Stationer)
Pocket Sticker	004	Three adhesive pockets for the inside cover (Boston General Store)
Kraft Paper Folder	020	Kraft file folder
Card File	028	20 pages, 60 pockets for business cards or instax mini photos, ¥550 (about US$3.50)
Three-fold File	029	Holds A4 sheets folded in three, such as e-tickets
Connecting Rubber Band	021	Links extra refills into the cover

Unattributed descriptions and prices (Japanese, with tax) come from Traveler’s Company. Its page also lists 008, 011, 012, 013 and 030 to 032; only 006 is marked discontinued.

Check that a listing says Regular: 008 is a zipper case in Regular but a sketch paper notebook in Passport.

How much does a TRAVELER’S notebook cost?

The Regular starter kit falls in our $$$ band ($20–75 for a cover with its starter insert). Current Goulet Pens listings for the Brown Regular kit sit in that band, and the Passport kit costs a little less.

In Japan, Traveler’s Company raised the Regular kit from ¥5,720 (about US$36) to ¥6,160 (about US$39) including tax on October 1, 2025. The running cost is in the refills, not the cover.

Should you choose Regular or Passport size?

Choose Regular for journaling, planning and sketching on a tall page, and Passport for a pocket-size notebook.

	Regular	Passport
Refill size	110 × 210 mm (4.3 × 8.3 in)	89 × 124 mm (3.5 × 4.9 in)
Pages per refill	64	64
Good for	Journals, travel logs, planners	Pocket notes, lists

A Passport refill is close to a Field Notes memo book, which is 89 × 140 mm. For a dated, page-a-day alternative in a small format, a Hobonichi Techo Original is another option. The Regular refill is the same height as an A5 page (210 mm) but 38 mm narrower.

How does it compare to a Moleskine or Leuchtturm1917?

A TRAVELER’S notebook is a refillable system, while a Moleskine Classic or Leuchtturm1917 is a bound notebook you replace when it’s full.

You’d need about four 64-page Regular refills to match the 251 pages of a Leuchtturm1917 Medium.

How does it compare to other notebook systems?

Among refillable systems, the TRAVELER’S notebook is the elastic-band option with the tallest, narrowest page; ring binders take punched loose sheets instead. The Paper Republic Grand Voyageur works the same way with elastic bands, but its XL cover only takes notebooks up to 200 mm tall, so a 210 mm Regular refill won’t fit. The Filofax Original Personal uses six rings and 95 × 171 mm pages.

Our notebook systems comparison sets all five side by side, with sizes drawn to scale.

Where is the TRAVELER’S notebook made?

Traveler’s Company says each leather cover is made by hand in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and the notebook refills are made in Japan. Its product page marks the cover MADE IN THAILAND and the refill MADE IN JAPAN, and retailer spec sheets from Pulp Addiction and Paper Whisper list the same split. The brand itself is Japanese, owned by Designphil.

Frequently asked questions

What size is a TRAVELER'S notebook Regular?

Closed, the Regular is a little taller than an A5 page and roughly half as wide: retailers give the leather cover as 22 cm tall and 12 cm wide. The refills are 1 cm smaller each way, a tall, narrow shape that matches no standard A or B paper size.

What comes in the TRAVELER'S notebook starter kit?

Traveler's Company lists the leather cover, one blank 64-page refill (003, MD Paper, saddle stitched), a spare orange rubber band and a 240 × 140 mm cotton bag that the kit is packed in.

How many refills can a TRAVELER'S notebook hold?

The kit holds one refill on its built-in elastic band. You can add more by linking refills with connecting rubber bands, which Traveler's Company sells as accessory 021; it doesn't publish a maximum.

What is the difference between Regular and Passport size?

Regular refills are 110 × 210 mm, while Passport refills are 89 × 124 mm. Both come with 64 pages; refills are not interchangeable between the two sizes.

Are TRAVELER'S notebook refills numbered?

Yes. Traveler's Company numbers its refills by type, for example 002 grid and 014 kraft paper for the Regular size. Passport refills use their own numbered range, such as 001 lined with 6.5 mm lines.

Is the TRAVELER'S notebook the same as Midori?

It is the same notebook. It was introduced in 2006 under the Midori brand; Designphil renamed the brand from MIDORI to TRAVELER'S COMPANY in 2015.

Where is the TRAVELER'S notebook made?

Traveler's Company says each leather cover is made by hand in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and the paper refill is made in Japan; its product page marks them MADE IN THAILAND and MADE IN JAPAN. Retailer spec sheets list the same countries.

Sources (29)

Plain-text version for AI agents: travelers-notebook-regular.md · Spotted an error? See how we check facts.