Traveler's Notebook Card Size 20th Anniversary Set — Why I Preordered It Without a Second Thought

I have been looking for the perfect wallet for years.

I know that sounds dramatic. But hear me out — I wanted something that felt intentional. Something that matched the way I try to live. Something that didn't look like the exact same thing everyone else pulls out of their bag. Something with a little soul. And something different from this :

This is my actual wallet. Please. Don’t laugh. I borrowed it from my 10-year-old when mine broke…because she wasn’t using it! ahah!

I tried minimalist card holders. Leather bifolds. That one very chic zip pouch I found at a market in Paris that fell apart in four months. Nothing ever felt quite right. Everything was either too bulky, too boring, or just… not me.

I even searched for one in Japan but I didn’t want something cute.

And then TRAVELER'S Company — the Japanese stationery brand I've been obsessed with for years — announced avery limited 20th anniversary release of their Card Size notebook. In brown leather. With a zipper case. And a kraft paper folder. And five refills of their famous MD paper. Oh deaaaaar. HAVE MY MONEYYYYY!

I didn't even finish reading the product page before I opened a new tab and preordered it from Papeterie Makkura, a french website (also in english don’t worry), my go-to place for beautiful stationery and paper products.

No hesitation. No "let me think about it." Just yes.

If you're new here and wondering why a notebook is my answer to a wallet problem, let me tell you everything.

First, Let Me Tell You About TRAVELER'S Company

If you've been part of the my creative/journaling world for a while, you already know I'm a Traveler's Notebook person. I use the Regular size in blue every day for work and planning. But for anyone who's new here (hi, welcome, come in 🤎), let me give you the short version.

TRAVELER'S Company is a Japanese brand that has been making leather notebooks since 2006 — twenty years ago this year. Their whole philosophy is built around one idea: the moment you hold a TRAVELER'S notebook, you become a traveler.That's not marketing fluff. That's the genuine spirit of the brand, and you feel it the second you pick one up.

The leather is real. It ages with you. Every scratch, every crease, every little mark it collects over time is a record of your life. The more battered it looks, the more it looks like yours.

This is not fast stationery. It's the opposite of that. And in a world full of things that fall apart, that matters to me.

What's in the Traveler's Notebook Card Size 20th Anniversary Set

Let's talk about what you actually get, because this set is genuinely impressive. It's not just a notebook with a fancy label. It's a complete, thoughtful system — eight components that work together.

The brown leather cover measures 110mm tall by 75mm wide. That's roughly the size of your palm. It fits in a jeans pocket. It fits in even the tiniest evening bag. And on the back, engraved into the leather, is the 20th anniversary logo. Small detail. Big impact.

Five MD Paper refill notebooks come in two varieties: MD Paper White (with a grey cover and letterpress logo printing) and MD Paper Cream (with a brown cover and gold foil stamping). If you've never written on MD Paper, I'm a little bit jealous of you — you're about to have a first time. It's smooth, fountain pen friendly, and the kind of paper that makes you want to write.

A dark brown cotton zipper case hand-sewn by artisans near Tokyo. It has a left pocket for cards and a right zippered pocket for coins or keys. This is where the wallet thing really starts to click.

A kraft paper folder made from textured impregnated paper — designed to hold folded banknotes, shop cards, tickets, receipts, anything flat that matters. Again: wallet. It's a wallet.

Two connecting rubber bands plus a spare, so you can configure everything exactly how you want it. Add refills. Add the folder. Add the zipper case. Stack them, mix them, build the system that fits your life.

A cotton storage bag for when you're not carrying it — or for keeping it pristine before you're ready to start using it.

Eight pieces. One very small footprint. An entire everyday carry system that fits in your pocket.

Why the Card Size Is the Perfect Wallet (And Why Nobody Told Me This Sooner)

Okay. Let's really talk about this.

The Card Size format — 110mm × 75mm — is almost exactly the size of a standard card wallet. It will hold your cards in the zipper case. Your cash and receipts in the kraft folder. Your daily notes and lists in the refills. And it will do all of that while looking infinitely more beautiful than anything from a department store.

I just can’t wait to use my TN Card Size as my primary wallet. My notebook. My planner accessory. My journaling tool.

But that's the magic of the modular system. It becomes whatever you need it to be. A wallet-notebook hybrid. A tiny travel journal. A business card organizer you're actually proud to pull out in a meeting. A pocket for the receipts you keep stuffing into your bag and then forgetting about.

For me, the plan is simple: cards in the zipper case, a few folded bills in the kraft folder, and one MD Paper White refill for daily intentions, quick lists, and the thoughts I don't want to lose on the go. Everything I actually need. Nothing I don't.

I already have the Regular size TN for my desk and my deeper planning work. The Card Size will be my on-the-go companion. The thing that's always in my pocket. The wallet that also happens to be a notebook, because of course it is, and of course I love it.

The 20th Anniversary Details That Make This a Collector's Piece

Here's the thing I want you to really understand:this is not a permanent product.TRAVELER'S Company is releasing the 20th Anniversary Set to celebrate two decades of the notebook, and once the stock is gone, it's gone. There's no restock planned. This is it.

The 20th anniversary details are what elevate this beyond a standard Card Size starter kit. The logo engraved on the back of the leather cover. The special refill covers — grey with letterpress on the white, brown with gold foil on the cream. The dark brown zipper case (exclusive to the brown set). The cotton storage bag with 20th anniversary branding.

Every element of this set has been considered. It feels like a gift — the kind of thing you'd buy for someone you really love, or for yourself, when you want to mark a moment.

I preordered mine because I knew if I waited even a week, I'd regret it. Limited edition releases from beloved brands sell out fast, and this one is getting a lot of attention.

The official release date is April 23, 2026.

How I Plan to Use Mine (When It Finally Arrives 😭)

Honestly? I'm still figuring it out, and I love that.

The Card Size is small enough that I could dedicate it to one single purpose and it would feel focused rather than limited. But I'm also tempted to let it be a little bit of everything: a wallet first, a micro-journal second, a tiny creative space when I'm away from my desk.

Here's what I know for sure: I want it in my bag every single day. Not on my desk. Not waiting for a "dedicated journaling session." In my pocket, in my hand, living in the world with me.

Or maybe I'll keep it entirely analog and minimal: wallet function only, one refill, nothing more.

Either way, it gets to tell me what it wants to be. That's always how the best notebooks work.

One Last Thing

I started this post talking about my months-long wallet search. The hunt for something that felt like me. Something intentional and beautiful and made to last.

I didn't expect the answer to be a TRAVELER'S notebook. But then again, some of the best things are the ones you didn't see coming ^^

This little brown leather Card Size is going to hold my cards, my cash, my morning thoughts, and probably a few receipts I forget to take out. It's going to get scratched and worn and absolutely gorgeous over time. It's going to be the thing I reach for a hundred times a day.

That's all I ever wanted from a wallet.

If you end up preordering one too, come tell me on Instagram — I want to know how you plan to use yours.

And if you haven't already, grab your free copy of Your First Intentional Page — my 11-page journaling guide for anyone who wants to build a daily practice that actually sticks. It pairs perfectly with a new notebook. Just saying. 😉