A personalized world traveler map could easily become the highlight of your home interior. Reminding the visited places and indicating the ones still left to explore, it will inspire you for future adventures
When personalizing a map, one might raise a question about what kind of personal details to choose. It can be a quote, a family name, or a personalized legend of the map. It seems simple, but the choice you make will determine if you’re satisfied with the final result.
Below you can check out 7 ideas for a personalized map, as well as their pros and cons. After weighing every one of them, you’ll be able to make the right decision.
1. An inspiring quote
There are lots of great inspiring quotes that can make your map special. A well-chosen quote will give you motivation and inspiration to act on new adventures and experiences.
Examples:
“Live with no excuses and travel with no regrets”
“Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer.”
Pros:
- A good motivation and inspiration to travel;
- Quotes can represent your thoughts and opinions;
- You’re not obligated to mark only certain peoples’ travels (as it happens when you put peoples’ names on the map).
Cons:
- Some quotes might get old or not as appealing after some time.
2. Names of travelers
A map that has your name on it – it cannot get more personal than that. Such a map could help you track your achievements, the places you have visited, and the ones that are still left to explore.
Examples:
“Rachel’s World Travels”
“Tom & Anna’s Travel Adventures”
Pros:
- A name on the map makes it very personal;
- It can be a great gift for someone as well as encouragement to travel more;
- It stays relevant even after a few years.
Cons:
- The map can only be used by one or two people whose names are on it.
3. A legend with bullet points to write down names
Another way to write down the names on the map is by using a legend with bullet points. Every traveler is assigned a different color of pins which they use to mark the cities and countries they have visited.
Example:
“Johnsons’ Family World Adventures
• Anna
• James
• Erica
• Together”
Pros:
- A great way to personalize a push pin travel map;
- Every traveler gets a color of their own, therefore, it’s easy to track who has been where;
- Good for families whose members often travel separately.
Cons:
- Only the people on the list can track their travels. To make it more convenient, we recommend adding a bullet point “Together” or “All the family”.
4. A legend with bullet points for the visited/ planning to visit places
The legend of the map can be divided not only according to names but also places that you have visited and places you still plan to visit.
Example:
“Paul’s World Travels
• Places I’ve been to
• Scheduled trips
• My Bucket list”
Pros:
- You can mark not only the places you have already visited but also the ones you only plan or wish to visit;
- You’ll be able to see your travel goals every day, and this way you’ll stay motivated!
Cons:
- Such a map is mostly useful for a single person or a family whose members always travel together. Different colors of pins mean different travel statuses rather than people.
5. A greeting for the recipient
Another great idea is to write down a personal greeting on the map. Before you do that, we recommend thinking it through very carefully, so that the words you choose would remain relevant with time passing.
Example:
“Happy 18th Birthday! We wish you traveling around the world. Mom & Dad”
Pros:
- The recipient of the map will always know and remember the person that gave them this special gift;
- It brings back nice memories about a special occasion.
Cons:
- The greeting might get old and look irrelevant with time passing.
6. Names of newlyweds and the wedding date
A personalized world traveler map can also be a meaningful wedding gift. To make it more personal, you can use the ideas mentioned above, or put down the names of the newlyweds, their new family name and the wedding date. In this way, you’ll encourage the newlyweds to track their travels as a married couple.
Example:
“Megan & Tom Johnson’s World Travels.
Since April 2, 2020″
Pros:
- A very personal and meaningful gift;
- A good motivation for the newlyweds to travel;
- They can track their travels as a married couple since the wedding date.
Cons:
- Some newlyweds might want to mark the trips they made before the wedding. In such a case, writing down the date is not practical.
7. Company logo
A world travel map can also be a good fit for a company. You could mark the places your team members traveled to for vacations, you can pin the company offices in different countries, places where your clients are located, or directions where the company is planning to expand to. To make the map more personal, put a company logo on it.
Pros:
- It fits your company’s style and looks good in the office.
Cons:
- It can be unclear what is being marked on the map. Next to the logo, it’s worth putting down an explanation about the purpose of the map. For example, “Our team’s vacations”, “Our clients abroad” etc.”
Things worth thinking through before you personalize your map:
- Number of people that are going to use the map;
- Is there a chance this number might change with time passing?
- What will be the order and logic of the pins on your map?
- Can the words you write down on the map lose their relevance after a few years?
A personalized world traveler map will fill you up with good emotions – every day you’ll be able to remember your best travel memories. It can also be a very special and personal gift for your loved ones, parents, friends, or newlyweds.
A well-chosen personal touch and a good quality map will never go out of style and will give you joy for a lot of years.