Scratch Off Map vs. Push Pin Map | Which One to Choose?

Scratch off map is quite a popular way to mark the places you’ve visited. They are often cheaper than maps on canvas, however, these two types of choices are rather different, and there are some things you need to pay attention to when choosing your own travel map.

THE USAGE

Push pin travel maps are used for marking specific and precise geographical places. They are also suitable for tagging places where your family and loved ones live, where certain events are taking place or where your business is growing. These maps can be used many times, every time tagging something new that you need.

A map on canvas, just like a painting, serves as a piece of interior décor – it often becomes the main focus of a certain space. You don’t need to spend too much money to hang it – the map is ready and fixed on an underframe, all you need is a few screws in the wall.

Scratch-off maps, on the other hand, are posters. In order to frame and hang them, you need to spend extra time and money. Otherwise, a scratch-off map will usually remain hidden somewhere in a drawer.

Moreover, scratch-off maps are covered by a special layer for scratching (just like the lottery tickets), and after every scratching-off, you need to clean and collect the little pieces of dust. Such kind of maps is only suitable for marking countries, and not specific places that you’ve visited.

GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION

Push pin travel maps are often full of various geographical data. Even though scratch-off maps also have geographical data on them, it is hidden under a scratch-off layer. Until you visit a specific country, you cannot actually examine it on the map.

How do you mark your trips on a push pin map?

• Specific places that you’ve visited, such as cities, lakes, etc., are tagged with pins;
• With the help of these pins, you can even mark a route of a cruise;
• By using different colors of pins, you can assign different meaning to them and in this way mark separately the trips of different people or different time periods.
• The whole family can tag their trips in one map (for example, by using pins of different colors);
• All the geographical data is easily seen, so you can explore and expand your geographical knowledge and plan future trips;
• You can tag countries that you dream of or just plan to visit in the future;
• Using the same pin, you can attach pictures, notes with dates of the trip on the map, or come up with other creative solutions.

How do you mark your trips on a scratch off map?

• You need to scratch off the whole country, not just a city. For example, if you just visited Warsaw, you need to scratch off the whole of Poland.
• When you’re scratching off, the map itself can be slightly damaged. After a while, it might lose the looks and quality.
• A scratch-off map is more suitable for individual trips – if you scratch off the places that the whole family visited, it might be hard to understand who traveled where.
• Because of geographical and manufacturing aspects, it can be hard to mark non-traditional solutions: travels done by sea, airports, beaches, etc.
• There’s no option to tag the places you only wish to visit.

CONCLUSIONS

A scratch-off map is well suited as a cheap version of a map, a fun activity and opportunity to learn the geography of different countries.

A push pin map is recommended for those looking for a stylish piece of interior décor, wishing to mark specific places individually or with the whole family, and seeking for a nice and lasting home decoration.