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Track Your Travel: Simple DIY Map Wall Art
St. Augustine once said that “the world’s a book and those that do not travel read only a page.” I like to think that I have a pretty healthy sense of adventure and have gotten a decent start at seeing the world. I love to travel and explore (who doesn’t?!), but in the midst of hectic everyday life, it’s sometimes easy to forget the adventures you’ve already taken, let alone think about places you’d love to see.
To help track my past travels and plot future escapades (and perhaps most importantly, add some life to my bare apartment walls) I needed something that was easy and cheap. I’m a new transplant in San Francisco, so let’s be real - I’m ballin’ on a budget.
I was originally inspired by an Instagram photo a friend took in Manistee, where visitors placed a pin through a map to indicate where they were from (which, by the way, is an awesome idea for a wedding guestbook). Anyway, I saw the photo, thought it was awesome, and promptly forgot about it until months later, when I was grappling with a particularly intense bout of wanderlust.
I started with two maps (one of the United States and one of the world), sewing pins, twine, double stick tape and a cardboard box (like I said, I moved recently – work with what you’ve got). I cut the box down to size with some scissors, used double stick tape to adhere the map to the cardboard, and the pins mark the locations while reinforcing the map to the makeshift (cardboard) matting. For the world map I kept it simple, pinning only the major cities and countries I’ve visited. For the map of the US I pinned cities as well, but added twine to mark the path of each cross country road trip I’ve taken thus far. Grab a few nails to drive it into the wall and you’re good to go!
Map of the United States 20” x 28” sheet wrap by Cavallini & Co.
Map of the World 20” x 28” sheet wrap by Cavallini & Co.
Looking for more travel inspiration? Check out our Travel, Adventure & Maps board on Pinterest!