When my husband and I married I promised to travel the world with him — and to bring the children along too. He’d spent a year exploring before we met and I always wanted to see more, but jobs and kids made it harder. We’re still on that mission; it’s become a lifelong plan. To mark our journeys we keep a world map on the wall — it’s an inspiring piece to have in the house.
The map hangs in our dining room and reminds us at every mealtime of where we’ve been and what we’ve done. It sparks lots of conversation. During lockdown we used it to explore the planet with the kids by asking questions like “Which is the largest country?” or “What ocean is near us?” We play games, too — trying to name countries from A to Z can be surprisingly tricky. Guests often comment on it as well.
We bought some cute pins and stick one in the map whenever we visit somewhere new as a family. It’s a shame we didn’t make it to Dubai this year, but we’ll go someday. So far we’ve mostly visited places in and around Europe; we haven’t travelled much further afield with the children yet. The furthest I’ve been is Malaysia for our honeymoon — I loved it.
Our map is a 100 x 70 cm canvas from Lana KK in a brown, vintage style. We chose it because it makes a statement on the dining room wall and we really like how it looks. You can find similar maps in that size for under £100, or choose a poster if you don’t want canvas.
How do you record your family travels — a canvas map, a journal, or something else? What’s next on your destination list? I’d love to hear — leave a comment or find me on social media @mummyconstant.
