There is a small pleasure in revealing a new patch of colour on a travel map. The action gives a journey a visible place at home, turning a wall display into something that changes with your experiences.
The I Was Here scratch-off world map 2.0, designed by Art. Lebedev Studio, used that idea in a Russian-language edition featured in 2015. A removable surface covered the colours below, allowing travellers to mark places they had visited.
A physical record with a simple mechanism
Unlike a pin map, the scratch-off design changes the surface itself. The result is a growing pattern of revealed areas, with the untouched layer providing contrast.
The original product feature documents the edition shown here. Treat its photographs as a design archive, rather than assuming that an old linked shop still supplies the same version or language.
If you are considering a similar map today, the most useful questions concern the exact item being sold: dimensions, language, edition date and how small places are represented.
Readability matters more than the promotional picture
A large wall image can look elegant online while making small labels difficult to read from your sofa. Think about where it will hang and how close you can comfortably get when marking a place.
Check the detail around regions you know well. Does the design include the islands or small countries important to your own travels? A pleasing global outline is not always the best format for recording regional journeys.
Set a rule that fits your memories
You might reveal a country after your first substantial visit, or mark only the areas you explored where the design allows it. Neither approach needs to become a competition.
Write your chosen rule somewhere in a companion notebook. It saves a surprisingly common dilemma later, when an airport connection or a brief border crossing makes you wonder whether a place belongs on the display.
Keep the details somewhere else
A map cannot hold every part of a journey. Add a short note for each trip: the date, one place you would return to and one experience you had not expected.
If several people share the map, give each person room to record a different memory. The same destination can mean a wonderful meal to one traveller and an absorbing conversation to another.
Care for the object you have
Follow the maker’s instructions for removing the coating and supporting the paper. Work gently on a stable surface and clear away loose material. Different products use different finishes, so advice for one edition may not suit another.
For a different visual approach, see Bold Tuesday’s peel-away map. If you prefer making a record from materials already at home, try our paper-map projects. A useful travel record is one that invites you to remember, not one that tells you how much of the world you still owe yourself.
Hi! Where can I find this in india?
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