Are you an avid traveler? My husband and I love to travel and here’s a budget-friendly way to track your travel with this cute DIY travel map.

DIY Push Pin Travel Map

When my husband and I started dating, I rarely traveled more than a short road trip away. Since then, we have traveled to many states and even overseas. I started using an app to track our travels but really wanted something to hang on the way to remind us of all our memories. I try not to overdo the trinkets and souvenirs from every place we visit, so this push pin travel map does just the trick! Check out my ideas below on how to make this budget-friendly map and be able to keep all your trips in order through color coding!

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In one quick glimpse you can see every place in the entire world you have been and with just a little thought, imagine where you may go next. The excitement and memories that all flood back into your mind is priceless. It’s also a conversation starter if you have guest is over. There are tons of places to buy ones already made, but the ones I loved are made on canvas and they are pretty expensive, especially if you want a decent size. (The one I wanted was $300 for a 24×36. Yikes! )There are other budget-friendly options like the scratch off ones but I didn’t feel that it is hang on the wall worthy. I also wanted the United States to have outlines of the states. Most of the world maps did not. So we moved to the best option any crafty person could think off and that is to make it yourself with a little DIY project! So, let’s get started!

WHAT YOU NEED:

• Push pins
• cork board
• map
• liquid nail
• caulk (optional)
• molding
• vinyl / Cricut (optional)
• paint
• French cleat picture hanger
• drill or screwdriver

How to Make a Push Pin Travel Map

I started with the same premise as the DIY craft board I made. The same sort of style would tie into the room nicely. Most of these things I got off of Amazon. To make it even more inexpensive for myself, I asked for these items for Christmas. 🙂 Since most of them are inexpensive (less than $30), my family didn’t mind getting them for me which worked out perfectly.

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The frame just adds a sort of polished and elegant look to your travel map. Basically, you are making your own picture frame for all your travel memories. The frame is very easy to put together. Before you go to a hardware store like Home Depot. Measure the size of your cork board and map. I did have to trim just a little bit off the map for it to fit completely on the cork board. Don’t just measure once, measure twice! Then off to Home Depot or a similar store to purchase the molding. There are many different options for molding so if you see a different one you like better, by all means, use it! This one was cheap yet pretty so we grabbed a plank and heading to their saw section. I love that Home Depot has places to cut down the molding to what you need before you even leave the store. This saves a ton of money on tools you don’t need to buy, like a saw. Measure twice again, mark with a pencil and cut with the saw.

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After you cut all 4 pieces to the correct size, now you must cut the angles so they fit together like a frame. Home Depot once again wins! they have a miter box that guides your saw to cut at a 45-degree angle perfectly. Just line it up correctly and cut! Now I have to admit, this is a bit of an arm workout compared to a powered saw, but it’s free and done before I leave the store. You can also bring your map and corkboard with you to the store as I did so you can see that it all fits perfectly before paying and leaving.

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Don’t forget to grab the liquid nail and a small thing of paint before leaving. I got my paint from Hobby Lobby. Now that you are home, it’s time to assemble it all together. Using liquid nail, spread a thin line on the border of the map. Smooth it down and allow it to dry before gluing the molding on top. My cork board does not have a big frame, which is how I wanted it, so it does cover a little bit of the map. After you add a nice line of liquid nail and fit the frame together. Use a quick grip to hold it together in place. If you have any gaps in your molding or frame, add a bit of caulk and smooth it down. Allow it to dry overnight. Even though the molding I chose was white, I added a coat of paint just get everything super white. Lastly, add the french cleat picture hanger to your board and where you would like it on the wall and hang it up!

This will cost you roughly between $50-$75 to make if you make it about the size of mine. My cork board and map was 24×36. If you ask for some of the things on your Christmas list like I did, you can do the travel map for less than $30!

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Making a legend is totally optional, but as the years press on, it’s hard to remember what trip we took when. Color coding our trips by year with these push pins really help to remember all the highlights of every year we traveled. It works best using a Cricut and applying the vinyl. If you don’t have one, I’m sure you could ask a friend to make you one with their Silhouette or Cricut. I also added the years on top the pin box to keep track that way as well.

These push pins are my favorite! I got 600 in 10 different colors which give me tons of places I can go each year. They are short and have a small pinhead with is perfect for these kinds of cork boards and travel maps. It makes it easy to see and they are fun colors as opposed to just the primary colors like the other push pins. The push pins come separated by color (Hallelujah!) and a small nifty box for easy storage.

Now the fun part of adding all your travels! This is when you realize how long it’s been since your last adventure and that it’s time to start planning another one!

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