As a kid, we had a world map and a U.S. map, on one of our walls. We also had a globe on the desk in the tv room (which I still have btw!) It was always fun to use the map to see where my Grandparents, Uncles, or Aunts were travelling to that year. Be it Ireland, Alaska, Morocco, or Louisiana, we would be sure to get a postcard from them and then find where they were on the map, grab the encyclopedia (these were pre-internet days lol) and read a bit about their current location.

About a year ago we received a pretty clever gift which made me think of those maps and the globe which I had as a child. The gift was a world map, but it wasn’t just any world map from the center of a magazine. It was a “Scratch Map” which allows you to scratch off (like a lottery ticket) what countries and states you have visited. We recently just scratched off Montana and Wyoming, which made me realize how much of the world is left out there to see. It also motivated me to write a quick post about the Scratch Map, in case you’d not previously heard of one. For those that enjoy traveling as much as I do, it’s become an excellent way to reflect on where I’ve been and to plan places to go in the future.

If this pandemic has done anything, its reminded me that nothing is guaranteed and things can end in the blink of an eye. With the Coronavirus vaccines just starting to be rolled out and becoming available to the public, it might be a good time to study that map again. Hopefully we can get back to travelling, on the road or in the air, and living our best life sooner rather than later! Our map is framed on the wall next to the fireplace in our sitting room, waiting for us to scratch some more destinations off. I have a few ideas of where we are heading to next once we can make our escape. Where are you thinking about going next and where going to put your map?