“It’s a rainy Saturday night. Me and my husband cuddle up on the couch with a blanket. Our eyes are drawn to the map across the living room and we start to reminisce. The red dot, the place where it all started. Vienna. The city of my dreams. Since I was little, I wanted to visit this place that seemed magical to me. The city of Waltz music, Palaces, Viennese Coffee and Wiener Schnitzel. I could imagine myself there, tracing the footsteps of Mozart and Beethoven, walking along the richly decorated parades, making a boat ride on the Danube River. So when my husband asked me to marry him, I couldn’t think of a better place for our wedding than Vienna.”

“And the place turned out to be as magical as I hoped. On that very special day, all our guests gathered on a platform on the Danube River, decorated in white with beautiful flowers everywhere. While the sun set, its reflection shimmering in the river, we promised each other eternal love.”

“My eyes wander to the blue spots on the map, along the Danube River. Bratislava, Budapest, Belgrade. I think about the moment we left our guests and stepped on a ship together for our honeymoon. I can still feel the breeze of the cool river wind on my face, standing on the deck, watching the cities and nature pass by. Ah those honeymoon days.”

“Back home, I decided to create a map of the wonderful journey we made together. The map, showing all the places on the River Danube, not only shows the exact spots, but represents the journey of marriage as well.”

Design your own map here! https://great-river-arts.myshopify.com/products/design-your-own-custom-map

This story, told by one of our customers, gives us still goosebumps. As humans, we want to hold on to beautiful memories as long as possible. Unfortunately, memories will fade at some point. That is why we take photos and write down our thoughts. But maps can be a great way to capture your stories as well; they are the perfect tools for telling travel stories. 

Design your own map today! 

Maps were always used to capture travels. The early maps told the stories of brave adventurous men, exploring the world and conquering the oceans. Take Amerigo Vespucci for example, who was one of the first adventurers sailing the seas to explore the newly discovered continent America. After his voyages, a German cartographer created a new map of America and the Atlantic Ocean, naming the continent America in Vespucci’s honor. “To say this is a hugely significant discovery would be an understatement,” says Julian Wilson, Senior Specialist, Books, Maps & Manuscript at Christie’s. “Not only did this map change history with the introduction of the name “America’, which stuck forever after, but — for the first time — it shows the major features of the world we recognise today.” The map showed not only the newly discovered continent, but also Vespucci’s personal travel story.

Theodor de Bry, America Sive Novus Orbis Respectu Europaeorum Inferior Globi Terrestris Pars (1596), Map of America, or the New World.

Maps can be fascinating documents of our personal lives and the lives of our loved ones. As film director Peter Greenaway said: I’ve always been fascinated by maps and cartography. A map tells you where you’ve been, where you are, and where you’re going — in a sense it’s three tenses in one.” And he is right, maps have the power to capture our lives, stories and trips.

Why not design a map yourself, to commemorate your special moment. That one family trip through Europe, your honeymoon to Mexico or your last backpack travels? The journey itself is only the start. Having your trip turned into a map will make your memories last forever.

Please share your story with us! Comment below!