So Worth It: Scratch Off Maps
In this series titled, “So Worth It,” I will be reviewing travel related products that I think are really cool. I am not compensated by the companies that make these products, and the reviews I give are completely my own.
In this post, I will write about the wonderful scratch off maps I found online. I had visited a couple’s house to play board games and noticed scratch off maps in their dining room. They had a large one with the world, and they would scratch off any countries they had visited. They also had a scratch off map of the United States to scratch off any state they had visited. Have you ever purchased a lottery ticket where you have to scratch off gold foil to see if you have won any money? It’s the same concept on these maps. You scratch off the gold foil of the places you have traveled to in order to reveal a color.
After visiting their house, I looked online to find these maps or similar maps. I believe I found one on Etsy and another one on another website, maybe even Amazon. I then found frames for each at either Walmart or Hobby Lobby or one frame from each store. I then went to work scratching off the gold foil. I started by using a quarter because that is what I would use when scratching off lottery tickets. However, that ended up leaving indented scratch marks on the map. I then tried an eraser, and that seemed to do the trick! It was easier to use than a quarter, and it didn’t leave indents on the map! It left a clean smooth surface to see the color underneath the gold foil.
I tried leaving the clear plastic off the frame, but I needed the plastic to keep the map in place and inside the frame. So every time I travel to a new country or state, I have to take the map out of the frame, scratch it off, and then put it back into the frame. It is a bit of a hassle, but I think it is worth it. In fact, I think scratch off maps are SO worth it! It is such a cool visual to see where you have traveled to and where you have yet to travel to. I cannot wait until more color shines through the gold foil!
Now that I have a husband, it does feel a bit selfish that I have these maps up in our office that reflect my travels alone. Thankfully, he doesn’t seem to mind. If you don’t have a scratch off map yet and you have a significant other, you might want to consider getting a map that you scratch off the places that you have traveled to together. I still have quite a ways to go to scratch off the entire U.S. map and world map, but it is fun to look at. I would like to make it to each continent if I can. So far, I have been to three continents: North America, Europe, and Asia.
As of April 2024, I have been to 18 countries, if you count the United States where I live and Germany where I just was in an airport on a layover. The eighteen countries I have visited include Canada, the Bahamas, Italy, the Vatican City, Turkey, Greece, France, Spain, Germany, China, the Netherlands, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Turks & Caicos, Dominican Republic, Ireland, Mexico, and of course, the country I live in, the United States of America. I have travelled to 41 states in the U.S. as of April 2024. I just need four more continents and 9 states to go, and then my ultimate travel goals will be complete! If you are a die-hard travel fan like me, I highly recommend you get a scratch off map, or two, to put on your wall to motivate you to travel and to show off where you’ve been. It’s so worth it!
