How to Make a Travel Map With Pins

Updated 6 October 2026

To make a travel map, add a pin for every place you have visited, give each one a category such as Been or Dream trip, colour the categories differently and download the image. It takes a few minutes and needs no account.

Decide what the map is for

A travel map can be a keepsake for the wall, a slide for a talk, an image for a blog post or a gift. Print maps want a calm base and large names. Screen maps can carry more detail. Choosing early saves rework, because the zoom level and the Light, Satellite or Terrain view all depend on the purpose.

Step by step

1. Open the Map Studio. Press Add sample places if you want to see how a finished map behaves, then Clear all when you are ready to start.
2. Type a city or landmark in the Find box and choose the result. Repeat for each place. For a long list, import a spreadsheet with Name, Latitude, Longitude and Category columns.
3. Open the Style tab and tick Colour by category. Each category gets its own colour, which you can change.
4. Choose a pin, circle or square. Circles look tidy on a world map, and pins feel more like a classic travel map.
5. Turn on a legend in the Style tab so viewers know what each colour means.
6. Zoom to the area you want, then press Download image.

Categories that work well

• Been and Want to go. The simplest and most popular pair. Use a strong colour for places you have visited and a softer one for the wish list.
• By year. Colour places by the year you went, so the map shows how your trips unfolded.
• By type. Cities, beaches, hikes and road-trip stops each get a colour or a shape.
• By person. Handy for a family or a group of friends who each have their own trips.

Keep names readable

A world map with 40 pins and 40 names is a mess. Press Auto-arrange names and the Studio moves the labels away from each other at the current zoom, so set your zoom first. Then drag any stubborn label to the spot you like. If it is still crowded, show names only for the places that matter, or turn them off and rely on the legend.

Zoom to tell a better story

One image rarely suits every trip. Make a wide map for the whole journey, then separate close-up maps for the cities you want to show properly. Save the project file after each one, so you can reopen it later and change a colour without starting again.

Add a route

If the trip was a road journey, draw the route as a line with notes at the stops, using Routes and areas in the Studio. The itinerary guide and the route planning guide go into more detail.

Ideas for a keepsake map

• A wall poster. Choose an A3 print layout, the Light view and a title such as "Our trips, 2018 to 2026". Print one test page first.
• A honeymoon or anniversary map. Mark the places you went in one colour, add the date to each name, and frame it.
• A blog or social image. Use a square layout, bold pins and large names so it reads on a phone.
• A bucket list. Add every place you dream of visiting in a different colour and update the map as you tick them off.

A simple plan for a first map

Start with ten places, not a hundred. Add them, set two categories, pick the Light view, run Auto-arrange and download. Once you like the look, add the rest in batches, and import a spreadsheet if the list is long. Save the project file after each session. Small steps keep the map tidy and make it easy to change your mind about colours or shapes later.

Common questions

Can I shade whole countries I have visited?

The Studio highlights one country at a time, with the rest of the world masked out. For a multi-country trip, pins in different colours show the journey more clearly than shading.

Can I keep the map and update it later?

Yes. Save the project file, and reopen it whenever you add a new trip. Your work is also saved automatically in your browser as a backup.

What size should I download for a poster?

Choose Print quality (3x) and a print layout such as A3. Check the print colour guide before sending it to a printer.