The word travelling feels incomplete without the word map linked to it. Your travel plans always start with a map to decide the places you should visit. Whether it is an OS paper map that belonged to your parents or your very own smart plan, such as Google Maps, the utility and importance of a map are impeccable. Tracing your eyes across the various places you would want to travel and planning the route is an integral part of your travel plan. Embarking on travel planning with a map from a reliable website lays the groundwork for an enriching experience, and here are seven compelling reasons why it should be your first step.
As travel lovers, amazing collections such as scratch-off map helps us embrace the experience of visiting many parts of the world. Maps help us understand the place we are planning to visit, what it can offer, and the distance between different locations. All this helps you to script down the perfect itinerary to make your travel experience a worthy one. Maps can also be an inspiration to lost souls, who would miss out on the beauty of so many places otherwise. It helps them narrow down the area to travel. From there on, you have a lot of blogs, people, articles, images, and videos to motivate you to go on the trip. Every travel plan should begin with a map in your hand. Don’t know why? Well, here are seven reasons why starting with your map will enrich your experience.
1. You have the whole world laid out before you to choose from
Maps give us the gift of choices. When you have the world map laid out before you, it feels like every place is within reach. It motivates you to push beyond the boundaries and explore the beauty of the world through travel. All the possibilities and choices unravel from here. And with technology, maps are available on our smartphones. So now you can explore every nook and corner of a destination and understand the area in depth before you decide where to go. There are so many places in the world that we are yet to discover and so many adventures to take. One glance at a map will bring this epiphany in you, and this visual representation will push you to grab your travel bags and hit the road.
2. It gives you a better idea about what you can expect
Maps are an irrevocable part of travel, especially if you decide to take a road trip adventure. They give you an idea of what you can expect on your way. It shows you the routes you can take and the ones you should avoid, thus making the trip more comfortable and safe. It also gives you the option of choosing alternate routes that might be faster or more suitable for your mode of travel. It is impossible to remember all these details or even understand the details about the place that we are about to visit without the company on the map.
3. It can help you travel cheaper and smarter
When you log onto online maps, you have all the viable ways to reach a destination placed right before you. You will get a better understanding of the mode of transportation to take, which alternatives you can look at, which of these will fall in your budget, where to rest during the night, and more. Many times we miss out on cheap travel options because we do not make an effort to explore the map. Often, we might not know about a small airport located quite close to the destination that might offer cheaper airfares. You can uncover these travel tricks using a good map and exploring the areas around your destination.
4. It can help you in times of emergency
More often, weather conditions bring the entire country to a standstill. Snowfall, heavy rains or storms could disrupt the entire city and cause havoc. And in such a case, flying out may become impossible. A glance at the map, and you can figure out the alternate ways of leaving the country without depending on local transportation alone. There might be a bus stop a few hundred kilometres away in the nearby city or a train that might get you closer to the next airport you can fly from. Maps help you figure out your travel in case of emergencies. It could also help you find the safest places to move to during such disasters.
5. It gives you a better idea about the destination
Every country or city has a few popular tourist destinations that you should explore. But maps help you learn more about the place than these crowded tourist spots. You get to know the physical makeup of the location, the water bodies, mountains, forests or other natural formations located close by. It helps you develop a geographical understanding of the place, which can help you derive more from your trip. This can help you list down all the potential places to go to, the best time to visit, the various activities you can do, and how to cherish the place to the fullest. Additionally, you might also have some images or videos tagged to these places that can give you an idea of what to expect.
6. It can help you craft a detailed plan
Making a detailed itinerary for the trip is exciting. From places to visit, eat, and stay, your maps can be the ultimate guide to planning your travel up to every moment. Whether it is sketching your travel route on a paper map or tagging it on your smartphone, either way, maps help you come up with the complete travel manuscript. What’s more, features in apps such as Google Maps also enable you to have alerts and alarms that ensure that you stay as per your plan. It will help you visualize your travel even before you venture into it and gives you satisfaction and peace of mind.
7. It helps to learn about the world and quenches your curiosity
If you like to take the road less travelled, then there is no better companion to you than a map. It makes the path ahead a little less scary and more exciting. Maps educate us about the world, its physical features and its surroundings. They give us knowledge about the world, where different countries or cities fall, and which places to go to. Beyond this, things like this customizable Humbo map can also serve as reminders of the places we’ve been and the things we have experienced each time we have ventured out of our comfort zone. This can make them even more invaluable as we criss-cross around the globe and explore off the beaten track.
With technology, there are various travel plan apps available that can give you a customized travel experience with the liberty to craft your travel map. So, grab a map and start sketching your plan.