personalised big trip map gift

DIY gift for my husband: A map of our honeymoon big trip around the world

A special gift tutorial: embroider your honeymoon route, or a big family trip onto a vintage map.
Perfect DIY Valentine or birthday gift for a husband or daddy!

I made this DIY big trip map gift for MisterPodge for Valentine’s this year.  After we got married (almost 5 years ago now) we took an 8 month honeymoon and travelled around the world before starting our family.  It was a fantastic trip and I wanted to record the route to show Pickle and Chops and also remind my husband and I of the adventure we shared!

world love map finished

To make a personalised big trip map DIY gift, you will need:
– an A3 map to mark your route (I used a free printable vintage world map from Knick of Time)
– a pencil
– a needle
– some playdoh or blutac
– embroidery thread
– a frame for your finished map

Photo 17-02-2014 21 43 14

COST: pennies
AGE: older kids/adults
TIME: over an hour

How-to make a personalised big trip map DIY gift:

  1. Choose and print your map
  2. Mark your big trip route on the map in pencil
  3. Use a needle to perforate your route, leaving approx 5mm between each hole (place some playdoh or blutac beneath your map, so as not to pierce your work surface (or leg!)
  4. Sew your route, using embroidery thread and the holes that you’ve just made.  I used running stitch for our overland travel (trains/coaches/cars) and back stitch for our flights.  I also added a heart shape for home (where we began and ended our trip).
  5. Erase any visible pencil marks, frame your personalised big trip map and present your DIY gift to your loved one(s)!

Big trip love map gift

Have you been anywhere exciting?  Are you planning a big trip this year..?
I’d love to see India, Madagascar and Egypt…

Show 67 Comments

67 Comments

    • Thanks Michelle (heavily influenced by Pinterest I have to admit)! 😉

  1. What an amazing gift – and it looks like you had a brilliant trip judging by all the places you visited!

    Briliant!

    • It was totally amazing – can’t wait to take the kids to see some more of the world..! 😀

  2. I love your gift, it’s such a clever idea! What an amazing honeymoon you went on!

    • Thanks Louisa. We were so lucky to be able to go away for that long and see so many amazing places 🙂

  3. I went to Dubai 2 years ago! That was lovely! I visited NYC in 2007 but really would love to see more of the States!

    What a stunning idea!! I love it!

    • Thanks Lucie! I love NYC too – would happily go every year for a shopping weekend (if only I had the funds)! 😉

    • LOL! Maybe you could sew your dream RTW route on a map and then start saving for an anniversary trip, Jen..?! 😉

  4. Wow, I love this!! And I am so envious of your trip, it looks like an amazing route! And to travel for 8 months…I can only dream of such a thing!!

    • It really was! Lots of long coach journeys though. We didn’t realise quite how HUGE S.America is until we got there! 😉

    • Thanks Emma – it was a total once-in-a-lifetime experience! 😀

    • Thanks Suzanne! I have no clue how to work a sewing machine, so everything is hand-sewn here! 😉

  5. Oh my word, this is the best gift! I love it!

    We went to Bruges in the half term, we’re going to the South of France in the summer and hopefully Copenhagen in October. I love travelling.

    • Thanks Steph! Oh I LOVE Bruges!! 😀
      Not been to Copenhagen yet – will you let me know what it’s like please?

    • Yup – and got pregnant the day we landed home (Valentine’s day)! 😉

  6. What an amazing honeymoon that must have been! I really love this gift idea too, so thoughtful.

  7. This is such a lovely gift! I would love to do something like this for Paul x

    • Yay! Do it! Doesn’t take too long once you get into a rhythm…

    • Me too! Honestly, I could wallpaper my whole house in maps – I love looking at them (especially vintage ones) 😀

  8. What a fantastic idea! I was really lucky in that I had always wanted to visit the Middle East and North Africa and ended up getting a job in Oman. While there I visited Dubai and Kuwait. While in Oman I met an Egyptian guy who eventually became my husband and Daddy to the Mini Grumpy Egyptian. We have visited Egypt lots (not recently because of the problems there), but I have to say it was without a doubt my favourite place EVER. It is such an amazing country and the people are so full of life! We are hoping that once things settle we can take the mini one to meet my husband’s side of the family. If you decide to go there, let me know and I can suggest a few off the tourist track things for you if you like 🙂

    • Awww, that’s wonderful that your travelling led to you finding love!
      Egypt is top of my list as soon as it’s safe to take the kids there – I will SO be picking your brains – THANK YOU! 😀

  9. I hope your hubby appreciated the effort, this is such a lovely gift and what an amazing trip to remember. An 8 month honeymoon is pretty impressive and I am very jealous! It must have been lovely to recollect happy memories as you stitched the route on the map.

    • Absolutely Kirsty – I’d forgotten the finer route details and had to look back at our photo album to jog my memory (and showed the photos to the boys at the same time) – we had so many fantastic adventures along the way (volcano-climbing, desert islands, turtles, hang-gliding, helicopter-riding, bungee-jumping, horse-riding, wine tasting)… 😀

  10. Bek

    This is a wonderful idea! 8 months-wow! I wish we could do that. Maybe we’ll have 8 months away when we retire?! 🙂

    • Yes! Start planning! I am hoping to replicate our route in luxury once we retire! 😉

  11. This is such a cute idea!! I love DIY gifts! 😉

  12. What a fabulous idea. It is my one regret we never travelled so plan to do it she the kids are older!

  13. If we ever get to do our road trip around Europe I’m definitely making one of these!

  14. What a fantastic idea, We’re off to Paris next month, can’t wait!

    • Wow – I love Paris – am SO jealous! Have some Lauduree macaroons for me please x

  15. WE do not have plans for this year holidays as yet… but Nepal is a possibility

  16. Wow! That is amazing! I love it! So sweet and also personalised!

  17. This is so amazing! I can’t think of a more romantic way to spend a honeymoon 🙂

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