It is an all-around joyful activity, but with one exception; tracking your travels. Noting down the places you’ve been to in a smartphone app is just boring. This is where the top-rated scratch off maps of 2025 come in to spice it up a bit and turn this mundane activity into something exciting for the whole family.
These maps work by having a scratch-off layer on top. You can scratch that layer with a coin to reveal the places you’ve visited already. Plus, some of these maps also come with flags and markers for places you would like to visit in the future. However, before you buy a scratch off map, remember that you will be using it for a long time. So buying a high-quality map is critical if you want to keep your progress intact.
Luckily, you don’t have to spend any time on this search as we did all the hard work for you. After reviewing a whole bunch of scratch off maps, we’ve curated a list of five of the best. Take a look.
This scratch-off map from Jarlink is one of the most thorough map sets on the market. It has everything you need to track your travels and much more. For starters, the 12 inches X 17 inches map of the US is layered with a gorgeous golden metallic foil that is easy to scratch, and it comes with a compact storage tube. Then there are the ten pin flags, but these have six unique colors instead of four.
This is where the story would end with most other scratch-off map packs, but Jarlink has included more. The activity stickers increase the level of detail you can store on this map, while the pin brush makes every scratch off as precise as humanly possible. It even comes with a microfiber cloth to clean the map and a pouch to store the stickers, flags, tools, and the cleaning cloth.
The Scratch The World map from Maps International takes a very unique approach to scratch-off maps. Most maps like this are designed to be minimal and artsy, with vibrant colors and patterns underneath the foil. This, on the other hand, focuses more on precision and accuracy than aesthetics. It includes everything from accurate boundaries to city and river names. Even the shading on the countries is varied to show their elevation and topography in an easy-to-understand way.
If you’re looking for a scratch-off map of the world for educating your kids, this is as good as it gets. Once you’re done teaching, this huge 23 inches X 33 inches world map can be used as an incredible wall decoration. Also, the light blue and dark gold aesthetic of this map in its unscratched state makes it perfect for decoration in professional environments like an office.
If you’re looking for the most picturesque scratch-off map out there, then this is the one for you. Its base color scheme is deep black and matt gold, which makes it perfect as a wall decoration in its unscratched state. The map underneath the gold foil is vibrant and colorful, making every scratched country stand out on this huge map. Plus, the foil is designed in a way to scratch off in precise chunks, maintaining the clean aesthetic of this map.
This map also includes the official sovereign flags of 197 countries from around the world. This inclusion has two main benefits. First is that you can mark the countries you’ve visited, without even touching the gorgeous golden foil on the world map. Secondly, if you’re using this map as a poster, you can scratch off all of the flags to add a splash of color.
This scratch off map pack from Landmass is the best value for your money. However, this value is not because of its price as its costs as much as other high-quality scratch off maps. But, what you get in return for this price is much more than any other pack. First of all, this pack includes two large 24 inches X 17 inches maps, one of the world and the other of the US. The US map, in particular, is extra detailed with clear state borders and recognizable landmarks. These maps include the flags of all countries and US states as well.
In addition to the map, this pack also includes an easy to hold scratching pick and colorful stickers with flag, post note, speech bubble, map marker, and star designs. Plus, you also get a carrying pouch to store these stickers in one secure place. All in all, if you’re looking to get into both local and international traveling, this is the 2-in-1 pack to buy.
There are a lot of ways to plan your next trip and archive your previous visits to the modern world. You can find hundreds of apps and websites that let you organize all that without any issues. However, seeing your weeks-long adventure in another country represented by a few pixels on a screen feels soulless. This is where scratch-off maps come into the picture and provide you with a tangible representation of your experiences.
Here are a few of the most prominent reasons why you should invest in a quality scratch-off map.
Scratch-off maps are the nicest way to represent your travels. The places you’ve already visited are immediately noticeable, thanks to single color foils and colorful background maps. These are especially effective if you want to visit every US state, for example. You can also use these maps to plan ahead with the help of flags and stickers.
Scratch-off maps are highly effective as a wall decoration, and there are many ways to go about it. You can keep using the map when traveling and frame it in glass and wood once you’re done. Or, you can hang a brand new map unscratched, as some black and gold scratch-off maps look fantastic on their own. Lastly, you can scratch off everything and enjoy a very colorful and vibrant map of the world or the US on your wall. All three of these methods have one thing in common, they look incredible.
Not many people know about this, but scratch-off maps are a great way to make geography interesting for children. For example, you can teach your kid about a new country every day, and if they understand your lesson, they get to scratch that country. The reward of scratching off a country will keep them motivated to learn about new places around the world. You can also use the same technique on a smaller scale for teaching kids about all 50 US states.
These are the attributes you have to look out for when shopping for a scratch-off map.
The first attribute you have to account for is the size of the map. Ask yourself these questions. Do I want to carry the map with me on my travels? Do I want to hang it as a wall decoration after I’m done using it? If yes, then how much wall space would I have? Answers to these questions will lead you to the size that is right for your specific use case. If you’re buying a scratch-off map as a gift, however, then getting an averagely large size like 24 inches X 36 inches is the best option.
The quality of foil is the most important aspect of a scratch-off map. Make sure that the one you’re getting is high-quality and can be scratched off easily. But, also have to be firm enough to hold on, even after years of use and storage. Both, foil that takes too much force to scratch and foil that falls off on its own are a waste of your hard-earned money.
The next attribute to evaluate is the quality and design of the print. If you’re buying a world map, for example, make sure that the names of all of the countries are clear and legible, both over and under the foil. Once you’ve chosen a few options with quality prints, it’s time to look for the right design.
In a perfect world, scratch-off maps will include the names of prominent cities and destinations in every country as well as the name of their states and provinces. Unfortunately, this approach leads to messy maps that are impossible to read. So, the perfect design is somewhere in the middle of these “complete” maps and the ones that only have the names of countries on them.
The last factor to notice about a scratch-off map pack is the additional accessories that come with it. A quality map is enough on its own, but things like flags, stickers, cleaning cloths, and scratching picks are nice to have as well.
Yes, and no. Yes, because black and white maps look classy as wall decoration. No, because it would be challenging to locate and scratch smaller countries with precision. Plus, the lack of color will make it difficult to notice all the places you’ve been to.
This depends heavily on the color and design of the map you have. If the map has a white background and colorful countries, then a neutral black frame will tie it all together. On the other hand, if it has a black background with golden foil and a gold theme in general, then a rich wooden frame is the way to go.
The ideal tool is the scratching pick that comes with most maps. But, you can also use other objects like spoons and coins.
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