Old maps are one of the most versatile materials you can use in a junk journal. Their faded colours, winding roads, place names and unusual shapes instantly give a page a sense of adventure. You don’t need expensive craft supplies either—a discarded road map, an old atlas page or a damaged map can become the starting point for an entire junk journal spread.

Maps work especially well for travel-themed journals, vintage journals and explorer-inspired pages, but you can also use them in everyday memory keeping. Current junk-journal guides commonly recommend old maps as backgrounds, folded inserts and travel-themed ephemera, so there are plenty of ways to take the idea further.

Here are 20 creative junk journal ideas using old maps. (You can buy old maps here)

 

20 Junk Journal Ideas Using Old Maps

1. Create a Map Background Page

The simplest idea is sometimes the most effective. Cut an old map to fit your journal and use it as a full-page background.

You can leave most of the map visible or layer smaller pieces of paper over it. Add a photograph, handwritten note, postage stamp or small label to create a simple vintage travel page.

 

2. Make a “Places I’ve Been” Page

Choose a map showing somewhere you’ve visited and mark your favourite places.

Circle towns, cities or landmarks and add tiny handwritten notes explaining why each location matters. You could even add photographs or ticket stubs from the trip.

This turns an ordinary map into a personal memory page.

 

3. Make a Dream Travel Page

You don’t have to have visited the places on your map.

Choose destinations you’d love to visit and decorate the page with little notes about what you’d like to see there. Add travel-inspired ephemera such as postcards, stamps or luggage tags.

A map becomes a visual bucket list.

 

4. Turn a Map Into a Pocket

Maps are particularly useful for making pockets because many are printed on relatively sturdy paper.

Fold part of the map and secure the sides, leaving an opening at the top. You can then fill the pocket with tags, photographs, notes or smaller pieces of ephemera.

For an interesting effect, position the pocket so that a recognisable town, road or coastline is visible.

5. Make Tiny Map Tags

Cut interesting sections of an old map into tag shapes.

Punch a hole at the top and add string, ribbon or a small piece of fabric. You could write a destination, date or memory on the back.

Try choosing different parts of the same map so the tags feel like a matching collection.

 

6. Create a Fold-Out Map

Have a particularly large map?

Don’t cut it into tiny pieces. Instead, fold it into an accordion or gatefold insert so that it opens out when the journal is opened.

Folded map inserts are already a recognised junk-journal technique, particularly for travel-themed pages.

 

7. Make a Vintage Explorer Page

Give your journal an old-fashioned explorer theme.

Layer a map with torn book pages, handwritten notes, labels and small illustrations. A compass motif can help tie everything together.

You could title the page something like “Field Notes” or “Journey Log.”

 

8. Use Map Scraps for Collage

Don’t throw away the little pieces left after cutting your map.

Tear them into irregular shapes and layer them with book pages, newspaper, fabric scraps and other paper. Try overlapping several pieces so that roads and place names peek through.

This is a great way to use even damaged maps.

 

9. Make a Hidden Journaling Spot

Attach a piece of map to a larger sheet of paper so that it opens like a flap.

Write your private journaling underneath the map. From the outside, the page looks decorative, while opening the map reveals your writing.

It’s a simple way to add an interactive element.

 

10. Create a “Follow the Road” Page

Use a road or railway line on your map as the visual path through your page.

Add arrows, small labels or handwritten thoughts along the route. You could tell the story of an actual journey or invent a fictional one.

The existing lines on the map naturally guide the reader’s eye across the spread.

 

11. Make a Map and Postcard Collage

Combine an old map with postcards.

Place the map underneath and layer postcards, stamps and small labels on top. Leave parts of the map uncovered so it remains obvious what the background is.

This works particularly well for vintage travel journals.

 

 

12. Create a Map Corner Pocket

Instead of using an entire map for a pocket, cut a triangle or rectangle from one.

Attach it to the corner of a journal page and tuck a small tag or photograph underneath.

This is a brilliant way to use smaller scraps that aren’t large enough for a full page.

 

13. Make a “Where This Story Happened” Page

Maps don’t have to document holidays.

Use one to represent an important place in your life—a childhood home, favourite town, school trip or memorable day out.

Mark the location and surround it with photographs, dates and handwritten memories.

 

14. Create a Vintage Postal Page

Pair map pieces with envelopes, stamps and postal-style labels.

Use the map as a background and add a small envelope containing a handwritten note. You can even use a map scrap as the envelope flap.

The combination creates a wonderfully old-fashioned correspondence theme.

 

15. Make a Compass-Themed Spread

Cut a circular section from a map and place a compass illustration or compass-inspired design over it.

Surround it with small labels such as “North,” “South,” “East” and “West.”

Keep the rest of the page relatively simple so the circular map becomes the focal point.

 

16. Create a Map Window

Cut a window into another piece of paper and place the map underneath.

When the page is turned, a particular location is revealed through the opening.

This works especially well when you choose a recognisable place name, coastline or landmark.

 

17. Make a Mini “Journey Log”

Create several small map pages throughout your journal.

Each one can represent a different journey, day or destination. Add the date, location and a short memory beside each map fragment.

Eventually, the separate pages become a visual record of your adventures.

 

18. Combine Maps With Nature

Maps don’t have to be exclusively about travel.

Layer map fragments with botanical illustrations, leaves, flower imagery or nature-themed paper. The contrast between precise geographical lines and organic shapes can make a really interesting collage.

 

19. Make a Map Cover

If you have a large, sturdy map, consider using it on the cover of your junk journal.

You can wrap it around cardboard or an existing cover and then add a title, label, fabric strip or other decoration.

Because maps already contain so much visual detail, you may only need a few embellishments.

 

20. Create a “Choose Your Own Adventure” Page

For something more unusual, make the map part of a fictional adventure.

Draw a route across it and add little numbered stops. At each stop, write a question, memory, story prompt or fictional event.

For example:

1. The Journey Begins
2. The Hidden Village
3. The Forgotten Road
4. The Final Destination

This turns an ordinary map into an interactive storytelling page.

 

Final Thoughts – Junk Journal Ideas Using Old Maps

The best thing about using old maps in junk journals is that you don’t need to make them perfect. In fact, torn edges, faded printing, folds and worn sections can make the finished page more interesting.

Maps can become backgrounds, pockets, tags, fold-outs, covers and even storytelling devices. They also pair beautifully with postcards, stamps, envelopes, photographs, book pages and other pieces of ephemera. Travel-themed junk journals commonly use this combination because the materials naturally reinforce the idea of exploration.

If you’re just starting, try one full map background, one pocket and a few tiny map tags. Once you start cutting into an old map, you’ll probably discover dozens of possibilities hiding in the roads, borders and place names.