40 Travel Inspired Tattoos from Travelers, Bloggers, & Myself
I got my third tattoo about two years ago now, and since then have been wanting a fourth. With travel being such a big part of my life, it seemed natural for my next tattoo to be travel related. From trains and planes, to globes and maps, or words and symbols, there are a lot of options out there. However, I knew instantly I wanted a compass and anchor. The compass for wondering and exploration and an anchor for staying grounded but also hoisting away. I love American Traditional tattoos, and Kris Magnoti, of New York Adorned is the best tattoo artist I know. He did such an amazing job on my last tattoo, I knew it’d be well worth the multi-hour drive back to NYC to have him do this one. Again Kris came up with a design beyond my expectations, and after a few hours under the needle, here you have it…
(Click the thumbnails for larger images)
It just so happens, a bunch of my fellow travel writers also have some really awesome wanderlusty tattoos. I asked a few of them to share their art, and what it means to them…
Seattle of Seattle’s Travels
The passport stamps are scanned directly from my passport and are from my previous travels. I personally love the reaction I get from fellow travellers no matter where I am. I’ve spent hours talking with perfect strangers after they spotted the Turkish passport stamp poking out on my shoulder.
Jon of We Travel Together
For a long time I had wanted a travel-related tattoo, I pictured something like a map and compass with a quote from Mark Twain. But did not know exactly what to get. But in 2014 I went along with Monica to book an appointment and then I just gave the artist from Brazil a general idea and he set to work.
Megan of Forks & Foot Prints
I got it while I was living in Bangkok, teaching English. It is a German rune called Inguz whose meaning varies across cultures. The significance that I latched onto was ‘to put action to your words’. Get it? ‘-ing’? I always talked about traveling and seeing the world and Thailand was my first experience and I was just so proud that I did it completely on my own.
Amanda of A Dangerous Business
I got the compass at home in Ohio to represent my love of travel and desire to explore the world. The “Wanderlust” came a year later in New Zealand. The script is unique – it was written out for me by calligrapher Daniel Reeve, who did all the writing and map work for the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies.
Tara of Where Is Tara
I have a little plane behind my ear. I got it when I decided that I wanted to make a big change in my life. I left my job, started my blog and set off traveling. For me the plane symbolizes my active pursuit of everything I truly want in life. It reminds me that I can always JUST GO if I want to, nothing’s stopping me.
Ian of Where Sidewalks End
Getting a bamboo tattoo from a monk was never on the top of my to-do list, but it ended up being one of the most important experiences of my life! With our father ill in hospital, and my brother on his first overseas trip, together we decided to get what is locally known as a Sak Yant, which is said to provide us each with an enchantment for protection in our travels.
For those of you looking for even more inspiration, I managed to scour Instagram for a ba-zillion other cool travel tats. You can find all these, and much more, on our Pinterest page. Also, let me know what you think of this ink, if you have a cool travel tattoo, or anything else by commenting below!
Leave a Reply