25 Travel Tattoo Ideas That Express a Love of Adventure

Traveling is one of life’s greatest pleasures, and many people choose to commemorate their journeys by getting tattoos. These travel tattoos serve as a reminder of the amazing experiences and the beautiful places they’ve visited. For anyone who loves to travel, there are countless tattoo designs that can express that love of adventure.

From intricate maps to minimalist airplane symbols, there are endless options to choose from. In this blog post, we’ve rounded up 25 of the best travel tattoo ideas that will inspire you to take your wanderlust to the next level. Be prepared to be in awe of some truly amazing tattoo designs and discover the right sort of travel ideas for you.

Epic Journey

Travel tattoos that look like collages are extremely popular today. We are treated to gorgeous natural imagery here as well as images that highlight a love for cycling.

Ain’t No Mountain High Enough

In this gorgeous, triangular-shaped travel tattoo we find mountains, trees, and birds. The birds seem to escape the frame, hinting at a love for traveling to new destinations.

The Spectator

Colorful inks have been applied in the most curious way in this travel tattoo. We find a woman peering through binoculars that reflect a blue sky. It acts as the perfect contrast to the red sun in the background.

All Around the World

Watercolor tattoos are one of the biggest trends in recent years. The effect has been employed for this travel tattoo that shows a colorful world being encircled by a paper airplane.

Sail Away

Small travel tattoos of planes are popular but for ships, you won’t find them open. That makes this design very special. This pair clearly loves to go on adventures together as they have got matching designs.

Cool Compass

Compass tattoos are so popular that they are practically ubiquitous. We find one here with a silhouette of a hiker due north.

The Wanderer

“Not all who wander are lost,” is a very popular sentiment that you will find in a number of travel tattoos. We love this traditional design that features a compass flanked by handsome flowers.

Hot Air

Another popular subject matter for travel tattoos is the hot air balloon. This is the first tattoo we share that has a balloon but it won’t be the last!

Time to Take Off

Small planes are very popular among travel tattoos. This one has a beautiful ombré effect that goes from teal to navy blue. Teeny tiny clouds and stars help sweeten the deal here.

Take to the Mountains

We find a pocket watch shape that’s been filled with a mountain landscape in this travel tattoo. It’s a brilliant idea that looks so smart. Choosing an object to frame your tattoo is wise as it gives the overall look a more defined appeal.

Stamp It

Stamps are also popular among travel tattoos. These designs offer a somewhat nostalgic look and, this one, in particular, has a cool vibe thanks to the minimalist beach scene.

The Voyager

Think of the objects that make travel so memorable and special and include them in your design. Suitcases, passports, cameras, and others all apply here.

Take a Little Trip

If your mantra is “go big or go home,” you can make your travel tattoo a full or half-sleeve with ease. Maps and globes are great to turn to for maximal coverage.

On a Trip to Paradise

If you favorite place to travel to includes sandy beaches, you can celebrate them with a travel tattoo that incorporates palm trees, beach balls, sand castles, and other relevant imagery.

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Safari Memories

Isn’t this elephant portrait breathtaking? We love the landscape elements that have been incorporated that give a real sense of place and setting.

Floral Fun

Wow! These travel buddies got maps of the world that are filled with floral details. What a clever and lush idea!

Time for a Road Trip

America is huge and you can access most of it via a car. So, get a travel tattoo of your favorite vehicle. This can include RV’s and motorcycles as well.

Storied Stonehenge

For a travel tattoo that highlights a specific journey, brainstorm specific iconography to tell your story. Here, we are treated to a depiction of Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England.

Choose Your Path

Here’s a fun travel tattoo that begs the wearer to choose a new path to ramble down. For those who love to hike, you could do no better.

Wanderlust

In this neo-traditional travel tattoo, we find the word “Wanderlust,” draped over a classic globe. What word best describes your love of adventure?

Faces and Places

Faces formed from single lines are a really popular trend right now. This person has taken the theme to new heights by incorporating them into a map of the continents. How beautiful!

Stamped

Travel tattoos that look like passport stamps are a fun idea that can grow with each adventure you take. Work with an artist who has a point of view and they can be as revelatory as these are.

Let’s Go

A travel otter? Sure! Think outside the box when conceiving your travel tattoo and you could walk away with a truly singular design. These cute little otter is at the ready with a suitcase and a hiking boot. How darling!

Of Land and Sea

Wow! We find an eagle cradling a circle with radiating lines here. Half of the design is committed to the sea while the other focuses on the mountains. If your travels take you from shore to shore, you know what to do.

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Up, Up, and Away

As promised, here’s another hot air balloon travel tattoo. It’s spectacularly covered in rainbow ink and it appears to have a bucket of paint pouring onto it. Dazzling!

A travel tattoo can be a powerful and meaningful way to express your love of adventure. Whether you opt for a simple symbol or a detailed map, your tattoo can serve as a constant reminder of the amazing experiences you’ve had and the places you’ve explored. As you plan your next adventure, consider commemorating it with a travel tattoo that will remind you of the incredible journey you’ve taken. We hope our list of 25 travel tattoo ideas has inspired you to take the leap and get inked!

For even more ink inspiration, check out these awesome compass tattoos!

With Geometric and Natural Elements

This stunning compass tattoo design combines geometric shapes with a small turtle for a truly eye-catching piece of art. The lines and shapes of the tattoo provide a beautiful backdrop to the intricate details of the compass.

The Jetsetter

Compass tattoos with airplanes are popular because the combination signifies adventure and a love of travel. Also notable, there is a band formed from a geometric pattern that the compass sits in, which is a great idea!

Realism

Woah! We’ve got one of the most realistic compass tattoos with this example that looks like real silver. Find yourself an artist with true talent and something similar could be on the horizon for you.

Making Waves

Here’s a modestly-sized compass tattoo that also includes an anchor. Anchors are extremely popular pairings with compasses. Further, we find a wave and some birds, giving this one a sailing vibe.

King of Compass

Okay! We’re not sure what the lion is doing here, but it certainly looks interesting as an addition to this compass tattoo. Perhaps they wanted a design that also symbolizes loyalty and power.

On a Map

If you’d like to expand your compass tattoo to a full or half sleeve, here’s how you do it. With the addition of a map, which is common, you can cover more real estate.

‘Peace and Tranquility’

“Guide me towards the ocean, where I find peace and tranquility,” the person who shared this compass tattoo captioned the image. Do you get this sense when looking at this compass tattoo?

Back to Basics

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel with your compass tattoo. A basic, tidy design will serve you well. This blank ink looks nice but you can always go for your favorite color for even more expression.

From the Mountains to the Sea

“Find yourself” and “Lose yourself” are sentiments on opposing sides of this compass tattoo. There is also a mountain landscape and a seaside one to help balance everything out. What a clever design!

Charting New Territory

Here’s another compass tattoo that takes up a considerable amount of space. It has not one but two compasses. The more, the merrier, right?

Watercolor

Watercolor tattoos are one of the hottest trends right now, so we were not surprised to find several compass tattoos with the technique as we researched these designs. This is the first but it won’t be the last one on this list.

Where Eagles Dare

We love any tattoo that celebrates nature, and this one puts wildlife front and center with a stylized eagle with spread wings. So many people get the exact same thing, and you definitely don’t want that. So, think outside the box.

A Little Cutie

Here’s a cure compass tattoo with some white ink for highlighting. It’s okay to go with a straightforward design if that’s what speaks to you.

Smaller Still

Here’s an even smaller compass tattoo, and we’re here to tell you that small tattoos often make the biggest impressions. Placement for smaller tattoos is so much easier, so if you’re thinking of getting your design on an unconventional part of the body, it’s a safe bet.

With an Arrow

Arrows are also popular among compass tattoos, as you might expect. They are also symbols of direction and stability. Smaller-scale maps and landscapes also look smart in this example.

RELATED: 25 Arrow Tattoos To Point You In the Right Direction

Traditional

“Lost my way,” this traditional compass tattoo says. If you want to celebrate the history of the art of tattooing, going in a more traditional direction is a way to keep this style alive.

A Shimmering Beauty

Here’s one of our favorite compass tattoos on this list. We just love the luscious florals and the choice of gold for the compass. Isn’t it just magical?

Neo-Traditional

Neo-traditional tattoos use classic shapes and motifs while creating something fresh and modern. We love the unique flowers that flank the compass in this energetic design.

Delicate

We’ve surveyed many a bold line so far on this list, but delicate ones are also fabulous. Aren’t these darling flowers the perfect compliment to the perfectly executed compass shape?

‘Lost in Space’

Again, if you want to expand your design to make it cover more of your arm, you can create a scene with imagery that hammers home your concept. We find a space exploration scene in the above example described by the person who shared it as “lost in space.”

Inner Workings

Matching

Because compass tattoos are so universally beloved, they make for great subject matter for matching tattoos. They represent a shared direction and friendship.

In Paradise

Here’s a rather dark design that’s big on drama. For your compass tattoo, think of your favorite place to be. Let the compass be your guide to it for a fun design. This person clearly likes the tropics.

Exhilarating Color

Here’s another watercolor design that has a cool geometric pattern. We prefer watercolor tattoos with as much color as possible, so don’t hesitate to request as much if you feel the same way. Bravo!

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Reflection

Finally, we leave you with another realism tattoo that’s well-executed. It’s simpler and more straightforward than previous compass tattoos in this mode which we are fond of. What do you think?

There you go! Now, you have seen dozens of examples of cool compass tattoos. We hope you got some great ideas to take to your tattoo artist. Further, artists can create a custom piece for you. You don’t want to copy a tattoo, right? It needs to tell your story. For even more ink inspiration, keep reading. We’ve got arrow tattoos we think you will like as well.