Places of longing - my plan for 2020 was to go to New Caledonia - a place diametrically opposed to Switzerland: an island, tropical flora + fauna in abundance, the second largest reef of the World. Hence, things turned out different and all I have at the moment is this map...

In May 2019 Victor Vescovo broke the world record for deep diving. He descended 10,952 meters in his submersible. He saw amazing stuff over there. But he also found that plastic actually beat him in getting to the deepest parts of the oceans. How sad.

Mariana Trench is deep, very deep. Still, plastic and other types of litter are found on its seabed. Quite disheartening.

I started this map before lockdown, initially showing some interesting places to visit. I live in the CBD. Auckland and NZ is heavily reliant on tourism. The outline of the boat in the harbour is a ghost as are the hotels in the city. We are on level 2 alert, so things are almost back to normal. 49 known active cases in our country today, 16th May, out of 5 million inhabitants.No group gatherings of more than 10 are permitted, with the exemption of funerals. This is probably not quite to brief, but here I am. My first map.

One of the hottest surf towns in the Philippines! Check out these hip places to grab some food, relax on the beach, and have a great time.

Taronga Zoo is an amazing place to explore and discover wildlife. I visited it last winter when I was on vacation in Sydney. Unfortunately, large fires happened at the same time. This piece is to commemorate the wild animals killed in the fire and hope that people do not despise the power of nature.

This place is special to me because it describes my journey of relocating to a new city after living in my home country for 27 long years. The initial challenges and explorations are what this illustrated map is all about!
I and my partner [whom I call "Bunny" and is depicted as one here ;)] arrived in Melbourne in mid-year 2019. Melbourne being voted as one of the best cities to live in the world, we were very excited to discover the new city and somehow we managed to have a fair bit of it in the initial few months; from watching a footy game at the Marvel Stadium, watching penguins at the St. Kilda Pier to seeing KAWS at the National Gallery of Victoria. The crucial part was to find a place we could call our "Home", but after hopping from my sister's place to an interim Airbnb location and finally after a month finding our own house was a journey worth documenting. We were exposed to many different areas of Melbourne during the house-hunt in just one month of our arrival and eventually ended up exploring very interesting places and having some amazing experiences on our way.
After a few months, all I can say is - " Melbourne took my heart! "

Summers day spent at surfers paradise where we spent the holidays on the beach and visiting the theme parks - Gold Coast Australia.

I live in a beautiful coastal town on the east coast of Australia, 4 hours north of Sydney. There are lots of walks and places to see amazing native vegetation in the surrounding areas but my favourite is the one that follows the coast, and in the right time of the year you can even spot the annual whale migration.

This place is special to me because it was where I spent my 20s. I came to Wellington, New Zealand as an international student; and this place has greatly influenced who I have become. The city center is compact and everything is within 2km walking distance. The people are friendly, there are many places to eat and explore, and if you are lucky you may spot a Kiwi bird! I hope my map inspires you to consider Wellington as your next trip. We often say "Nothing can beat Wellington on a sunny day!" I love you Wellington. And thanks for the memories.

This place is special to me because, no matter what the season, this gorgeous valley in the Australian Alps has me enchanted with its ever-changing colour palette. From snow capped peaks in winter to golden leaves in autumn, it is my favourite place in the world to hike with my dog.

This place is special to me because, in the words of beloved broadcaster and naturalist, David Attenborough, "it's a place so extraordinary it is almost unbelievable". Only two hours after boarding a small plane in Sydney, myself, on of my closest friend and her lovely mum landed on Lord Howe Island and what I can only describe as absolute paradise. It is home to only 350 residents, up to 400 tourists and an abundance of animals, plants and sea life, many of which are endemic to the island. With virtually no cars, no keys to your accomodation, and no mobile reception or internet coverage it is the place to come and completely recharge your batteries and soak in the natural environment. Surrounding Lord Howe is the world’s most southern coral reef, and it only takes 5 minutes to get there from the shore. I’ve never seen such vibrant coral and abundance of tropical and sub-tropical fish, turtles, sting rays and dolphins. The rest of the time was spent hiking through the unspoilt forest and mountains, kayaking, cycling, watching the abundant bird life and eating the freshest fish I’d had in ages. There was no need to deprive ourselves of all modern day privileges though. Fine dining was only down the road at a nearby retreat as was a massage for those tired muscles. I feel so privileged to have experienced this World Heritage listed piece of heaven and hope to take my son one day before it too disappears (I might need to save up for the airfare though!). Despite the island’s conservation efforts, last summer was the worst coral bleaching seen due to warmer ocean temperatures. It would be a real tragedy to lose this unique haven.

This place is special to me because..it's vibrant, friendly, healthy and home. Brisbane is the capital city of Queensland, Australia. It's full of fun activities, fabulous beaches nearby, loads of beautiful parklands and a beautiful river that runs right through it. Come visit ! You wont regret it !

A map of the koala territories that I know of along the Murray River at Cobram & Barooga. I grew up on the banks of the Murray River in Corowa (just upstream from this map), but there was no koala population there. Since moving back to the area, it has been wonderful to find that the koalas are returning thanks to a very successful relocation and breeding program. I hope that this map will inspire people to visit our beautiful part of the world.

This place is special to me because it's one of the most magical place in the world and it has changed my life! I have met people there that have been so inspiring and I've experienced so many great things that it literally influenced the way I live today. I've been living a nomadic life for 6 years now travelling across 4 continents and nowhere else in the world have I seen so many pristine beaches and native wildlife in such a small area. Can you believe there are more than 100 beaches in less than 160km (100miles) of coast?! And how about meeting kangaroos, wombats, cockatoos, dolphins, whales and many more birds and animals almost on a daily basis?! You thought that would be it but you can also see powerful blowholes, impressive waterfalls, visit significant cultural places, eat at great vegetarian cafes, hike in the bush, surf... A friend of mine living in Huskisson one day described it as "living in Paradise"... well I totally agree on that!