The comedian Demetri Martin said, “I wanna make a jigsaw puzzle that’s 40,000 pieces. When you finish it, it says ‘go outside.'”
While our activities in the outside world are curtailed, sales of jigsaw puzzles are up over 300%.
We once shared vacation photos on social media. Now we share shots of our completed jigsaw puzzles.
The good news is that working on jigsaw puzzles has benefits that include improved short-term memory, better problem-solving skills, lower stress levels and increased attention to detail.
Here are a few of our favorite travel-related puzzles, including some for children starting as young as 2.
Dream Globally (pictured above)
We like puzzles with lots of colors. Not only are they more fun to look at, they are easier to put together. Maybe you’re hardcore and would love the new Heinz Ketchup puzzle that has 570 pieces that are all red. But not us.
Vintage Travel Posters
We love this montage of travel puzzles. This would be a fun one for the family to work on together, perhaps generating a discussion of places you’d like to visit one day.
National Parks
There are thousands of puzzles of National Parks to choose from. Pick your favorite or find a collage of photos from several of them.
Create Your Own
A jigsaw puzzle made from one of our travel photos.
I travel with my college friends every year, alternating from a large lake home in New Hampshire to one on the Isle of Palms near Charleston, South Carolina. A few years ago I started having a puzzle made from one of our photos, which I took on the next year’s trip.
They were a big hit so now we pick an evening, put on our best puzzle-worthy outfits and take a photo that I use to have a puzzle made for the following year.
I do the same thing with my husband’s four siblings and spouses, who we gather with once a year. It’s become a fun tradition.
Recently, I had one made for our friends, The Murphys. A few years ago we traveled with them on a cruise in Greece and enjoyed a magical dinner at Ephesus, the ancient Greek city in Turkey. I made one for us as well and really enjoyed working on it.
I have mine made with Shutterfly and have been happy with the quality. You can select from four size, ranging from 60 to 1014 pieces. You can choose one photo or collages with up to nine.
Please note puzzles are taking a bit longer to receive as others have had the same idea.
Travel-themed Puzzles for Children
Puzzles are great for the cognitive development of children, starting as young as 2. Working on a puzzle helps with their hand-eye coordination, development of motor skills, memory and shape recognition. They also help with setting small goals.
Here are some puzzles that are fun for the younger set.
– Jan Schroder, Editor-in-chief