Where Have I Been? An Interactive Travel Map
Published:
The idea
I’ve moved around a lot — Thailand, the Netherlands, random corners of Europe for fieldwork. I wanted a way to show that visually, not just list it on a CV. The result: an interactive map with clickable pins for each place, a short caption about why I was there and what I took away, and maybe a photo or two.
It’s also a very me project — geography, personal narrative, and technology all in one.
What AI helped with
A lot, actually. I described what I wanted (Leaflet.js map, custom markers, popup content, responsive layout) and Claude scaffolded the initial HTML/JS structure. Then I started editing it to understand each part.
The captions were a collaboration too: I wrote raw notes about each place, Claude helped shape them into something readable without losing my voice. We went back and forth a few times — some suggestions felt too polished, so I kept the rougher versions.
What I learned so far
- Leaflet.js is genuinely beginner-friendly once you stop fighting the tile layer attribution
- AI-generated code is great starter dough — you still have to knead it yourself
- Describing what you want precisely is a skill. Vague prompts give vague maps.
Reflections
The map works! But it’s not pretty yet, and I haven’t solved mobile pinch-zoom gracefully. That’s the next thing to figure out. I’ll update this entry when it’s ready to share.