Travel virtually around the world, win access to our exclusive Hidden Gems Map and grow your Instagram page with our Instagram promotions prizes!

Quickstart Guide

Map Jumper is a unique travel game which exclusively takes place on Instagram. Once you become a Map Jumper, it will be all about “Kilometers”, virtual credits which you can earn by completing challenges and invest to virtually travel around the world. Those Map Jumpers who earn the most Kilometers in one month will be in the top 10 and win these prizes. Here is how you can join our thriving community of Map Jumpers:

  1. Follow Map Jumper on Instagram
  2. Register here and choose one of the countries in the drop-down menu. This is where you will start your virtual trip around the world. Your starting country comes with a welcoming video, a unique short story, fascinating facts, three challenges, and a country quiz. Start completing challenges and use the Kilometers you earn to travel to other countries. There you will get more challenges, which means more chances to earn Kilometers and work your way up into the Map Jumper top 10 of the month.
That’s it! After that we will send you everything and you can start collecting your first Kilometers as a Map Jumper. We will always keep you updated and are ready to answer your questions in the private chat of Map Jumper. And don’t worry, being a Map Jumper is not a full time job. Complete challenges whenever you find the time and there’s no need to participate every day, week or month. Try it out and enjoy the ride – it’s fun and 100% for free!

Jump around the World!

Pack your bags, come on board, fasten your seatbelts, and set out for a virtual trip around the world with Map Jumper, Instagram’s first and only travel game! Choose one of our ten starting destinations simply by texting Map Jumper your desired destination on Instagram, and before you know it you will be a member of our thriving community of Map Jumpers with people who share the same passion as you and me – traveling!

Once you tell us where you would like to start your virtual adventure, you will be right in the middle of our unique story: a Map Jumper sallying forth to visit all official countries in the world, seeking to learn more about the world, grow as a traveler, and share insights with the community. By completing our challenges, you will earn credits which will be called and used as “Kilometers”.

The more challenges you complete, the more kilometers you will get, and once your balance shows enough kilometers to cover your next trip, you simply pick your next destination and hit the (imaginary) road! 

Every new country comes with a unique short story, fascinating facts, new challenges, and a country quiz. Let us take a closer look on how this game works, what kind of challenges you can complete, and which rewards you can expect in return.

Gameplay and Challenges

While instructions, challenges and important links can be found on this site, most of the game will take place on Instagram. That means, you will receive personalized story elements and a list with the closest destinations as well as challenges and country quizzes in the private chat with Map Jumper. That’s also where you will notify us about the challenges you complete.

In addition, you will find those things AND your updated travel statistics, so how many monthly Kilometers you have, your current destination etc. in your profile on this website.

Map Jumper challenges are diverse and while they all must be submitted and confirmed on Instagram, the action scope is much bigger. New countries always come along with unique challenges which can all be found on this map. And don’t worry, once you receive one of those stories, we will provide you with all the important details you need to know.

All other challenges are listed below and can be completed any time and as often as you like.  These challenges and its requirements are:

  • Complete our Information Collection Questionnaire about one place of your choice (400 km)

  • Recommend Map Jumper successfully to other travelers. Once they sign up and complete the Map Jumper Challenge of Level 1, you will get 200 km.

  • Submit a hidden gem (place off the beaten path) you have discovered on your travels with our Hidden Gems Collector or in the private chat with Map Jumper on Instagram (50 km)

  • Follow Giving Getaway on social media (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest) (50 km each)

  • Follow all our weekly Travel Attendants (150 km)

  • Subscribe to our newsletter (100 km)

  • Write a story (around 3000 words) for our next eBook (1,200 km). Contact us first to discuss the topic.

  • Publish one of Giving Getaway’s blog posts on your website with a backlink) (300 km)

  • We tagged you in one of our stories or posts on Instagram? Repost the story or the featured post and get 20 km in return.

  • Mention and tag us for one month in your social media bio (“Map Jumper with Giving Getaway”) (200 km)

  • Add our website link to your Instagram bio and get 200 km for each month you leave it there.

  • Make a donation which we will use for our next charity project (20 km per 1€)

  • Create an Instagram guide with the top 10 sights/places in a country or city of your choice for us (250 km)

  • Write a blog post (1500 to 2500 words) for Giving Getaway’s website (800 km)

  • Give us feedback with our Feedback Questionnaire (100 km)

  • Create an Instagram highlight with the name “Map Jumper” where you collect all completed challenges and other Map Jumper stories (250 km)

  • You have an idea how to improve Map Jumper? Let us know and get 250 km in case we decide to implement it!

  • Read Giving Getaway’s blog posts and leave a genuine, content-related comment (60 km)

  • Share Giving Getaway’s blog posts on social media (80 km)

  • Recommend one of our paid Customized Information Packages successfully:
    • Holidaymaker: 400 km
    • Globetrotter: 600 km
    • Vagabond:  600 km
    • Nomad: 800 km

Simply notify us on Instagram about a completed challenge, for example by saying “I just completed the Information Collection Questionnaire about place xy”. Afterwards, we will review and check if you met all the requirements, which will usually take no longer than a few hours. In case you did meet all the requirements, you will be credited with the respective amount of kilometers.

How to (virtually) travel to other countries?

First, you will have to choose a country as your starting destination. All countries you can choose can be found on this map, and don’t worry, you don’t have to choose the country where you actually live. Since it’s just virutal traveling, you can choose any country you can find on the map.

After you informed us about your desired starting destination by texting us on Instagram, you will receive story elements, country facts and as mentioned above, a list with the closest ten destinations. 

Important to note: with Map Jumper, you will always travel from capital to capital. That’s why this list will show ten country names, their capitals, and the distance from your current location to those capitals.

For example: You decide to start your trip in Canada and you would like to travel to the United States, then the distance will be the beeline (!) between Ottawa and Washington, D.C., which in this case will be 733 km. Also note that there are several websites who state different distances. In case you would like to double-check, this is the website we used to calculate all the distances.

Also note, that some countries have more than one capital and/or not an officially declared capital. In these cases, we picked one of the capitals or administrative cities and you will always be informed about the capital once you reach a new country. If you would like to get an overview of all countries with all distances of the closest 15 destinations, you can always check this map.

Once you chose your next destination and your kilometer balance shows sufficient kilometers, simply notify Map Jumper on Instagram in the private chat, for example by texting “I would like to travel to France” and we will send you the new story elements, a new list of the closest ten destinations and an update of your travel statistics. These travel statistics will show:

  • Current Destination: country and capital you are currently visiting
  • Kilometer Balance: kilometers you have collected and that are available to travel
  • Monthly Kilometers: kilometers you have collected in one month, which will be key determinant of our monthly competitions
  • Travelled in Total: kilometers you have already “invested” during your trips
  • Visited Countries: the countries you’ve already visited
  • Free Flights: number of free flights

A “Free Flight” allows you to fly to other destinations without investing any of your kilometers. This feature can be earned and won in different ways, as a prize of our monthly competitions or as a reward for leveling up and completing some of our country challenges. Free Flights help you to avoid traveling terribly long distances.

For example: you have visited all countries in North and South America and now you would like to travel from Chile (Santiago) to the next closest destination, which would be Cape Verde (Praia) with a distance of 7,341 km.

To not spend weeks of earning those kilometers, you can invest a Free Flight to fly there, and then the game will proceed from Cape Verde as before. These kilometers will neither be added to your kilometer balance, nor will they count as the kilometers you have collected this month. They will only be added on the number of kilometers you have travelled in total.

Please note: you do NOT have to use a Free Flight to cross an ocean or a sea. You do not need to take into consideration whether you need to travel by land, water or air.

Rewards and monthly Prizes

A great way to win benefit from Map Jumper is to win prizes in our “Map Jumpers of the Month” – competition. Once you sign up for Map Jumper, you will automatically be part of this competition. All you need to do is trying to earn as many kilometers as possible by completing our challenges and hoping that you will be in the top ten by the end of the month. The deadline will be the last day of each month at midnight (UTC – 09:00 (!) (for example 10 am for Berlin, 6 am for New York City, 13.30 am for Mumbai).

All Map Jumpers who make it into the top ten of the month will win access to Giving Getaway’s exclusive Hidden Gems Map with now over 700 hidden gems! Besides, you can expect to win one of these prizes (please note that this is only a snapshot in time and that prizes will change depending on the number of players):


1st Place wins a “Map Jumper of the Month” post on this website
, a featured post and an extensive story promotion with 10 Instagram stories on Instagram. The winner will also be presented in the monthly newsletter and for an entire month on the homepage of Giving Getaway. The winner will also be shown as the “Map Jumper of the Month” in the Map Jumper bio and in the story highlight. 

2nd Place wins an extensive Instagram story promotion with 10 Instagram stories and a featured post on both Giving Getaway’s and Map Jumper’s Instagram profiles. The 2nd place will also be presented in the monthly newsletter and win a Free Flight.

3rd Place wins a featured post on both Giving Getaway’s and Map Jumper’s Instagram profiles, a shoutout and a Free Flight. Also, the 3rd place will be presented in the monthly newsletter.

4th wins a featured post on both Instagram profiles, one shoutout in our Instagram stories and a Free Flight.

5th Place wins a spot as our monthly Travel Attendant, one shoutout in our Instagram stories and a Free Flight.

6th Place wins a spot as our monthly Travel Attendant, one shoutout in our Instagram stories and a Free Flight.

7th Place wins 400 km for the upcoming monthly Map Jumper Competition.

8th Place wins 300 km for the upcoming monthly Map Jumper Competition.

9th Place wins 200 km for the upcoming monthly Map Jumper Competition.

10th Place wins 100 km for the upcoming monthly Map Jumper Competition.

Every day, you will find an overview of the current top ten in Map Jumper’s Instagram stories and every Monday, all Map Jumper’s of the Month will be presented in one featured posts on both of our Instagram pages. Shoutouts to the winners will publish during the upcoming month, while featured posts must be scheduled. In both cases you will need to provide us with anything you would like us to share or mention! You didn’t win anything or not what you had hoped to win? Then the might consider the following options.

Rules and Guidelines

To ensure a fair and smooth competition and procedure, there is a list of rules and guidelines you should be aware of and follow at all times. These rules and guidelines might be changed and updated over time, so please keep an eye on our Instagram highlight “Rules” to always be up to date. Current rules and guidelines are:

  • Please make sure to notify Map Jumper (not Giving Getaway) in the private chat on Instagram after completing a challenge, since email notifications and tags on Instagram might not always work or come with delay.

  • Challenges must be completed before competition deadline (midnight from Sunday to Monday (UTC – 09:00), for example Monday 10 am for Berlin, Monday 6 am for New York City, Monday 13.30 am for Mumbai). Afterwards, challenges must still be reviewed and might be refused if not completed correctly.

  • Twelve hours before the competition ends, we will no longer make updates on intermediate results and traveling to new countries will only be available again after the competition deadline.

  • Three new countries can be visited each week, but only one new country per day.

  • In case two or more Map Jumpers have the same amount of Kilometers at the end of the competition, it will be a shared place with the better reward for everyone (for example, 5th and 6th place have 500 km, both will be 5th place and win a Feature.

  • In the last 12 hours of the weekly competition, Map Jumpers will not be allowed to make more than 2,000 km.

  • Copyright violations when sharing any kind of information and content will result in an immediate disqualification! Shared knowledge and stories must be the intellectual property of the Map Jumper only and can not be copied from other websites.

  • Country challenges and quizzes must be completed before virtually traveling to a new country.

  • Hidden Gems submitted with the Hidden Gems Collector or in the private chat with Map umper must differ from those mentioned and described in Information Collection Questionnaires from the past.

  • When recommending Map Jumper to others, the new players must first complete at least one challenge before the recommending person will be credited with the rewarding Kilometers.

  • Instagram stories with completed challenges, announcements of submitted questionnaires and hidden gems, shoutout promotions and featured posts might be published with delay.  

Some of these rules are just implemented to ensure a flawless procedure (for example notifying us after challenges), while others represent serious violations of the law (such as copyright violations). Please just make sure to follow them to not make us issue a warning or, even worse, disqualify you from Map Jumper.

We might not always have the time to carefully check everything and look for copyright violations, but we do, and however close a competition might be at the end of the month, please don’t forget about these rules and what Giving Getaway, Map Jumper and our community stands for.

Investing Kilometers in Promotions and more

Instead of investing kilometers to travel further, you can spend them to purchase shoutout promotions on Instagram, Free Flights and even our Information Packages or future eBooks. Here is what it takes:

  • Shoutout: 1,000 km
  • Free Flight: 2,500 km

Please note, that these kilometers will be subtracted from your balance and that they will not be added up to the Kilometers traveled in total. Also remember that promotions on our profiles aren’t a guarantee for followers and more engagement! We just provide the platform to share your content and it is on you to deliver high quality pictures and interesting captions to draw attention to your account.

Useful Tips and concluding Thoughts

Congratulations of you have manages to keep reading until here. It’s true, this is a lot to consider, but in fact it’s quite simple and the best way to get into it is to get started. Sign up and you will see that all you need to know will be communicated in the chat on Instagram. Questions can be asked whenever they come up and feedback and suggestions can be provided in our Feedback Section. Coming to an end, we now want to give you some useful tips and hints:

  1. Think twice about where to start your trip. Some places (North and South America, Australia, China) will confront you with relatively huge distances. If you would like to level up quickly at the beginning, other places might be the better choice.
  2. Turn on Map Jumper’s post and story notifications to not miss any updates. Everything you just read is still just the beginning, and new features, challenges and weekly events are already in the making.
  3. Have fun! Even if you won’t end up on first or second place, there are plenty of ways to benefit from Map Jumper. Collecting kilometers at a slow pace will still make you a Giving Getaway Ambassador at Level 5, or simply invest your kilometers and purchase the rewards you want.

And now it’s time to pick your starting destination, enjoy our stories, complete your first challenges, and make your first Jump!

Read next:

About Giving Getaway

We help you make the most of your next trip – and at the same time support people and organizations protecting the climate or our animals!

Johanniter Christmas Truck Campaign

The “Johanniter Christmas Truck Campaign” is only one of many projects this organization is responsible for – but it’s a very special one!

About the Founder

My name is Christian Brandt, I founded Giving Getaway in 2019 and in this text I would like to tell you more about me and my story!

Christmas Gifts for Children in Bijela

46 people from all around the world donated 2.195€ which was enough to buy, gift-wrap and deliver 100 Christmas presents to the children’s home Mladost in Bijela on January 7th in 2021!

Subscribe to Giving Getaway’s Newsletter and Claim Your Free Copy of ‘100 Hidden Gems Across the Globe’ spanning over 100 pages!

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.