Maps are a great way to visualize data, but they can never tell the full story. Whether it’s customers and prospects, houses for sale, or anything else that ends up in a spreadsheet, a map goes a long way to helping it make sense geographically. Once you’ve identified a single place on a map, it can be useful to go beyond the textual data from your spreadsheet. A well-placed image can give the location marker much more context.

They say an image is worth 1,000 words. In the case of the Infowindow (what Google Maps calls that popup box on top of a marker), there isn’t room for 1,000 words. An image, however, can help tell the story without taking up much space. BatchGeo makes it easy to create Google Maps from your spreadsheets and include images in the Infowindow.

Create and Resize Images

Before you can add images to your maps, you need to find or create the images to use. You don’t need any fancy photo editing software to do it. You likely have everything you need on your computer. Both Windows and Mac come with a photo viewing tools that have minimal editing features.

You’ll need some source images. You may have photos taken with your camera or perhaps you can find publicly-available, license-free images on Google. Either download them to your computer or navigate to where they are stored and follow these steps:

1. Double click one of the images to open in the viewer/editor application that comes with your computer. This should open up the file.
2. Locate the image resize option and select it. In Preview on a Mac, for example, go to the Tools menu and choose Adjust Size.
3. Set the width the 200 pixels and make sure to scale proportionally so the images doesn’t end up stretched out.

4. Save the file as a new name so you can distinguish this smaller version from the original.

You can repeat the steps for as many images as you need. If you have dozens or more of images, you can look for bulk image editors or resizing tools to save you some time.

Make Images Public on Dropbox

Now that you have image thumbnails, we’ll want to store them somewhere. In order to embed them in our map, they need to be available somewhere on the web. For that, you need a web server and not everyone has access or the ability to self-host their images. Thankfully, there are public cloud storage services that make this easy. Dropbox is one of the most popular. If you don’t already have an account, you can quickly create one for free.

Follow these simple steps to essentially turn Dropbox into a web server for your images:

1. Upload your images to Dropbox by moving a folder with your images into your Dropbox folder. You can also accomplish this through the web interface.
2. Right-click the first file in your folder and select Copy Dropbox Link. On Mac, you’ll need to hold the Control key while you click.
3. Paste the link into your spreadsheet or another location. Just make sure you have a way to remember which image goes with which link.

You’ll repeat that process until you have a link for each of the images. Each link will look something like this:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/rndmchrctrs12345/filename.png?dl=0

There’s one more quick change to make your image available publicly in the same way as a web browser. You’ll need to perform a find and replace in your spreadsheet. Search for www.dropbox.com and replace it with dl.dropboxusercontent.com. In our example above, the image will now have a link like this:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/rndmchrctrs12345/filename.png?dl=0

Now you’re ready to create or edit your map.

Add Image URLs to Your Map Data

Turning a spreadsheet into a beautiful web map is what BatchGeo does best. You can declare some columns in your spreadsheet as locations and some as data that you want to display. Your image column is neither of these. It will take the text, which should be a web address (such as Dropbox links) and embed the image within the marker box, called an Infowindow.

Let’s say you have a list of your customer names, locations, and links to a photo of each of them. You could store it in your spreadsheet like this:

Name	Address	City	State	Zip	Image
Caitlin Miller	219 W Channel Rd	Santa Monica	CA	90402	https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/mm1sdt66wh00b43/customer1.jpg?dl=0
Connie Dodson	445 Palisades Beach Rd	Santa Monica	CA	90402	https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/4yk4fcjmo6gegwq/customer3.jpg?dl=0
Ratliff Newton	250 Santa Monica Pier	Santa Monica	CA	90401	https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/ejkeo1t21ruqofn/customer2.jpg?dl=0

Notice the Image column includes Dropbox links using the dl.dropboxusercontent.com version. When I copy-paste the entire contents of my spreadsheet, including headers, into this simple map-making tool, it automatically produces a map like this:

View Dropbox Image Map in a full screen map

Click around and you can see the small thumbnails of my customer photos. If the tool doesn’t automatically pick up your Image column, edit your map. Choose Validate and Set Options, then Show Advanced Options.

Make sure that the correct column is listed for Image URL.

Make Advanced Maps Without Writing Code

Customer images are just one example of an image embedded in a map—and a simple example of the power of BatchGeo. There’s a lot more you can do without becoming a programmer:

• Create a customer sales map
• Include charts in your map
• Explore density with heat maps overlays

There’s a lot more you can do to explore the stories in your geographic spreadsheet data. Create a map today!

In honor of Presidents’ Day, we mapped the many international travels of past U.S. presidents. While presidential travels abroad weren’t common until the 20th century, there is now an abundance of data from the 19 presidents who did travel internationally. One president took 140 trips abroad while in office. Care to take a guess about which of the U.S. presidents caught the travel bug and traveled internationally the most? How about the president who preferred to keep their feet on U.S. soil and traveled abroad only once? The number of presidential trips abroad varied greatly from president to president, as did the number of times U.S. presidents visited certain countries. Some countries have been visited over 30 times by past presidents while other countries have only ever been visited by a U.S. president once.

View International Trips by Presidents in a full screen map

The map shows the international travels of past U.S. presidents, and if you keep on reading, you’ll learn about the trends of presidential trips abroad, pulled from the State Department’s list.

The Beginning Of Presidential Travels Abroad

There are only 19 U.S. presidents on the map as presidents didn’t begin traveling abroad until the 1900s. Public opinion and a lack of transportation limited presidential trips abroad before the 1900s and even throughout the first few decades of the 20th century. Before the 20th century, Americans favored domestic presidential travel. However, they frowned at the thought of their president rubbing elbows with other world leaders. But, as the U.S.’s role in international affairs changed, so did public opinion. In 1906, Theodore Roosevelt made the first presidential trip abroad to Panama City. This visit sparked the international travel bug in future U.S. presidents. Each president since Theodore Roosevelt has made at least one trip abroad while in office.

Transportation also played a significant part in the increase of presidential travels abroad throughout the 20th century. Early presidents traveled abroad by steamship, which took forever. This limited the number of trips abroad U.S. presidents were willing and able to make while in office. When Woodrow Wilson made the first presidential trip to Europe via ship in 1918, it took nine days. Yet, forty years later, after many transportation innovations, Dwight Eisenhower made the same journey by jet in just nine hours.

Presidents Who Traveled The Most

Any ideas about which U.S. presidents traveled abroad the most? Here’s a hint: the top three presidential jet-setters are also the three most recent past presidents:

• George W. Bush (2001–2009) — 140 international trips
• Bill Clinton (1993–2001) — 133 international trips
• Barack Obama (2009–2017) — 120 international trips

George W. Bush traveled abroad more than any other president to date. During his presidency, Bush visited Russia seven times. He also visited both Mexico and Italy six times each. George W. Bush took seven more trips abroad than Bill Clinton, but both Bush and Clinton visited 74 international locations around the world. Bill Clinton frequently traveled to Italy and Germany. He also dropped by the U.K. on seven different occasions. Obama visited 61 international locations in total, most frequently visiting Germany, which he traveled to 13 times. Obama also paid many visits to both France and Japan.

Presidents Who Traveled The Least

The U.S. presidents whose total international travels were in the single-digits include:

• Theodore Roosevelt (1901–1909) — 1 international trip
• Calvin Coolidge (1923–1929) — 1 international trip
• William Howard Taft (1909–1913) — 2 international trips
• Warren G. Harding (1921–1923) — 3 international trips
• Harry S. Truman (1945–1953) — 7 international trips

Where do these homebodies have in common? Roosevelt, Taft, and Harding all traveled once to Panama. Calvin Coolidge only traveled abroad to Cuba. Harding and Truman both traveled at least once to the U.K. and Canada. Taft and Truman have a trip to Mexico in common. In addition to the U.K., Canada, and Mexico, Truman also ventured to Belgium, Germany, and Brazil during his presidency.

The Ebbs And Flows Of Presidential Trips Abroad

It’s to be expected that the very first U.S. presidents to travel abroad didn’t make 100 different trips. However, after Theodore Roosevelt’s pioneering trip, other presidents followed suit, resulting in a steady increase in presidential travel abroad. William Taft traveled abroad twice. Woodrow Wilson made more international trips (10) than any other president at the time. Unfortunately, this is where the trend ended. After Wilson, Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge traveled abroad less than the U.S. presidents who came before them.

Harding’s decrease in international travel may be explained by his death 881 days into his term. However, Harding’s V.P. Calvin Coolidge served in office for six years and only traveled abroad once. After Coolidge, Herbert Hoover made 10 international trips followed by Franklin D. Roosevelt who made 52 voyages abroad. While FDR had a 12-year presidency in which to travel, Harry Truman, his successor, still had eight years to go abroad. Truman only made it abroad to seven places, though. Dwight Eisenhower then picked up the pace with 37 trips. John F. Kennedy made 16 out-of-the-country trips before his assassination. Lyndon B. Johnson traveled abroad 27 times, and Richard Nixon made 42 trips. Gerald Ford traveled less than others throughout his presidency. However, Ford was also the start of a new trend that continued until recently.

Obama Ends A Trend While Still Traveling More Than Most Presidents

Every president since Gerald Ford traveled more than their predecessor… until Barack Obama. Ford traveled abroad 19 times, Jimmy Carter 31 times, and Ronald Reagan made it to 49 places abroad. George H.W. Bush visited 60 locations and Bill Clinton set the bar high when he visited 133 different places around the world. However, George W. Bush blew them all out of the park with his 140 visits abroad. To be fair, 140 trips is hard to beat, even for Barack Obama, the U.S.’s first African American president. It’s an interesting pattern of increasing presidential trips abroad that ended with Obama’s 120 trips. But, we can still acknowledge that Obama visited more international locations than 84% of U.S. presidents who traveled abroad.

Countries With The Most U.S. Presidential Visits (And The Least)

Altogether, U.S. presidents have visited the U.K., France, Canada, Mexico, and Germany more than 30 times so far. On the other hand, there are 30 countries which have only been visited by a U.S. president once, like Bangladesh, Cambodia, Ecuador, and Kenya. Then, there are 17 countries where a U.S. president visited no more than twice. These include Bulgaria, Croatia, Cuba, Haiti, Iceland, Jamaica, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Syria, and Uganda.

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If you’re on a presidential kick, be sure to check out our other useful president-related maps like presidential assassination attempts mapped and the births and burials of U.S. presidents. Alternatively, head over to our map of the places named after George Washington to see just how many places named after America’s very first president are near you.

Last year, we showed you how the world loves on February 14th with a map of Valentine’s Day celebrations. This year, we wanted to make a map of the cities around the world where it will cost you quite the pretty penny to partake in the celebrations. That is to say, we mapped the cost of celebrating Valentine’s Day in 50 cities around the world. The results may make your heart flutter with the thought of that many zeros. So, in which cities will it cost thousands of dollars for a night out on February 14th? On the other hand, where are the cities that will save you nearly three times the cost of an L.A. V-Day? And which countries are in love with expensive holidays? Read on to find out.

View Valentine’s Day Costs by City in a full screen map

Explore the map above to see how much Valentine’s Day costs in each city, based on online florist BLOOMY DAYS’ recent research and World Atlas. Then, read on to see what we’ve taken away from this lovely data.

Big City Spenders

The “Cost total (USD)” is what BLOOMY DAYS discovered popular Valentine’s Day gifts and activities would cost in each of these 50 cities. It includes a dozen red roses, a spa package for two, dinner, drinks, and a movie (with snacks!), and a room at an upscale hotel. Below are the ten cities where the full Valentine’s Day package will cost you the most:

Rank	City	Country	Cost total (USD)
1	Los Angeles	USA	$1,316.22
2	Venice	Italy	$1,076.44
3	New York City	USA	$1,056.66
4	Sydney	Australia	$1,042.01
5	Zurich	Switzerland	$1,038.96
6	Melbourne	Australia	$1,032.79
7	San Francisco	USA	$1,020.88
8	Boston	USA	$979.64
9	Washington	USA	$952.90
10	Geneva	Switzerland	$952.20

Of the top ten most expensive cities in which to spend Valentine’s Day, five are located in the United States. In fact, celebrating one Valentine’s Day in L.A. costs more than one month’s apartment rent in 1,066 cities across the U.S. We’re not so sure how much rent costs in Australia and Switzerland, but we do know that both of these countries have two cities in the top ten. furthermore, an Italian city claims the #2 spot on the most expensive V-Day list. This isn’t too surprising seeing as Venice is the city of love.

Big City Savers

On the flip side, here are the five cities where you’ll spend the least for a night out on Valentine’s Day:

• Prague, Czechia — $458.28
• Cork, Ireland — $485.92
• Madrid, Spain — $529.88
• Belfast, U.K. — $565.07
• Cardiff, U.K. — $569.06

The most important thing to note from the list is that you could buy two plane tickets to Prague, one dozen red roses, a spa package, dinner, drinks, a movie, a nice hotel room, and you would still have enough money to fly back home for the same price as V-Day in L.A.

Countries In Love With Expensive Holidays

We took the average of each country’s cities to determine which country costs the most when it comes to spending a romantic day with a Valentine. While we acknowledge our limited sample size, the average of each country’s cities could still lead to an interesting trend or two. The following five countries cost the most on Valentine’s Day:

• Australia
• The U.S.
• Switzerland
• Denmark
• Italy

The number one most expensive country for Valentine’s Day is Australia. Australia has two cities on the list: Sydney and Melbourne. Both of these cities are in the top ten most expensive, ranked at #4 and #6 respectively. Together, they average a $1,037.40 Valentine’s Day cost. Next up on the list is the U.S. The U.S. has seven cities on the list of 50, five of which are included in the top ten most expensive. It’s not too much of a shock that the U.S. is the second most expensive country for Valentine’s Day celebrations. The U.S.’s average Valentine’s Day cost is $999.56.

In the case of how much it costs to spend February 14th in Switzerland, the country cannot claim to be neutral. Contrary to the Swiss’s past political leanings they clearly favor Valentine’s Day. There are reports that residents and visitors of Zurich, Geneva, and Basel will have to spend nearly $1,000 in order to celebrate. Zurich is the most expensive of the three, costing $1,038.96. Second is Geneva, where it will cost folks $952.20 for the full Valentine’s Day experience. Finally, those staying in Basel for the holiday can expect to spend $951.92. The average of these three cities comes out to be $981.03., making Switzerland the third most expensive country for a Valentine’s Day celebration.

Denmark’s one city on the list, Copenhagen, will cost folks $943.33 for a date night on February 14th, making their average the same. You’ll have to spend some cash on Valentine’s Day when in the country that is home to the city of love as well as Milan, Rome, and Florence. A day of love in Italy will set you back $855.39 on average.

Seven Surprising Cities That Didn’t Make The List

Since Virginia is for lovers, we’d love to see how much February 14th celebrations cost in its capital, Richmond. We’d also go gaga over that same data from cities and towns with names linked to Valentine’s Day. Do residents of Valentine, Arizona get as giddy about their namesake day as the folks of Valentine Island, Australia? How much do popular Valentine’s Day gifts and activities cost in Valentines Beach, New York versus the three cities of Heart’s Content, Heart’s Delight, and Heart’s Desire in Canada? We’d love to know!

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To sum it up, if your date suggests you fly to Prague on February 14th, you’ll know it’s because they’re trying to be thrifty. Another way to be thrifty? Make a free map of your retailers or sellers. After that, be sure to embed your new map onto your website.