The Vision
A Portrait of Our Planet
Beyond All Maps is my ongoing travel photography project, built around an ambitious vision: to create an ever-growing visual portrait of our planet.
Through personal journeys, authentic encounters and photography, I want to explore the people, landscapes, wildlife and cultures that give each place its unique identity.
Beyond All Maps is also a personal archive of the journeys, experiences and encounters that have shaped my life. But it is meant to reach beyond my own memories. By sharing these stories, I hope to inspire others to look more closely, learn more about our planet and find their own way beyond the familiar routes and maps.
The portrait may never be complete — and perhaps it is not meant to be. The world continues to change, every journey reveals new perspectives and there will always be another story waiting beyond the map.
The Photographer
Behind the Lens
My name is Thorsten Mehret, the photographer and traveller behind Beyond All Maps. For more than three decades, travel and photography have shaped the way I see and understand our world.
My journey began in 1996 with an eight-month backpacking trip around the world while I was still at university. Since then, I have completed two further journeys around the globe, lasting six and eight months, and travelled to more than 140 countries.
Returning to places over the years has also allowed me to witness how countries, cultures and travel itself continue to change. Familiar destinations reveal new perspectives, while every journey brings unexpected encounters and stories.
Photography is how I preserve these experiences and share what I discover. Beyond All Maps combines personal journeys with an honest portrait of each destination — its people, landscapes, wildlife, contrasts and everyday moments.
A lifelong journey to document the diversity of our planet.
The Journey
Why I Travel
I have never travelled to collect countries or to tick destinations off a list. Every journey begins with curiosity — a desire to understand how people live, how landscapes shape cultures and how wildlife survives in some of the world's most extraordinary places.
Photography allows me to preserve these moments and to share them as visual stories. Some places are breathtaking, others are challenging, but every destination has something unique to reveal.
Beyond All Maps is my attempt to create an authentic portrait of our planet — one journey, one story and one photograph at a time.
The Content
What You'll Find
Every destination featured on Beyond All Maps is presented through carefully curated Photo Stories and photography that go beyond the obvious.
- Authentic photography and visual storytelling
- In-depth Photo Stories and itineraries
- Wildlife, landscapes and remote places
- People, cultures and everyday life
- Travel inspiration from every corner of the world
The Project in Numbers
By the Numbers
Beyond All Maps is an ongoing project that continues to grow with every new journey.
140+
Countries Visited
90+
Covered in ...
70+
... Photo Stories
1
Ongoing Project
Start Exploring
Every journey begins with curiosity. Start with a destination on the map or follow the visual themes that inspire you.