Just draw me a map
Either it’s an insult or a blessing, when someone offers to “draw you a map”. For those who are often away from home, the road map is a necessity, even when the information has become dated and inaccurate. After all, major roads don’t change direction (often) and the various jurisdictions don’t change the numbering system (often), so if your “personal origami project” is reasonably recent, there’s a chance that you’ll be able to navigate from point A to B.
For decades, the Auto Club was the library of choice. After all, the TripTik holds a place of honour in the messy cars of vacationers across the continent. A map, drawn just for you, with up-to-date construction information and hints on getting fed, fueled and rested during your trek. Sure beats stopping and asking for directions.
Of course, technology has also been working overtime to keep the traveller informed. With a GPS, a laptop and a few DVD’s of data, you can find your way cross-country in your seven league boots. In a car, it’s easier then it used to be, and the satellites are always open for business. Sadly, the companies that supply the map data don’t keep the information updated, so you still will have to do some dead reckoning, from time to time.
But back to the Auto Club (pick your national affiliation). A brand name is important, and so is customer loyalty. The TripTik is now available online… if you can find a wireless hotspot, you can plan the next day’s excursion with information that is accurate to within a few days at worst. Heck, you can even print them out so that the floor of the car is never bare. The “really good versions” are still restricted to members, but for the rest of us, we have one more source of information. As the spokesperson said on the news this evening, technology is constantly progressing.
