Tag: car rental agency

Where To Find Travel Maps

Before going on any trip whether you are driving it or going by another other modes of transportation, it is important to have a variety of travel maps available. The last thing anybody wants to have happen is getting lost on his or her trip. Being lost takes valuable time away from enjoying yourself if it is a pleasure trip, or takes away from working time if the trip is for business.

There are several places to find travel maps, and most of them are very easy to come by. The two most obvious places in first getting travel maps is to go to your local grocery or convenience stores. They may not have a wide variety of maps, but they are a very good source for road maps that cover all of the United States. Another obvious place to go to for purchasing travel maps, in particular road maps is most any gas station. Anyone who has ever been lost in a strange town knows how important gas stations can be when in desperate need of a map.

Along with these places, another good source for obtaining various types of travel maps is by contacting the tourism office of your travel destination. They can be contacted through the internet or by phone. Along with maps, they can also send other information regarding their destination. This can be very valuable to people who have never traveled to that particular place before. Keep in mind, this source is usually best for people who have ample time to prepare their trip as it may take a little while to receive the requested maps.

Travel agencies can also be very helpful in getting travel maps. They generally have a wide variety of maps, which may be included in brochures for certain destinations. If they do not have a particular travel map you need, they usually know where to go to get it because of their large database of contacts.

Along with the traditional ways of getting travel maps, another source that has become very popular, are online travel maps. Using a variety of sites, all one needs to do is type in the starting point and the end point and a map along with driving directions can be printed up. This can be very valuable to anyone who is traveling last minutes and does not have the time to find maps other ways.
If you are planning to rent a car, talk to the car rental agency. They too can be very helpful in getting travel maps for practically any destination, or general road maps.

If the trip involves traveling by plane, just about any gift shop in every airport has some sort of travel map available. If you travel often, it may not be a bad idea to get several maps of various locations that you are interested in traveling to.

Once arriving at your destination, if you are still in need of travel maps, hotels are another place to look for these maps. You can obtain them either by simply asking the front desk for maps they can give, or by visiting the gift shop. They will also have brochures available for their destination, which will include small maps of the area.

There are many ways to getting travel maps, and while one source is not necessarily better then another, the most well informed traveler will say that using two or three sources for obtaining travel maps will generally be the wisest idea.

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Where To Find City Maps

Anyone who has traveled knows the importance of having maps available while in a city they are unfamiliar with. Along with that, most people know where they can find road maps, practically any store or gas station has them, but what about detailed city maps? City maps are just as easy to find, if a person knows where to look.

One of the first places to consider is the internet. On a map site, all a person has to do is type in there desired destination city, and depending on the website, can get a lot of information regarding that city in terms of where hotels, restaurants and other points of interests to travelers are located. This type of printable map becomes very handy to those that are traveling on short notice and does not have the time to obtain maps in other ways.

Another good source for city maps is a local travel agent. These offices have many different types of maps available for many cities both in the United States and around the world. If they do not have a specific map, they usually know how to get them. This is only an advisable venue for acquiring maps if the traveler has a little bit of time to wait for a map, in case it is not immediately available.

Another source, which often time may be overlooked, but is probably the most reliable source is the cities travel and tourism office. These offices can be found online and often times can be contacted by email or by the phone. They will be able to provide a person with not only good city maps, but also other brochures and information that would be interesting or evEn valuable to a traveler.

If renting a car is part of the trip, the car rental agency can also be a help in obtaining city maps. Talk to the agency either before traveling so the map can be studied, or upon arrival to pick up the car.

Hotels are also good for getting smaller city maps once arriving at the destination. Often times these maps are available in the room, and if not, the front desk should have them or know exactly where to get them.

If it is a real tourist city, there will be city maps practically at every turn, on the back of brochures, at gas stations, restaurants and anywhere else a tourist might go.

City maps are probably the easiest to obtain, depending on the actual city. They can also be of the most value to travelers who are unfamiliar with a city and do not want to waste time exploring the city on their own. Many people like to plot out their trip, know where there hotel is in relation to the specific sites or attraction being visited along with where other establishments are located that will make their trip more enjoyable. That is the purpose of city maps, and that is why they are probably so easy to get.

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What Savvy Travelers Know

Most people have been on at least one trip, whether that trip was for business or for pleasure, and whether that was a short road trip, or a long once in a lifetime vacation, the majority of people have traveled. What sets the savvy traveler apart from all the rest is experience and education in traveling. Traveling is meant to be enjoyable, but for some it is more enjoyable then for others. The reason for this is typically how prepared the travelers are. Preparation is usually the difference between a stressful and pleasant experience.

One of the best ways for travelers to be prepared is by giving him or herself enough time to make the necessary preparations, which include booking the necessary transportation, hotels, and other services needed while traveling. These are usually the first steps travelers take before their trip. However, another necessary preparation, which may be overlooked by those that do not travel often, is the gathering and studying of maps. There are many people who do this as a hobby, and there are others who never touch maps because they do not understand them and feel they are too much trouble. The savvy travelers know that maps are an essential part of any trip, whether a short road trip on a weekend or a trip around the world.

The first step that was mentioned is gathering maps. There are several resources available to travelers. A person planning a trip can buy road maps at most stores or gas stations. They can go to their local travel agency and they can also contact the travel and tourism office for their destination, this can be done online for those who know how to use the internet. Other methods for obtaining travel maps is shopping for specific ones online or calling the hotel or car rental agency that the traveler will be using and asking them for maps.

Once the maps are collected, the savvy travelers will study those maps, not just gather, and pack them. They will mark the route, which will be traveled if driving either by car, the whole trip or just once at the destination by using a rental car. They will circle any places they plan to visit either along the way such as rest stops or scenic sites along the road, along with attractions or sites at the destination itself. Savvy travelers will also keep their maps on them while traveling so they can easily be accessed when needed. A map will do a person no good if it is packed at the bottom of a suitcase or left at a hotel.

There are certain people that enjoy the thrill of spontaneity and do not care for planning. This may be all right for quick weekend trips to familiar locations; it is not necessarily the best idea when traveling to unknown places, especially when traveling to foreign destinations. Savvy travelers know it is best to be prepared, and enjoy the trip with little stress and hassle, which is what anyone hopes for while traveling.

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