Tag: travel map

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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When Globes Can Be Useful

Globes are maps, which are three-dimensional. They show the world as it truly is, round. When looking at a flat map of the earth, a person gets an unclear perception of the earth and the distance between places. When the world is depicted on a flat surface, the information contained on it is distorted, for instance, places are stretched out and may appear much larger then they really are

For children learning about the world, a globe is a wonderful tool in teaching them about our Earth, where places are located, and how far apart they are. They can get a clear understanding that our Earth is one great big ball that is connected on all sides, not a flat that ends on either side. In the days of Columbus, it was argued that the earth was flat, while this idea seems silly now, for small children who have never been introduced to a globe but have seen maps may very easily get the same impression.

Globes are not only useful for teaching children about the world, they are also important for travelers. Many people do not realize how useful globes can be when planning a trip, particularly by air. Traditionally it is said that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. However, people that have looked at flight paths before, see that airlines very rarely set out on a straight line they curve. Why is that? You would think that the airline would want to get to the destination as quickly as possible. The fact is they are, usually. Try this experiment if a globe or other ball is available. Decide on a starting point and an end point. Pull a string from each point in a straight line, and measure how long the string is, and then do the same thing only adding a curve, taking after a typical flight plan. You will see that the amount of string used this time is shorter. The reason for this is the simple fact, the world is round, and the shortest distance between two points on a round object is a curved line.

Most people would not dream of carrying a globe with them in place of an easy to fold, travel map, and with good reason. Globes are bulky and do not have the detailed information needed to travel from one point to the next. That is not what they are meant for. Travel maps are the appropriate choice for people who need to know how to get from one place to the next. A globes purpose is to show where places are in relation to each other, in a global sense.

Each type of map, whether flat or round is meant for a specific purpose and used to obtain different types of information. Just as it would be silly to use a globe in place of a good road map while traveling by car, it is clear that it would be just as silly for airlines to use a flat map when deciding on flight paths.

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How To Travel Across The United States

The United States has so much variety, that it would take a person a lifetime to see all that the different states has to offer. From National parks, to Forest, from theme parks to historic monuments, it is no wonder more and more people set out year after year, traveling across the United States.

If you or your family is planning on making a trip across the United States, either as one long trip from coast to coast, or just have plans to visit one state at a time, each time visiting a new attraction, the best way to plan these trips is by the use of maps.

There are several maps available. For those traveling by car, a road map, which can be purchased at practically any store or gas station, will be an essential element while making travel plans. These road maps come as a complete book including each of the fifty states, or a single map specifically for one state. It is a good idea to have both types of maps available if possible, as they will show different things on them, such as rest stops and points of interests. Along with a road map, it is also important to get detailed maps of the location you are planning on visiting. For instance, those that wish to travel to Washington D.C should plan to obtain travel maps specific for that area which would include where each of the historical monuments can be found along with where certain hotels are located. This type of information is very useful to people as they make their travel plans to states that are unfamiliar to them.

For those that have a goal to visit each of the states during the course of their life, it is a good idea to start collecting maps from each of the fifty states to get a better picture of what each state has to offer. It may surprise some people to find out what there is available to them within certain states. It is also wise to find out how long it takes to get from one state to another, and if it is possible to visit more then one state during a single trip. Travel maps are perfect for answering each of these questions, which in the end will make the trip more smooth and enjoyable.

Even those that are primarily traveling to different states for business, and who will not be spending a lot of time site seeing, a detailed travel map is also useful in determining where his or her hotel is in relation to where he or she needs to be during the business trip and where certain restaurants are. This is a time saver when someone is in an unfamiliar location. By the use of maps, it will prevent the person spending time wondering around the area looking for a place to eat or shop.

Traveling across the United States, regardless of the reason is very exciting as you are able to take in what each of the fifty States has to offer its visitors. By planning your trip with the use of maps, it is certain that you will be able to make the most of any trip you take.

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