Real men never stop to ask for directions
...but they do read maps. So before you head out, make sure you plot your course. These online map services will help you get from from Phoenix, Arizona all the way to Tacoma, Phildelphia, Atlanta, or LA.
MAPQUEST
MAPQUEST provides free easy-to-read online maps, driving directions and destination information to online and wireless users. MapQuest maps and driving directions can be viewed online, printed, downloaded to your handheld computer, emailed or faxed, making them easy to take along on the road.
The MapQuest Road Trip Planner also helps travelers find restaurants, ATMs, entertainment and attractions along the route. You can even view aerial photos to get a bird's eye view of surrounding areas. Mapquest offers detailed driving instructions to get you from your doorstep to the endpoint of your journey, most anywhere in the USA, Canada and 12 European countries. And there are road and street-level maps for dozens of other countries.
YAHOO MAPS
YAHOO MAPS offers a similar slate of features, including online maps, and point to point driving directions. You can integrate the service into your My Yahoo screen for added convenience. The ability to find points of interest, restaurants and hotels along the way is not integrated, but there is a prominent link to Yahoo City Guides.
Like Mapquest, Yahoo Maps provides interactive maps that allow you to pan and zoom for detail on any portion of the trip. The total distance and approximate travel time are also displayed. You can email the driving instructions, map the return trip, or generate a printer-friendly version of any map. Destinations that you enter are saved so that you don't have to retype them next time you visit.
GOOGLE MAPS
Currently my favorite, Google's new dynamic, interactive maps are draggable -- you don't have to click and wait for graphics to reload each time you want to view a different part of the map (unlike Mapquest and Yahoo). Just use your mouse or the directional arrows to move around or see areas that are hidden offscreen. You can also use the slider or plus and minus keys to zoom in and zoom out.
Even cooler, you can switch to satellite or hybrid view, which gives you access to satellite and aerial images of your locations, with highways, streets and business locations superimposed on the map.