Mapquest for Directions

When planning a driving trip, it is, of course, always good to know how to get where you’re going.

Even if your pace will be leisurely, having the final destination clearly in mind will help make it more fun and less stressful. Many will use a local travel map for this, and you can usually pick these up at any gas station or rental car center. However, there is a better way to be prepared, which can complement your travel map.

Mapquest is a website designed to show you a map-based view of the city or region of your choice, and has functionality which allows for you to search addresses, as well as retrieve/print out exact driving directions from point to point. The Mapquest database is very detailed, and you simply need to enter an address query of your requested destination to pull up an answer, in the form of a map. This is research you can before you travel, to familiarize yourself with an area and to get to know the basics – roads, landmarks, major intersections, etc.. You will find that knowing your way around ahead of time will provide for a far more enjoyable driving trip in territory you are unaccustomed to driving in.

The Mapquest maps are fairly interactive: you can scroll in any direction to find your way around, and you can also zoom in or out as needed. For driving directions, you would enter your current (or starting) position, and the destination address. Mapquest will return a detailed, bulleted list of how to get where you want to go. These directions will include all road names, exit and entrance points to highways, distance of each leg and which directions turns and legs will take. It is almost like having a GPS trip readout. For those without the benefit of GPS, Mapquest can prove very useful, and a lifesaver in an unfamiliar city or destination.

Even at home, Mapquest is used by many as a destination finder. Going to a party this weekend, and not sure how to get there? Use Mapquest! Want to tell out-of-town friends how to find you? Use Mapquest! You can send them a link to detailed directions, and make everyone’s life easier.