Planning a road trip? Here are some helpful sites.

So you want to head out into the yonder and explore the world unknown. Where do you go? What are the sights to see? Fortunately the internet is a wonderful place and you can see the places you would like to visit before you even get there. And with the advent of smartphones, getting lost also seems quite hard (unless of course your phone runs out of juice)!

It is always a good idea to have a hard copy of the directions and/or major landmarks before you begin your journey. Getting a AAA membership (or an American Express card) is also highly recommended as several establishments around the world offer discounts for members. The other advantage of the AAA membership is you get free maps, cheaper auto insurance, discounts at hotels and restaurants and roadside assistance in case your vehicle breaks down. You can also map your route and save or share it using Google or Bing Maps. We have shared a map we created for a trip around parts of the South West United States. Travel Advisor is also a good source of information and images from people’s travels around the globe.

For travel around India, we looked at quite a few sites, but the one we felt the most accurate and informative is MapMyIndia. In addition to the directions the additional information provided using layers (similar to Google Maps) is ATMs, petrol pumps, hotels, restaurants, tourist sites and hospitals. This is just at a high level. If you really want to drill down your choices, you can find education related places, places to shop, entertainment centers etc. You can even find dhabas along your route! That’s got to count for something. This is a site that is definitely worth checking out.

At the end of the day none of these gadgets will give you that sense of accomplishment that comes with holding a map and finding your own way. Or how about stopping at the side of the road and just asking someone for directions. It used to be a lot fun in its own right. How times have changed!