The geographic information provided by CD-ROM "map software"
such as Expedia Streets would make it prudent for anyone who
travels a lot to keep the disk in the laptop computer's CD drive.
Many vacationers and business travelers could use more
detailed driving directions than what can be obtained
from those courtesy maps distributed at car rental offices.
A typical business traveler flying to an out of town meeting
or conference in an unfamiliar location would want a map showing
the "big picture" covering the greater metro area between the
airport and the location of the appointment venue showing
the freeways and major streets.
There would also be the need to zoom in on the exact address
of the location so that directions on where to get off the freeway and drive to the building.
With a whole set of "street atlases" tucked neatly into
your laptop computer you can first zoom onto the major
metropolitan area to familiarize yourself with the freeways
and major thoroughfares, or you can start by typing the
address of your appointment into the dialog box
where you will have the location pinpointed on a map covering
a small number of city blocks. You can then zoom out until
you see your location tying into the major thoroughfares.
If you do not have a notebook computer, you can print
the maps you will need so that you will have the necessary
directions to carry with you to your destination.
The Author, Francis Ardi, is developer of travelclickmap.com,
a Java programmed, interactive web page map application for point and click flight reservations across North America, including Alaska, Canada, Hawaii and the Caribbean. Visit http://www.travelclickmap.com