I know I am probably dating myself just a little… but web map services like G-Maps just astonish me. Whoever found out how to map any block on the planet in 5 seconds has to be rich… if not they should be.

If you never tried this marvelous service, go to maps.google.com right now. It doesn’t matter where you are going… the shortest most up to date driving directions and maps are moments away.

G-Maps has been my choice for a few years already. The know-how in the geo-mapping field has improved remarkably yielding amazing immediate maps of most of the earth and directions to just about any point in the world.

What follows are short reviews of G-Maps, Mapquest and Rand McNally maps, reading them should shorten your learning curve when you arrive.

After years with MapQuest I typically use G-Maps currently (although Map Quest still has 1 unique feature I will let you know about in a sec). My preference for this Google service developed after finally reading their very easy to comprehend directions.

If Google keeps going like they have they will be in charge of the world in no time. Google has excellent point-to-point mapping worldwide but their true strength comes in their satellite mapping.

To try and cover all of G-Maps in this review would fail, so let’s look at the main features of the web site and you can discover the rest when you get there.

You can observe earth satellite images all over the world and overlay streets on those satellite images, it’s amazing. All the main map categories are available to view.

You can zoom into St. Peters Cathedral in Vatican and actually distinguish tourists walking around or see the cars entering the on ramp of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Map overlays can be added for almost anywhere as well.

Perhaps the most unique tool of mapping is the users ability to amend any route the computer shows. If you want to drive a different way all you have to do is drag and drop the route trail to a different spot. Many times you want to go to different spots on your way… other sites won’t let you do this, with Google it’s a breeze.

Rand McNally has been publishing road atlases for a long time. Word has it that Fred Flintstone used their atlas. They still favor the printed map or atlas and publish lots of them. Next time you stop at a large fuel stop check by the register, it’s a safe bet you’ll find Rand McNally atlases for sale. Now, having said that, they have excellent e-maps and directions. I find them especially useful for comparing routes with Google or MapQuest as a double check kind of thing.

Mapquest is the granddad of online mapping having been started in the 1960’s by Donnelly Advertising. They were bought in 2000 by AOL.

I could not count how many times Map Quest has provided me with accurate road maps. They have first-rate US and European maps but are definitely weaker on the rest of the planet. If you use them in the States, they are quite specific and generally reliable. The map accuracy drops off slightly in high growth cities, mapping always lags hyper growth .

Map Quest has a “Gas Prices” icon right on the top menu bar that will search for the best gas or diesel prices anywhere in the US. This is a real money saver and I check it before every fill up if I can.

Between the three of these sites, you should be able to find your way around anywhere on the planet.

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