With GPS now built into cars, phones and so much else, you’d almost wonder whether it’s still possible to enjoy the pleasure of opening a new map and imagining all the places you’ll go. Turns out it is, and business is looking up for one of the old standards.
Rand McNally, which has been publishing maps of the U.S. and the world since the 1850s, has just published the 2022 versions of its classic Road Atlas, the go-to guide for millions of road-trippers over the years—and it comes after a year in which the previous edition spent months on the best-seller list as many travelers turned from flying to driving during the pandemic.
It’s the 98th edition of the Atlas, whose 11″ x 15″ classic is also available in smaller and larger formats. It’s updated each year to update city and county boundaries, new points of interest, changed exit numbers and new roads.
For some of us, this writer included, paper maps will always play a big role in trip planning; GPS can tell you the next turn, warn you of delays, guide you safely through speed traps and tell you where the nearest gas station is, but only a good paper map can let you visualize the whole of an area and how places relate to each other.
