Remember when filling stations gave away maps? It wasn’t in my adulthood. However, I have purchased at antique malls a number of maps over the years and am always delighted by their smart and colorful mid century designs and by the roads and towns. It’s interesting to see how much has changed in terms of new roads or alignments and how towns and cities have become more sprawling.

How lovely would it be for an old map to act as a time machine? To return to the day before fast food restaurants and chain hotels populated random interstate exits would be amazing. There was a time when folks packed their lunch along with a thermos of lemonade and pulled off the side of the road for an impromptu picnic. Locally owned motels provided an efficient place to rest while service stations employed locals to clean your windshield and topped off your tank.

A map like the one pictured here or maybe some handwritten instructions was the only guide.

Today, I keep maps with me but tend to rely more on the technology in my phone. Of course, I have nicknames for the voice in my phone. “That stupid crackhead” is the most common because she has a bad habit of waiting till I’m passing something to tell me I have arrived.

It’s hard for our urban dwelling friends to understand but there are places in rural America where you can’t rely on a phone for help. It is vital to travel with a map in some areas where there is no cell service.

It’s time to buy a new road atlas before my upcoming Savannah trip and to locate a fresh Ohio roadmap. Mine is looking pretty rough. Odds are I won’t find anything as cool as this Sohio map but I’ll have to make do with what’s available.

In case you’re interested, Ford once made a kitchenette for travelers that mounted to the outside of their Model T. It is an ingenious design and something I would love to see make a comeback. Click here for pictures and details so that you also can be jealous of those early road trippers who didn’t rely on fast food joints for lunch!