An Unforgettable Road Trip Plotted By Microsoft

When I was a kid back in the 50’s, my parents would load my brother and I into the car and off we would go on a road trip. The trips were usually no more than an eight hour drive from home because any longer would risk mayhem in the back seat.  Since we lived in the West, typically the trips ventured into parts of Arizona, New Mexico and California.  Back then we didn’t have AAA, GPS or Google, but old-fashioned travel books about things to see in various places.

When I got old enough to travel on my own, my buddies and I would take off during summers looking for work on road crews or construction jobs.  Then at least we had the improved maps we got from AAA.   When I traveled with my parents and friends, we mostly stayed on the main highway, rarely venturing off to explore nearby sites,  because we didn’t know what was there and getting lost was an honest fear.

Today, a lot of that has changed.  Now we can plot our travels more precisely and take off on tangents without the fear of getting lost.  Microsoft publishes a Streets and Trips software designed to help road-trippers plan the perfect trip from start to finish.  It allows you to generate maps and directions, customize with start and stop times and add notes such as reservation numbers or operating hours – all without an Internet or GPS connection.

Microsoft has provided Bloomer Boomer copies of the software to giveaway.  Go to our contact section and simply send us an email and we would love it, while you are at it, if you would sign up for our newsletter.

One of my favorite off highway excursions are along the old Highway 66.  There are so many nostalgic routes.  In fact a lot of travelers have made an entire vacation of exploring that historic route.

 

Category: Blog