Look where MapQuest is ready to go

Plan your summer road trip using MapQuest.com.

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What’s hot: I have to remind myself that websites evolve. I used to look up and print driving directions before running out the door. GPS solved that issue to a degree -- but not every car (or phone) has a GPS system. In planning summer travel, I found that MapQuest has all sorts of features that can make your road trip easier. You can save directions to “My Places� and access them from any computer, send them to your BlackBerry or to your travel partner. Calculate the cost of gas for your trip specific to your vehicle in My Places and look up restaurants, gas stations and things to do near your destination with MapQuest Local. You can drag and drop alternative routes on the directions map (handy if you’re planning scenic versus highway routes) and click the traffic option to see whether conditions will impede your trip. The On-Map Search Tool lets you look up hotels, coffeehouses and more along your route.

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What’s not: I’m waiting for My Places to work on my iPhone. At the moment, I can look up directions on a Safari browser using my iPhone, and I can even get MapQuest Local for the iPhone, but I’d love to access my saved maps and get the voice-guided directions that BlackBerry users can access.

-- Jen Leo