Paper maps and phone books, how I planned trips in the 90s

Back in the mid-90s I planned a two week drive from Chicago to the Grand Canyon using nothing but a Rand McNally atlas and a stack of AAA guidebooks I checked out from the library. I'd trace routes with a highlighter, call motels from a pay phone to ask about rates, and write down addresses for cheap diners I read about in old issues of National Geographic. Now I just pull up Google Maps on my phone and book a hostel in Tucson in about four minutes flat, usually for 30 dollars a night which is less than I spent on phone calls alone back then. The thing I miss is the feeling of discovery, like finding a tiny roadside diner in Gallup because the atlas showed a dotted road that was actually scenic. But I don't miss the time it took, probably 12 hours of prep for that trip versus the 20 minutes I spent last month planning a similar route. Has anyone else noticed that the convenience killed the surprise, or is that just me getting old? These days I mostly rely on the hotel front desk clerk for local tips instead of a binder full of dog-eared paper. I still keep a physical map in the car as a backup, though, because phone batteries die at the worst moments. What do you all use for the unexpected detours on a budget trip? I am curious if anyone else still packs a paper map as a habit.

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schmidt.blake24d ago

That bit about the dotted road in Gallup hit me hard. I once drove two hours out of the way in Wyoming because my map showed a "scenic alternate route" that turned out to be a gravel road ending at a closed cattle gate. Best mistake ever though, found a old general store with the best homemade pie I've ever had, and the lady running it gave me directions to a hot springs not on any map.