I remember a time when Mapquest used to be THE go-to place for driving directions. Now, mobile phones have most of our minds mesmerized with Apple and Google maps. Today, I discovered why Mapquest is STILL one of the best options for travel planning! (I also ❤ Yelp and EyeWitnessTravel).

In a few days I’ll be off to sunny San Diego. Before I select one of the many Marriott options, I like to see what’s nearby and calculate the #WalkScore for my temporary home. (I rarely drive at home so driving while on vacation is definitely not in the cards.) After becoming frustrated with Google’s new layout, I randomly decided to check out Mapquest to see what their interface was like and I was pleasently surprised! (it’s been a while since I’ve type that URL….)

After entering the address to the hotel, the legend was very easy to navigate and  I was able to quickly find what I was looking for: restaurants, shopping, travel services, local activities and more! Each category offers drill downs so you can make your search more specific. Though the simplicity is what hooked me, what’s even better is that you can overlay multiple categories on the same map and EASILY see where things are because the categories you selected are color coded. This is exactly what I was looking for!

(The mobile app is equally impressive.)

Signed, #MapquestFan