Map” Your Holiday Path With A “Travel Map”!

by Dane Masters

One of the most exciting things to do before embarking on a holiday to some exotic location, is to peruse the vast array of travel maps available. In the preparation of planning travel to a foreign country, it is easy to forget that a good map can be just as useful as a guidebook. Under some circumstances, travel maps may even help to get you out of a dicey situation, and can sometimes lead you to undiscovered, reach places your guidebook did not show you. Maps are also an extremely concentrated source of information, can be inexpensive and very light to carry. International travelers should recognize the value of travel maps as crucial to advance planning, because often local sources can be both difficult to find and unreliable.

Which travel map should I buy? How do I make maximum use of it? These are the confusing questions that people are confronted with, and so most of them prefer not to use travel maps at all. A travel map gives a picture of the entire area, as well as detailed information and directions on how to reach the features depicted there. Small-scale maps concentrate on giving a wide picture of the area, whereas the larger-scale maps give area information plus other details. So large maps are more advisable.

There are certain symbols shown on the travel maps. These are depicted in the cartographer’s shorthand. That means a box or legend explains the meaning of each symbol. so once the legend is found, the symbol can be decoded easily. There are travel maps that are so detailed that they give guidance regarding every main building and every street with its name. And there are others that are interested in showing only the entertainment avenues, restaurants and hotels. Some travel maps depict historical and cultural sites. Unnecessary details are dispensed with while places of interest are pointed out. What is depicted on the travel map depends on the cartographer and the publisher. They do not follow any conventions, but go by their own particular style.

The topographical map indicates the physical features of a place. The forests, marshes, roads, railways, other means of communication, water sources, type of terrain–all these are depicted on the map. They could be natural or man-made. So a traveler may opt for such a map or a thematic one or a combination of both.

Thematic travel maps can be quite different. The most common types a traveler will come across are tourist and trekking maps. Tourist maps tend to simplify a lot of the geographical features and show only main roads, established walks and sites. These can be viewing points, beaches and museums, picnic areas, and main cities. Trekking maps show the route of a trek overlaid over the landscape, and are simplified to show just the main features for the trekker, such as ridges, canyons, rivers and settlements. These are mainly just guides if well-known routes are established, but if you trying to get off the beaten path, a more detailed map is advisable.

Having decided on the best scale and the kind of features that you would like in a map, you are now ready to compare your criteria with what travel maps are available.

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