Free AAA Maps: The Travel Benefit Every Member Should Know About

Maps are an essential part of getting to know a new city, state, or region, giving us an opportunity to zoom out, visualize the infrastructure, and orient ourselves. Whether you’re in need of directions in New York City, deciding how to get around Washington, D.C., or embarking on a road trip along California’s coast, a map is always a good starting point. Let’s discuss other ways maps are essential for travel planning and how you can get them free with your AAA membership.

Create Your Own Customized Experience 

Dynamic and interactive digital maps allow you to create your own personalized experience by adding scenic detours, stops at artisan coffee shops, antique stores, or whatever interests you. And, you don’t need to spend countless hours researching across different websites.

The free AAA TripTik Travel Planner offers extensive destination information, along with details for each point of interest along the way. You can also directly book car rentals, hotels, camp sites, restaurants, and more, using the interactive TripTik features. 

Simply log into your AAA account, create your road map with up to 25 stopover points on each trip, and save it for your next getaway. You can also share it directly with your family and friends on social media.

You can also find tons of pre-planned road trips that you can simply download and follow from the AAA TripTik website. If you don’t know where to start, speak to a dedicated AAA Travel Advisor who can assist you with planning your next dream vacation.

Book on the Go

As you narrow down your route, you can look at highways, rest stops, attractions, viewpoints, and eateries that may not have been on your radar before. The AAA TripTik tool also shows the AAA Diamond Designations for hotels, so you can get information about amenities and services, read inspector reviews, and take advantage of AAA discounts.

Traveling with pets? The maps can even show you pet-friendly hotels along your route.

Use the hotels icon to search for hotels and the restaurants icons to get information about the best places to eat near you.

Navigate on Foot or Wheels

These maps are not just for calculating time and distance or for getting turn-by-turn driving directions. You can use them to navigate a bike ride through metro areas, walk around busy airports, find your way around bustling cruise ports and popular attractions (ever gotten lost at Walt Disney World?), and even find AAA store locations for additional assistance.

Simply change the icon to adjust the route to a walk, bike, or drive setting.

Get Real-Time Assistance

Have you ever driven along a country road, only to realize that the road is closed ahead and you have to loop all the way around? Maps offer a preview of slopes, turns, and construction along the way. You can also get real-time information about traffic and accidents, so you can take a detour when needed.

With the AAA TripTik Travel Planner, you can also search for AAA-owned and AAA Approved Auto Repair shops that offer AAA discounts and send appointment requests directly through the app.

Running low on gas or charge? Turn on the gas station icon and the map app will show you where to fuel up as well as the latest gas prices along the way.

Enjoy Convenience And Peace of Mind

According to SustainabilityMagazine, about one billion people use digital maps each month—but, physical maps aren’t going away any time soon. AAA’s TripTiks are mobile friendly and can be downloaded on your phone or printed out at home. Or, you can order printed maps online ahead of your trip. 

Download and print AAA TripTik maps for offline use when you don’t have cell phone coverage—which is often the case in remote areas and national parks—or when your phone battery dies because you took a thousand photos throughout the day.