Paper road maps still play role in digital age
In spite of GPS in nearly every mobile phone and multiple online map options, AAA members still want paper maps.
"It (online maps) has slowed down business," Kathy Kramer Miller, auto travel manager at AAA in Pottsville, said Monday of paper road maps. "A lot of the GPS people come in though just to get more maps for backup."
Miller said between the Pottsville office at 340 S. Centre St. and the 202 E. Broad St. office in Tamaqua, the automobile association gives out about 20,000 paper maps free to members in a year, which are all updated annually. The travel season is from mid-March to mid-October.
Most of the maps AAA stocks are sheet maps for different states and regions, but Miller said they also have United States, European and world maps.
"We did over 11,000 routings this year and most of those take a marked map with them," Miller said.
She said that most of the reasons people want the maps is if they get stuck in traffic, they can easily use a physical map to seek an alternative route.
Gasoline prices spiking, jumping by double digits
California gasoline prices shot upward by double digits in most areas over the past week, according to price surveys Friday.
These large increases are not unusual for mid-February, although we typically see them more often in March and April, says Jeffrey Spring, a spokesman for the Automobile Club of Southern California.
Unfortunately, even without this large increase, prices were already at record levels for February. If prices continue to increase at this pace, most areas will have averages above $4 a gallon in the next few week, Mr. Spring says.
Californias average price on Friday, Feb. 17 is $3.956, up 15.5 cents in one week, the Triple A says. The current average is 45.3 cents higher
AAA's frequent flyer and travel expert gives insight into these programsToday, programs are co-branded with credit cards, offering miles for hotel stays, rental cars and day to day credit card charges. Certain promotions, such as last minute mileage deals and social media offers often present bonus mile offers,
But another new factor has driven up late-model prices: Smaller rental car companies have joined the bidding at auto auctions. That's because manufacturers have cut back on their cheap fleet sales to rental companies, forcing the companies to bid for and more »
