National Geographic Offers Adventure Maps

The concept of an actual handheld, foldable map -- even on remote travels -- is becoming a little outdated. As a matter of fact, I just tossed out my ripped, molding, and falling apart national road atlas yesterday. The huge book of a thing had been stuffed under the front seat of my car for years - a victim of Global Positioning System technology.

But there is one thing GPS can't give you: Knowledge, experience, empathy. Satellites beamed into your Iphone don't know the best local bike trail, the most challenging rock face or where to dive to see the coolest fish.

That's where National Geographic comes in. In an era of downloads and touch screens, they have taken their knowledge, gleaned from decades of adventure travel, and published it in a series of old-school maps -- maps you actually hold and turn (and turn upside again down if you're bad at directions.) And these aren't just maps to geograph, these are maps to adrenaline, to getting off the beaten path.

And unlike my old road atlas, they are waterproof, tear-resistant and environmentally-friendly. So to check out/buy individual maps at National Geographic click here, or to read a short blurb on the maps at about.com, go here.

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