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.

The reason most people avoid travel maps is the confusion arising from the question, Which one should I purchase? Even if they get the right map, they have no clue about its usage. The travel map gives full information about a particular area and helps the user to locate certain features depicted there. The larger the map, more the information. More details are shown on such maps, whereas smaller maps provide a wider view of the area.

The travel maps come in a cartographer’s shorthand. Legends on the map help in decoding the symbols depicted there. Sometimes, boxes are put up with explanations for each symbol. The cartographer and publisher decide what should be put on a travel map. This decision is based on style and not on convention. There are maps depicting historical and cultural places of interest. So necessities are not shown on the map. Some are interested only in letting the tourists know about the hotels and restaurants and the entertainment venues in the area. Some travel maps are so detailed that they give ever street and its name, as well as the names of all the main buildings in that area.

For the traveler, most travel maps that they will choose will either be topographical or thematic, or a combination of the two. Topographic maps shown the general ‘lie of the land’, featuring physical features, type of terrain, location of water sources, forests, marshes, roads, railways, and other lines of communication, be they man-made or natural.

Thematic maps can be tourist maps and trekking maps. Tourist maps do not present the geography of the area in detail. They just point out the museums, picnic areas, main cities and beaches. Main roads, established sites and walks can all be seen on tourist maps. The trekking map explains well-known trekking routes. The main features on these routes like canyons and ridges, rivers and settlements are shown here. The explorer who wants to go off the beaten track better go in for a more detailed map of the area.

The scale is familiar. The features are familiar. Now decide on the type of travel map you want to purchase for your travels. Of course, do make a thorough comparison first.