Bakerfield, Ca to Chicago,Il this weekend!

[Lifemagician]

Hello, so I should get an actual map? I was going to just use my maps in my phone. But I'm glad I asked because I have never taken a long trip like this. Now I need help. How do I check the weather? If for example I'm passing thru Arizona and I don't know what city then how would I look up the weather before I actually get there?

This is exactly why you need paper maps. You must be aware at all times of the BIG picture, not just the little bit you see on your phone. Have an atlas or individual maps at all time and check regularly where you are on the map, and what is ahead of you. That includes not only the next city or town, but major intersections, alternative routes if needed, and the lay of the land.... see if you are headed into desert area or forest or mountain, etc.

In other words, maps show you the country through which you are travelling in detail, something most electronic little screens cannot do.

Lifey

[noFanofCB]

Another plus for studying and using the big map ahead of time is that sometimes a road junction will have signs pointing in a direction with the name of a town in that direction.

Sometimes what town they put on the sign is unexpected to the non-local and might be quite a ways away from where you are. For instance, intersection with I-70 and I-25 in the vicinity of Denver offers the choice of Colorado Springs or Ft. Collins destinations on I-25. In this case the North/South direction of I-25 is apparent so if you know you are going to Cheyenne, WY and know that's North you'll make the correct turn even if you've never heard of Ft. Collins.
But some places the direction of a road isn't actually North or South - you may be staring into the setting sun trying to read the sign because the road is actually Northbound or Southbound and where you are it twists around. (I remember this feature in places like Virginia)

I'm also a pilot-trained geek and make myself a little notecard with mileages between major towns so that I can think about it even when there's not a highway mileage sign handy. Helps with making decisions about how long to the next stop/ where will we stop for food or fuel/ should we go on or stop here for the night..... etc.

(though my standard cross-country drive now is so well memorized I know the town names by heart - for 1300 miles)