AAA unveils free online TripTik mapping tool

There's a 95 percent chance Senior Editor Christine Sarkis is thinking about travel right now. Follow her on Instagram @postcartography and Twitter @ChristineSarkis.

Christine Sarkis is an SATW-award-winning journalist and executive editor at SmarterTravel. Her stories have also appeared on USA Today, Conde Nast Traveler, Huffington Post, and Business Insider. Her advice has been featured in dozens of print and online publications including The New York Times, Conde Nast Traveler, and People magazine. She has also shared travel tips on television and radio shows including Good Morning America, Marketplace, and Here & Now. Her work has been published in the anthologies Spain from a Backpack and The Best Women's Travel Writing 2008. She is currently working on a travel memoir.

The Handy Item I Always Pack: The Trtl Pillow. It's easy to pack and comfortable, and makes it so I can actually sleep on flights.

Ultimate Bucket List Experience: Seeing the Aurora Borealis from the comfort of somewhere warm, like a glass igloo or hot spring.

Travel Motto: Curiosity is an amazing compass.

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat: Aisle all the way.

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AAA has made its previously members-only TripTik technology available for general use online. In addition to the mapping and directions tool, which isn’t much different than what you’d get on Mapquest or Google Maps, you can also use TripTik to zoom in and find the locations of and basic information about accommodations, attractions, and gas stations. It looks like it’s possible to check gas prices at some locations as well.

This is the sort of thing I always wish for when I’m already on the road. Were I a little more technologically advanced (and willing to pay for the privilege) and used phone-based internet, it looks like I’d eat well and never overpay for gas.

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