I am not sure there is anyone brave enough to set out on a long road trip without the protection of a cell phone, but I find a certain appeal to those pre-cellphone days when you would set out on the open road armed with little more than a map. I never got to experience driving this way, of course, but I do remember a trip I took with my dad ages ago up the California coast. He bought a new Thomas Guide and traced our route through page after page and highlighting all the interesting stops along the way. It’s interesting to think back on us heading out and not knowing what the traffic would look like, you couldn’t preview the road on Google street view, and there was nothing to remind you where to turn or reroute you when you’ve missed a turn. A trip meant being disconnected from the world. No calls or texts while driving. You would have to let your relatives know what hotel you were staying at and they would need to call the reception to ask to be communicated to your room or leave a message. There was no checking emails, working on documents. It seems like a different world, but in fact it wasn’t all that long ago.