Mitchell Miller, wtop.com
WASHINGTON – Hitting the road no longer means unfolding a map and trying to figure out a vacation route.
A growing number of people are using smartphones to get around when they travel.
Smartphone maps not only show the fastest routes on the road, they can indicate places of interest and local restaurants along the way.
“More than half of folks are accessing our Google maps technologies through their mobile device,” says Google’s Daniel Sieberg.
Google recently announced its maps feature now includes public transit schedules for more than a million transit stops around the world. The Android app includes bus, train and subway stops for nearly 500 cities.
Other popular travel websites include Mapquest and Yahoo! Local.
The smartphone has become such a part of traveling, that a recent survey conducted by Intel found that nearly half of Americans feel anxious if they don’t have their phone on vacation.
Nearly 9 of ten people between the ages of 18 and 20 say they feel happier if they are using cellphones, mobile laptops or tablets on their vacation.
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