MapQuest remains one of the most useful sites on the Internet – and on your Smartphone, too. In addition to reliable driving directions, the site has evolved to offer additional features like gas prices, live traffic conditions, along with local attractions, services and tourist information. You’ll also find an enhanced toolbar with new categories to make searching easier and more intuitive. Popular searches like restaurants, now even allow you to search by type of cuisine – to give you exactly what you’re looking for.
 
Many consider Mapquest driving directions to be the most accurate on the net, with user generated content to keep the site as up to date as possible. This can be particularly important when routing out trips, say, to the airport. A little known Airport Map feature also lets you plan your trip to and from the airport, check traffic and double check your directions. And, if you’re planning your trips on your desktop, many find the ability to send the directions to their Smartphone to be a great feature, as well.
 
But let’s face it, most of us are on the go, and utilize our iPhone, Android, or other mobile device to access driving directions and local searches. What”s unique about Map Quest Mobile is that you can actually get voice-guided GPS-type directions right form your Smartphone with their FREE MapQuest App. This mobile app is especially useful with walking directions and public transportation needs while going about your daily activities. In addition, there’s an off-route assistance feature that gets you back on track if you get lost or take a wrong turn. And, in recent news, the new electric car, Ford Focus will come with a built in App that connects with MapQuest to find the closest charging station. The future is here with Mobile MapQuest.
 
But perhaps the most exciting addition to the site’s services, is the recent introduction of MapQuest Vibe, which currently publishes consumer-based rankings on over 50,000 US neighborhoods in 27’000 cities. The race is on to provide easy-to-access information to tourists and locals, showing the trendiest parts of town and the top-rated restaurants, activities and shops in their Hot Spots feature. Vibe ranks these businesses based on the consumers’ votes of up or down and the number of user searches for that location. It makes getting to know a new city easier than ever before. Look for Mapquest Vibe to evolve into a great addition to your online and mobile apps as they gather more and more data form the best hot spots in town. And, as always, they will have the MapQuest driving directions you’ve come to expect.
 
To keep up on the latest developments with all of the new Mapquest features, many look to their very active Facebook page to get news and user experiences. You can even log into Map Quest through your Facebook account and save commonly used addresses and directions to share with your friends. There are also contests and unique photos and videos form users. They look to provide a total experience with travel ideas, major weather news and fun giveaways. There are also plans for additional features to include gaming, check-ins and coupon-type deals. And the best part is all of these great features, apps and services have remained free of charge to their users. Check back often for the latest news and changes that affect your daily life.