I've been doing a lot of traveling lately... so I've been dealing with all kinds of problems - big and small. In my experience, the BIG problems always consist of a pile of smaller problems. How to run a business while on the road is a GIANT problem! Sure, there are laptop computers which are theoretically supposed to solve a lot of problems... but theory always sounds better than it works!

For example, at home and at the office I am automatically connected to the Internet - a click of the mouse downloads my email and another click has me surfing. When I go on the road, however, it's a different story! Getting a dial-in account is only one step. I need to remember to take along local access numbers... and then, of course, there is always the problem of making the physical connection with a phone line! So the process of traveling means that my staff and I always need to be thinking ahead, making sure that communication will be possible.

One of the biggest hassles of traveling involves finding your way around in a new place. How do you get from the airport to your hotel? How do you get from the hotel to the conference or meeting facility? I normally rent a car, but the maps that the car rental companies give you are almost guaranteed to get you lost!

So how do you prevent this? How do you make certain that you know how to get to where you need to go? Simple - online maps! I'm serious! Really! They actually do work and are a thousand times more accurate than the directions you'll get from the desk clerk at the rental car company!

Let me give you an example of exactly how powerful online maps can be!

Let's pretend that you are traveling in a foreign country, and that the majority of the people do not speak English. Hmmm... let's use Norway as an example! Okay, so you start off in LA. You know how to get to LAX, so you have no problem there... but how do you get from the airport in Norway to your hotel?

In the past, you would have rented a car at the airport, praying that the desk clerk would be able to give you directions. Then you would have wasted valuable time, getting lost on the way to the hotel.

Now, however, you have a better option! Online maps are a great solution! Try the following....

1. Go to one of the "Electronic Map" sites out there. For this example, we'll use Map Blast
2. Select "Drive" (I'll explain the other options later.)
3. Enter the address of the Airport and select the country.
4. Enter the information for your hotel.
5. Click on "Get Directions".
6. Breathe a sigh of relief and know that you have great, accurate directions from the airport to your hotel!

You're probably thinking "It can't be this simple... can it?" You bet it can! This service will give you step-by-step directions, easily getting you from point A to point B.

Although we did not actually get directions in Norway as the example described, we thought it might be fun to find directions from our current address in Blaine, WA to our old address in Ogdensburg, NY. When we put the information into Map Quest, we expected to get a totally confusing and bogus response. Instead, we got back directions that would get anyone (even a novice) right to the front door of our old building! To see the results of our experiment, click here.

Pretty great, isn't it?! Imagine how many less headaches you will have traveling, knowing that you are not going to get lost. Of course, we can't make any promises about your luggage....

Now you're probably saying to yourself, "Sounds good Corey, but how exactly can I improve my business with this?"

Good question!

Imagine this: I have a friend who runs an employment agency. Her problem? Many of the people whom she sends out on job interviews arrive late for their appointments because they get lost en route. Not only does this upset her clients, it makes her and her business look bad.

Now imagine what would happen if she created and faxed maps to each of her clients, giving them detailed, accurate directions from their homes straight to the location of the interview. Wow!! Imagine how much happier her clients would be! Imagine how great this would make her business look!

But it doesn't end there!

Now let's imagine that you run your own legal firm and that you are located in the corner of a rather large town... very out of the way! Instead of crossing your fingers and hoping that your clients will arrive... or trying to give them directions yourself over the phone, you can fax them a step by step map! Not only will you save them time, your clients will arrive on-time for appointments, and your company will look prepared and professional!

When I discovered the power of online maps, I knew that I had to share this information with you. I'm really excited about the incredible potential of this service! Online maps can instantly make your life easier, both at home and on the road!

This is why I am constantly excited about the new possibilities and services to be found on the Internet! I think this is a great example of technology being used for something that is totally useful and practical. What a cool service!

So try it out - I know you'll love it!

MapBlast is great. In addition to providing driving instructions and maps, they also allow you to email maps or even download them into your PalmPilot or WinCE device. You can also print the maps in color, gray scale, or as a line map.

I was able to get directions for US and Canadian cities, but when I tried Sydney, Australia, I could not find detailed information. Of course, where there's a will, there's a way!

Yahoo Maps

The problem is that Yahoo Maps works only in the US right now. At their site, they have indicated that their service will be expanding to other countries soon.

I also looked up a few other services that might help if you are traveling in other countries....

Concierge.com bills itself as "The Travel Supersite" and frankly, after using it, I would agree. I found all the maps I needed for Australia ... and Sydney! Although they don't have a driving direction service, you CAN find street addresses for the US, Canada, and the city of London ... and maps for just about anywhere else you can think of.

A friend of mine is talking about visiting Marbella, Spain. From his description, I knew it was near Gibraltar ... with the zoom in feature of the interactive maps, I was able to find Marbella right down to the street level. Cool!

You never have to be lost again! You never have to worry about not having a map ... or about giving people directions to your place! You can simply access maps and directions from one of these sites ... and you're set! This is Internet technology at its best - saving time, money , and your sanity!