re: What was it like growing up without a smartphone?

I thought it was a right of passage when my Dad entrusted me to be his navigator on family trips. I suspect he knew the route before asking, but I still thought I was more important than my older sisters on the trip.

Loved when they came out with the maps that had each section laminated so they were easy to fold

Some of the better road maps were the ones the approved map for a particular state that you'd get by stopping at that state's "travel center" at the first rest stop when you crossed into that state.