Illustrated Strip Maps US Highways Travel by Travel Mat

Where to eat, sleep, and play from coast to coast.

“From the inception of the Travel Mat we have adhered rigidly to a basic rule: In order to be listed on a Travel Mat, the tourist accommodation must be absolutely the best available in the locality. It must be clean, well managed, agreeable. The service must be good. The prices must be commensurate with the cuisine…We are now answering a demand of long standing – that we collect all of the Travel Mats into a single publication so that travelers will be able to see at a glance the best route, the best accommodations, and the outstanding tourist attactions along the way” – J. Alvin Dru’yor.

This fascinating relic from the Golden Era of automobile tourism was published around 1956 by Press Publishing Company of Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. It contains a reduced example of each of the dozens of different ‘Travel Mats’ issued by the commercial ‘marketing’ firm, founded in 1948 by J. Alvin Dru’yor.

Each page presents a simplified map of a numbered United States highway or named route (i.e., Illinois Tollway, Pennsylvania Turnpike) that identifies primary towns, distances between points, state borders, and local landmarks/geographic features. Accompanying text and a diagrammatic chart provide recommendations for different traveler amenities and locations of interest. Often, illustrations will also be present, highlighting local historic sites, industrial products, and other points of pride in states from coast to coast.