As you sit in the passenger seat on a long road trip from your hometown across the country, you can now find some entertaining information from the same book that you rely on for navigation. Rand McNally, maker of road atlases and other navigational devices, and Michelin have collaborated on a combination road atlas and travel guide.

Michelin created its first travel guide 100 years ago to promote road travel and inspire driving confidence. Their travel resource center is still going strong; the company provides guides to America’s greatest sights along with guides to Europe, Central and South America. The new book features Rand McNally maps plus a 120 page guidebook by Michelin.

Original press release issued by Rand McNally on April 25, 2012:

Two premier names in travel, Rand McNally and Michelin, have teamed up to create a combined Road Atlas and guidebook in one. The 2013 Road Atlas and Travel Guide is shipping now to select retailers.

Blending America’s #1 Road Atlas maps with content from Michelin’s famed Green Guide series of books, the Road Atlas and Travel Guide was designed to support the multiple activities of road trippers: Planning and driving routes, sightseeing, and stopping to eat and sleep along the way.

With this book, travelers road tripping around Austin know which towns, museums and eateries to visit in the Hill Country, while those setting off for New England can plan for outdoor adventures in New Hampshire and the best seafood dining along the seaboard.

“The Michelin content is a superb addition to the classic Road Atlas maps,” said Dave Muscatel, CEO of Rand McNally. “The extra destination information turns the atlas into an all-encompassing travel planning tool that anyone can use.”

The Road Atlas and Travel Guide was jointly developed by Rand McNally editors and those at Michelin Travel & Lifestyle.

The spiral-bound book features the completely new 2013 Rand McNally Road Atlas as well as a 120-page Michelin travel guide with attractions, accommodation, and dining recommendations for cities, towns, and regional areas. The points of interest in the guide reflect one, two and three-star ratings while EAT and STAY listings (restaurants and accommodations) are designated with dollar signs to position their relative expense.

“We’re pleased to work with Rand McNally on this first collaborative effort,” said George Kahaleh, COO, Michelin Travel & Lifestyle. “The combination of our renowned travel guide content with the mapping expertise of Rand creates a unique product for the consumer.”

In addition to the Michelin travel guide content, the new book features a variety of extras:

Updated U.S. state maps with 387 inset city maps – more city maps than ever before;

Mobile tags (barcodes that can be read by smartphone applications) on the cover and throughout the book that link to travel information;

A tag that links to the Best of the Road® online community; Rand McNally and USA TODAY recently kicked off their second annual nationwide search for the best small towns and attractions in the U.S. and this year the site has been optimized for mobile nominations.

Photo: PRNewsFoto/Rand McNally