Points of Interest Plus: Magellan GPS AAA TourBook

Virtually all in-car GPS units come with a large database of "points of interest" – basic facts about restaurants, hotels, and more. These rarely include more than an address and phone number, and the GPS can show you how to get there. But Magellan's AAA TourBook takes points of interest to the next level. For example, its restaurant listings include a one-paragraph restaurant review, hours, meal price range, parking, and more.

Magellan and the American Automobile Association (AAA) have an exclusive agreement that brings information from the AAA TourBook guides into Magellan in-car GPS. It's another impressive example of how much information can be crammed into the latest generation of GPS devices.

The TourBook feature was mentioned in the review of the Magellan Maestro 4250 and is being reviewed in more depth here.

Instead of the typical simple address and phone number listing, the TourBook includes multiple information categories on restaurants, hotels, attractions, events, auto repair facilities, campgrounds, and AAA roadside assistance facilities.

Hotel listings include: AAA diamond rating, facility description (number of rooms, floors, etc.), leisure activities, pools, guest services, parking, price range and more.

Restaurant listings include AAA diamond rating, one-paragraph summary, features, parking, hours, cuisine type, and a few other details.

Campground listings include facility description (number and type of sites, acreage, etc.), RV/trailer services, and terms and prices.

Other categories covered include attractions, events, and cities.

Select models in the Magellan Maestro line include all of this, plus the more typical, basic points of interest database (6 million points of interest).

Not all Maestro models have the TourBook feature, so be sure the version you are considering has the "AAA TourBook Guide" included before you buy.

The Magellan and AAA partnership extends beyond a beefed-up points of interest database to include product discounts and warranty extensions on Magellan products.

Overall, the additional information available through the AAA TourBook is impressive, and adds significant value to the Magellan models that include it.