Rand McNally and USA TODAY Put America in the Driver's Seat in Search of the Best of the Road®

SKOKIE, Ill., April 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- America, start your engines and show your hometown pride!  Rand McNally and USA TODAY announce a call for friends, family, colleagues or coworkers to put their town on the map --- literally --- and be named the Best of the Road.  The inaugural search for the Best of the Road will enlist five teams to drive from New York to Los Angeles in search of the best small towns in America.

PUT YOUR TOWN ON THE MAP

Now through May 23, Americans can nominate and vote for their favorite towns and attractions to be named points of interest (POI) for the Best of the Road contest.  The top POIs --- whether it's the Best Beach, Best Chili Dog or another attraction not to be missed --- will land a permanent spot on Rand McNally's new travel Web site and a place in the 2013 Rand McNally Road Atlas, as well as on USA TODAY's Travel Web page.

THE BEST OF THE ROAD RALLY

To celebrate the Best of the Road, Rand McNally and USA TODAY are promoting an unforgettable three-week, cross-country road rally this summer.  Five teams composed of travelers will depart New York on June 23 en route to Los Angeles to seek out the Most Fun, Most Patriotic, Most Beautiful, Best for Food or Friendliest town in America before the big finish on July 15.  They will travel scenic routes and back roads to leave no landmark unturned and no local secrets undiscovered. Teams will be selected by Rand McNally and USA TODAY.

Each team will visit the towns in their assigned category, while fans can follow their progress through video, photos and posted updates on www.bestoftheroad.com Facebook and Twitter.  Additional coverage starting on June 23 will appear in USA TODAY and on travel.usatoday.com.

To apply for the Best of the Road, interested teams of at least two members (minimum age of 25) are asked to upload a video one-minute in length or less showcasing their skills as a cross-country traveler to www.bestoftheroad.com between May 2 and May 23, 2011. Best of the Road Rally contestants will be announced on May 31, 2011.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. LEGAL RESIDENTS OF THE 50 UNITED STATES (D.C.), 25 YEARS AND OLDER WHO DID NOT PURCHASE ANY EQUIPMENT FOR PURPOSES OF ENTERING THE CONTEST. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. Enter Contest by May 23, 2011. For Official Rules and prize descriptions, visit www.bestoftheroad.com. Sponsor: RM Acquisition, LLC. d/b/a Rand McNally, 9855 Woods Drive, Skokie, IL 60077.

About the Best of the Road® –Rand McNally has earned the reputation as a trusted source in maps, directions and travel content with its best-selling Road Atlas and annual Best of the Road online guide.  Its celebration of the Great American Road Trip has given way to an online guide of the Best of the Road and features top attractions in more than 20 categories --- from the Best Beach to the Best BBQ.   This year, in collaboration with USA TODAY, Rand McNally is revving up for an all-new the Best of the Road search with content created by travelers online and published in the 2013 Rand McNally Road Atlas. For more information about the Best of the Road, visit www.bestoftheroad.com.  

About Rand McNally – Rand McNally is the most trusted source for maps, directions, and travel content.  Rand McNally's products and services include: Interactive travel referral service, Tripology; IntelliRoute® truck routing software and GPS devices; and the leading geography-based educational resources for the classroom.  The 88th edition of America's #1 Road Atlas by Rand McNally will be available shortly and it includes digital TAGs which connect smartphone users to special mobile web pages. Consumers, businesses, truckers, and educators depend upon Rand McNally to help navigate today's world. www.randmcnally.com

About USA TODAY – USA TODAY is a multi-platform news and information media company. Founded in 1982, USA TODAY's mission is to serve as a forum for better understanding and unity to help make the USA truly one nation. Today, through its newspaper, website and mobile platforms, USA TODAY connects readers and engages the national conversation. USA TODAY, the nation's number one newspaper in print circulation with an average of more than 1.8 million daily, and USATODAY.com, an award-winning newspaper website  launched in 1995, reach a combined 5.9 million readers daily. USA TODAY is a leader in mobile applications with more than eight million downloads on mobile devices.  The USA TODAY brand also includes USA TODAY Education and USA TODAY Sports Weekly. USA TODAY is owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI).

Press Contacts:

Weber Shandwick for Rand McNally
Kristen Insalaco, [email protected], 212-445-8481
Lauren Lane, [email protected], 212-445-8303

USA TODAY
Heidi Zimmerman, [email protected], 703-854-5304

SOURCE Rand McNally

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