Since the 1960s, touring across America and looking for adventure has become synonymous with driving down Route 66. Immortalized in film, songs and books, the highway from Los Angeles to Chicago may have changed since the original route that John Steinbeck called the "Mother Road", but it is still easy to take a detour down the most famous highway in American history.

Many travellers like to be fully immersed in the experience by camping by the roadside or by staying in the various motels which emerged out of the rapid post war growth in road travel which the route helped to develop. Others prefer to take the more comfortable approach by staying in modern accommodation, ranging from Hotels in Chicago to Hotels in LA. Whatever style of journey the traveller chooses however, it is easy to see why this iconic highway has remained a powerful emblem for the American Dream.

From its original inception, the road planners intended US 66 to connect the main streets of rural and urban communities along its 2,448 mile course, and to make it one of the nation's principal East-West arteries. In doing so, these planners helped shape the perception of a nation.

By getting an up-to-date map, and then taking the off ramp from I-40 and following the brown Historic Route 66 road signs, today