Planning a road trip across the country but want to make sure you’re never too far away from a McDonald’s? McDonald’s website has just the thing. They’ve added a “trip planner” to help you make sure that you don’t miss a single McDonald’s.
“Going on a vacation?” the site asks,
“The McDonald’s Trip Planner can help you locate all the McDonald’s along the way.”
This is a good addition to the McDonald’s site, because if there’s anything you want to make sure to avoid when taking a road trip, its local food. Also, the McDonald’s close to highways can be so difficult to locate. They’re practically invisible!—MEGHANN MARCO
UPDATE: Our commenters point out that this functions as a “Clean Bathroom” locator.
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And thanks to being backed up, you won’t have to “back up” into as many rest areas on your trip.
I for one have a hard time seeing the 300′ tall signs by the roadside and welcome this new technology.
I also drink sterno and make my pants.
I like to know where the McD’s are on road trips because they usually have clean bathrooms. I always feel slightly guilty about stopping without buying anything, but I don’t exactly need greasy, calorie-laden food while I’m sedentary for several hours.
I also prefer McDonald’s bathrooms when I’m on a road trip. It’d be pretty nifty to know how far it is to the next ‘rest stop’.
I was stuck on a Greyhound bus from Atlanta to San Francisco for almost four days just after 9/11 as all planes were still grounded. Most of the rest and food stops were at McDonalds. That was the last time I ever ate there. Just driving past McDonalds will give me flashbacks to that trip.
All I can say is “Thank ya Jesus!”
A dream come true, I can now go on vacation and never, never have to eat regional foods again! No more Maine Lobster or those freakin’ crabs in San Francisco and not to mention all that stuff the try to feed you in the south…
Coast to coast, make mime Mickey D’s.
PS
MacDonald’s toilets are very nice, always the best part of any McDining. I think they use old Apple Turnovers as urinal cakes.
This will be an invaluable tool in my world record attempt to vomit in all 50 states in the fastest time.
Where are you people peeing that McDonald’s is the cleanest? Their bathrooms are all universally nasty, dank, ill-lighted, coated in slime from all the french fry grease, usually splashed with heaven knows what kind of liquids on the floor, are usually out of soap, they never have paper towels – only those blowers that serve only to blow fecal bacteria back onto your hands, and they all smell awful. I would rather pee over poisoned ivy than pee at McDonald’s.
Many a traveler has starved to death in the wilderness that is the American Midwest, only minutes away from a McDonald’s, but unable to find it.
Actually, the trip planner is mostly used to benefit children. When divorced parents have to meet up to exchange custody of their children, McD’s has arisen as a traditional spot. It’s public, has food, restrooms, and many have playgrounds. The trip-planner allows will pick the mcdonalds closest to the midpoint between the individual parents’ homes.
You can’t really advertise that, though.
Ah the snarkiness of the Consumerist commenter warms my heart.
I believe that Chick-Fil-A has had a similar feature on their site for sometime now. The difference is that CFA’s food is actually tasty.
Where are you people peeing that McDonald’s is the cleanest? Their bathrooms are all universally nasty, dank, ill-lighted, coated in slime from all the french fry grease, usually splashed with heaven knows what kind of liquids on the floor, are usually out of soap, they never have paper towels – only those blowers that serve only to blow fecal bacteria back onto your hands, and they all smell awful.
The question is where are you going. I’ve been up and down the East Coast, and the bathrooms at the Mickey D’s I’ve been to have never been anything less than satisfactory.
I’d choose McD’s over a truck stop or gas station any day. Plus their hamburgers stay self-contained and don’t slop all over, a bonus behind the wheel.
I could see gas stations, Rick, but truck stops? They usually have the cleanest bathrooms on the highways. Pilot and Flying-J are excellent for this, as well as their selection of beverages.
Pilot and Flying-J have everything but crank on the shelves for the “boost” you need.
McD’s bathrooms are generally good where I have seen them. Most fast food chains have decent bathrooms.
But I’m a guy – the world is my urinal.
I agree that I’d prefer mcd over no name food as a worst case scenario. If I go into a truck stop/ rest area while traveling, I just tend to trust MCD over tacohell or subway etc.
I’m sure Ray Kroc would be quite satisfied to know that McD’s is synonymous with “good place to pee.”
Dairy Queen has a similar mapping feature. That one I find actually useful, because sometimes you really can’t find a DQ. And I want a blizzard!
So does Sonic, a feature my brother and I actually used for a road trip to Florida. The nearest one to us is an hour and a half away so Sonic is a little more of a novelty to us, I guess.
Most of their bathrooms are gross so it was mainly for the smoothies and freezes.