On first my road trip as a driver, I too used the ancient lore. I can't read maps for crap, though, and was really relieved when I could print out driving directions from Mapquest and memorize them, but pull over and consult the directions if I doubted myself.
I kind of want a Rand-McNally folding atlas for my car, like the 1994 one I finally tossed sometime in the last few years. Lately, I feel like I should refresh the ancient lore for reasons
I just missed the "without internet" part. My parents used AAA travel planning when I was a kid. When I had to go somewhere new, I did the Mapquest + memorize method until I got a TomTom many years later. I still have the TomTom, but it's obsolete with smart phones.
You stopped at a gas station and bought a map. Opened it up, and traced your route as best you could. It was hard, dangerous times, people. It's a wonder we survived. Humanity is so lucky!
A key part of road tripping in America is when you're sitting in the back seat staring out the window because you are carsick from reading and you notice tension building from the front seats. Then your mom lets you know they missed the turn forty minutes ago and you'll get there two hours late.