Touch Media is putting Kingman on the map. The company that developed the innovative Route 66 Navigation app, the Mother Road Route 66 Passport, the largest Route 66 discussion group on Facebook, and the free Ultimate Route 66 Travel Guide in eight languages has retained the services of author Jim HInckley to assist with updating and making additions to the point of interest file for the app.

Hinckley is the developer of the Jim Hinckley’s America network that includes an interactive travel planning website, the weekly Coffee With Jim podcast, YouTube channel, and presentations made throughout the United States and Europe. Working with Kingman Main Street, he provided the research and narration for the historic business district self guided tour that was introduced during National Road Trip Day festivities in 2022.

He is also a tourism development consultant that has worked with communities such as Tucucmari, New Mexico and Cuba, Missouri. Hinckley is the author of more than twenty books including Murder and Mayhem on The Main Street of America: Tales from Bloody 66, Ghost Towns of The Southwest, The Route 66 Encyclopedia, and Backroads of Arizona. 

Updates to the point of interest file, and addition of events, on the Route 66 Navigation app will enhance the user experience. This will also provide a promotional boost for businesses such as Scoops on 66 that recently opened in Kingman.

Introduced in 2018 at the 2nd European Route 66 Festival in Zlin, Czechia, the app that transformed travel on Route 66 continues to evolve. Expansion and updates to the point of interest file is one step in plans that are being made in anticipation of the Route 66 centennial in 2026.

An array of Kingman area businesses on and off Route 66 will be included in the point of interest file. And so travelers along Route 66 will now have current information for restaurants such as the Kingman Airport Cafe and Calico’s, attractions such as the walking tour developed by Kingman Main Street and Desert Diamond Distillery, and lodging.

The app is marketed as, “The Ultimate Offline Turn by Turn Navigation for Historic Route 66.” An array of unique features have been incorporated into the apps design to facilitate ease of use, and to enhance the travelers experience.

Developers of the app spend several weeks each year traveling Route 66 to test the app, to note needed improvements, and to meet with tourism directors as well as business owners. They also retain the services of consultants such as Jim Hinckley. This attention to detail has made the app a popular navigation choice for Route 66 travelers.

Marian Pavel, owner of Touch Media, will be a featured speaker at this years Miles of Possibility Conference in Bloomington, Illinois. He will be discussing Route 66 travel trends and participating in Route 66 centennial planning sessions. Attendance of the conference will be included in his fall tour along Route 66 that will include a plannning session in Kingman.