Touch Media, best known for its Route 66 Navigation app, has released an improved second edition of its Route 66 Passport after a one-year delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The passport already is available to travelers at many Route 66 distribution points and at its e-commerce website. A full list of the 39 locations along Route 66 that are carrying the passport can be found below.
Touch Media detailed some of the changes with the 2021 passport:
The Passport contains 76 pages, 12 more than the previous edition.
The Passport is based on new paper that better absorbs ink from the stamp while maintaining high print quality. The content has also received several improvements. For travelers, an extra four pages were added for notes or celebrity signatures while traveling Route 66. All texts are also redesigned in the new edition. The previous edition commemorated the work of Willem Bor. The new edition of the Passport is dedicated to the memory of Gary Turner from Gay Parita Sinclair Station. The content was prepared by Jim Hinckley and Marian Pavel, and unique illustrations were again prepared by Joyce Harbin Cole. […]
“The Mother Road Route 66 Passport is the ultimate customizable souvenir,” said Jim Hinckley of Jim Hinckley’s America, an author and distinguished collaborator who played a significant part in passport’s final form. “It has been my distinct pleasure to contribute to this endeavor as well as the innovative Route 66 Navigation app. The seamless blending of past and future, the international nature of the project mirror the evolving nature of Route 66 travel.“
“Work on the 2021 edition of the Passport was significantly complicated by the Covid19 pandemic. After the absolute collapse of the tourist industry last year, Jan Švrček and I had to make an extremely difficult decision and postpone the project indefinitely. Tourism, thank goodness, started waking up again in 2021, and thanks to the amazing support of all our partners, despite all the complications, we managed to bring the second edition to the tourists on Route 66 before the commencement of the new season. We appreciate all of the help and support because Covid19 has hit us all on Route 66 extremely hard,” Marián Pavel, CEO of Touch Media comments.
“The press release about the new edition is published symbolically on the same day as we announced the release of the first edition in 2019. We are very pleased that the tourists who returned to Route 66 in 2021 love the new Passport and after the initial days of sale I can confirm that we will repeat the huge success of the Passport program from 2019. The Route 66 Passport will once again be a marketing tool to help partners win customers,” adds Jan Švrček of Touch Media.
These are the places where you can get Route 66 Passports:
- The Launching Pad Drive-In, 810 E. Baltimore St., Wilmington, Illinois
- Illinois Route 66 Museum and Visitors Center, 110 W. Howard St., Pontiac, Illinois
- Ryburn Place, 305 Pine St., Normal, Illinois
- Cruisin’ with Lincoln on 66 Visitors Center, 200 N Main St., Bloomington, Illinois
- Sangamon Watches, 2041 Timberbrook Drive, Springfield, Illinois
- Henry’s Rabbit Ranch, 1107 Historic Old Rte 66, Staunton, Illinois
- Explore St. Louis Visitor Centers in Forest Park or Gateway Arch or St. Louis Union Station, St. Louis
- Route 66 State Park, 97 N. Outer Road, Suite 1, Eureka, Missouri
- Wagon Wheel Motel, 901 E. Washington Blvd., Cuba, Missouri
- Fanning 66 Outpost, 5957 Highway ZZ, Cuba, Missouri
- Pulaski County Visitors Center, 137 St. Robert Blvd., St. Robert, Missouri
- Mother Road Mercantile (Antiques & Uniques), 1031 W. College St., Suite A, Springfield, Missouri
- Carthage Visitors Bureau, 116 W. Third St., Carthage, Missouri
- Visit Miami Oklahoma, 111 N. Main St., Miami, Oklahoma
- Oklahoma Route 66 Museum, 2229 W, Gary Blvd., Clinton, Oklahoma
- Texas Ivy Antiques, 3511 SW 6th Ave., Amarillo, Texas
- Enchanted Trails RV Park & Trading Post, 14305 Central Ave. NW, Albuquerque
- Flagstaff Visitor Center, 1 E. Route 66, Flagstaff, Arizona
- Williams Visitor Center, 200 W Railroad Ave., Williams, Arizona
- Roadkill 66 Café / OK Saloon / Gift Shop, 22830 W. Highway 66, Seligman, Arizona
- Kingman Visitor Center & Arizona Route 66 Museum, 120 W Andy Devine Ave., Kingman, Arizona
- 7 Design Studios Gift Shop, 19248 National Trails Highway, #1A, Oro Grande, California
- Wigwam Motel, 2728 E. Foothill Blvd., San Bernardino California
Touch Media co-owner Pavel has traveled Route 66 several times and has attended a number of Mother Road gatherings. Touch Media also has produced a downloadable guidebook in eight languages. The company is based in Bratislava, Slovakia.
(Image of the Route 66 Passport courtesy of Touch Media)