Whether you're exploring your city or visiting a new one, the research and planning process for a fun itinerary can be overwhelming — and the results often underwhelming.
That's because most digital maps are mere paper replicas with directional functionality to bridge point A and point B. The problem is that, if you're exploring an area or looking for new experiences, most users don't have a point B in mind, which undermines the usefulness of those map tools. Instead, users end up toggling between multiple apps, searching for restaurant or event recommendations — ideally ones in close proximity that align with their interests — to determine what point B will be.
In the end, the process can be frustrating, leading many people to stick to recommendations from friends or frequent the places they already know.
See also: 4 New Google Maps Features That Make Travel Easier
However, Elliot Cohen and Aaron Rudenstine, co-founders of Citymaps, took on the challenge of rethinking the digital map so that directional functionality can work in tandem with local discovery. What they created is a social map that uses your current location to feed you nearby "point B options" that are sourced from the brands, celebrities and friends you trust.
The app's multiple exploration options mean you can determine how you explore, where and when you go and on whose recommendation you're basing your itinerary.
Image: Citymaps
If you already know where you want to go and what you want to do, you can use Citymaps to create your agenda, searching and typing in the names of restaurants or locations and adding them to your social map. You can add as many locations as you want, rearranging them and adding comments as a reminder to yourself or anyone who ends up finding your map via the app's Explore tool what you like about the place.
Once you have everything planned out, you can share the map with friends via social media, email or SMS so that everyone knows where you are going and can determine the best route from their current location.
Your friends can even hop in on the planning process via the app and suggest locations, allowing the entire group to build an adventure based on everyone's collective input.

If you aren't sure where to go once you leave your apartment or hotel room, you can use Citymaps' Explore tab to browse pre-made maps created by brands, celebrities or your friends.
Map types differ to suit several purposes. For some, maps act as guides, connecting a brunch spot to a museum, a park to a beer garden. Other maps are more theme-based. These maps gather the creator's favorite taco stands, discount shopping locales or coziest cafes into a coherent map that enables their followers to browse each spot based on topic and, of course, proximity.
From here, you can choose to follow another user's pre-made map or scroll through each of their selections and add the places you want to visit to your own map. Many locations on other users' maps include commentary about which menu item is their favorite or when's the best time to catch the happy hour deal without a crowd.
Swiping the location reveals a place's Instagram feed, Foursquare recommendations and directions from your location.
See also: Printed Atlas of the World Wide Web Will Wow You
Image: Citymaps
Your options aren't limited to planning on your own or using the recommendations of others. Rather, each option is enhanced by the other.
Start the day out at your hotel, perhaps adding one of Aziz Ansari's favorite L.A. eateries to your map for lunch. Then add Santa Monica Beach to your agenda, per the hotel clerk's recommendation. You plan to meet up with a few local friends at one of their favorite bars, and once you add it to the map, you can surprise everyone with a new nightclub around the corner that they didn't even know about.

Lindsay Kaplan, marketing director at Citymaps, offered up a few tips on best practices for creating maps that share well, generate followers and help you better explore cities. On the flipside, these pro tips will also help you hone in on the best maps for you.
Citymaps is national, so create maps to explore any town or city in the country, no matter how small.
Be thoughtful about your map name so it can be easily discovered by others when they conduct searches. For example, if you're making a brunch map, or a map of vegan restaurants, include keywords in your map name.
Be creative! Some of the best maps (like The Definitive Sopranos Location Guide by @dennis) connect pop culture with real life locations.
Leave comments about each place on your map to imbue your maps with personality.
If you made the definitive map for your neighborhood or city, make sure friends who are visiting know about it. Share your map with specific friends via email or SMS; or promote it to your network on Facebook and Twitter.
Citymaps lets you decide how you want to explore a city, without being weighed down by navigational details — because the journey matters just as much as the destination.
Image: iStock, PPAMPicture