In the late 90s and early 00s, when I first started roadtripping, there was already MapQuest, or StreetMap.co.uk if one wanted to stick purely to the UK. If I recall correctly, Garmin GPS devices, which people mounted on the dashboards, were already available but were expensive and tricky to use. TomTom came out a bit later, I believe, in the early-to-mid-2000s.

But I definitely started in the "hybrid" phase when it was still a combination of maps and StreetMap (did more trips around the UK than anywhere else at the time). Except that StreetMap was only good for turn-by-turn directions from one point to another, e.g. from the hotel in town to the hotel in the next town, so I'd still revert to the AA maps (Michelin for the rest of Europe) when on the trip.

It was still a lot of fun though, and allowed for discovering places of local interest that you would probably never have seen if you didn't wander around!