STUDENT PILOT ON A CROSS COUNTRY GETS LOST. EVENTUALLY FOLLOWS HIGHWAY BACK TO THE VICINITY OF HIS HOME AIRPORT.

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THE FLT WAS FROM ZZZ TO ZZZ1 TO ZZZ2 THEN BACK TO ZZZ. I DID NOT MAKE THE WHOLE FLT. THAT DAY THE WX ADVISORY SAID THERE WAS A 10 SM VISIBILITY; BUT THERE WAS A HAZE WHEN I WAS FLYING. THE MAP I WAS USING HAD MULTIPLE LINES DRAWN OVER LANDMARKS FROM PREVIOUS FLTS. I COULD NOT FIND ANY FAMILIAR LANDMARKS ON THE MAP AND WAS OFF COURSE BEFORE MY THIRD CHKPOINT. I CONSIDERED MYSELF LOST. I WENT THROUGH THE LOST PROCS; BUT STILL HAD NO FAMILIAR LANDMARKS. I TRIED CONTACTING ZZZ RADIO SVC BUT THERE WAS NO SIGNAL. AT THAT TIME; I SPOTTED A LARGE HWY GOING E; ALTHOUGH I DID NOT KNOW WHAT HWY I WAS FLYING OVER -- ON THE MAP ALL HWYS GOING E LED TO OR WITHIN A FEW MI FROM ZZZ ARPT. I FLEW ABOVE THE HWY UNTIL I WAS CLOSE ENOUGH TO COMMUNICATE WITH ZZZ RADIO. I TOLD THEM I HAD BEEN LOST FOR A WHILE. THEY TOLD ME TO SQUAWK 7700; BUT IMMEDIATELY I KNEW WHERE I WAS. I WAS IN MY TRAINING AREA. I COMMUNICATED TO RADIO THAT I NEEDED NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE. I WAS THEN TOLD TO SWITCH BACK TO 1200. ABOUT 10 MINS LATER; I HAD LANDED AT ZZZ.