GPS – I prefer doin’ it old style with a paper trail
Written by Jacinta Lodge
You would be forgiven for assuming from my last few posts that I am a complete gadget geek. To a certain extent this is true – I love finding new and cool tech tools and wasting far too much time playing around with them – but there is one piece of modern technology which I have never developed an affinity for: The Global Positioning System (GPS) or Satellite Navigation (Sat Nav).
Cadence’s GPS’s lost again by Marcin Wichary
In the map vs GPS debate I come down firmly on the side of paper. While a GPS will get you from A to B, you’ll completely miss C, that cute little village you would have stumbled into by misreading the Cyrillic sign for Highway. And let’s not forget D, the picturesque views from the tiny mountain roads that your navigation system has bypassed in its silken female voice in favour of truck infested Autobahns.
No, a detailed map lets you explore a country, to wander across it with your gaze and be struck by the whim of driving a green marked scenic route or visiting a random town you’ve never heard of. A GPS system is not going to recommend dropping past Titisee because your inner child wants a photo of the town’s sign.
My favourite map of all is the 1:40 000 map of Estonia I picked up a few years ago. At this resolution farm tracks were visible, erratic boulders and sacrifice stones clearly labelled and the tree planted by the Dalai Lama got its own symbol. The legend was joy to read, an adventure in minutiae and largely dictated our weaving course across the country.
Orientamento by Novecentino
Of permanent residence in our car is the Europe map from the German automobile club, ADAC. At 1:300 000 it is perfectly adequate for navigating Germany, while the 1:750 000 maps of all other European countries will get you around in a general sense. A glimpse is enough to tell me that now, sitting outside Venice, I am only a hundred-odd kilometres from Slovenia. This important piece of information is certainly not proffered by a GPS system –“At the next intersection. You are. One. Hundred. Kilometres. From an unplanned travel experience.”
I do have a word of warning though. The Michelin 1:300 000 map of Italy is total pants. Towns on the map do not correlate to any road signs you pass and the highways are charmingly marked in the smallest, least readable font they could find. Exactly what you need when trying to negotiate the web of autostrada surrounding Milan as Fiats driven one handed by phone-talking Italians weave close enough to let you do the dialling for them. I spent an hour trying to negotiate our way to the only campsite in the city and by the end was frustrated enough to start thinking of a GPS with a wistful sigh. Luckily, a glass of red and plate of antipasti was enough to cure me of that fleeting thought.
Jacinta, I have mixed feeling about sat nav, I think it would be great for something like finding your hotel or camp site but not necessarily for planning a leisure trip.
I’m quite good at map reading and route planning but my major problem in Italy and some other European countries is the lack of large, clear road signs that we generally have in the UK which have several signs before junctions giving your major route numbers and destinations and local destinations.
Three cheers for this post! I fully agree that what GPS provides in terms of efficiency it lacks in terms of spontaneity. After all, isn’t half the fun of travel about getting lost?
Just a note. GM factory installed systems don’t seem to work as well as the stand alone units. First three places I went the weeds were taller than us and the real estate signs were peeling they had been closed so long.
Pete – is GPS generally held in high regard in the US? In the UK it gets quite a lot of negative press but I suppose it’s the bad thiings you hear as no-one is interested in reading how good it is.
Tommy – I think you have to update the unit regularly
Hi Karen -
Yes, GPS is held in high regard, regardless if it’s installed in a car, a stand alone hand held or part of the iPhone or Blackberry. It’s increasingly becoming an industry standard utility, and I suppose it’s quite useful in many situations…just not for all aspects of travel :)
Pete
[...] of paper maps, self-described “complete gadget geek” Jacinta Lodge argues for the “old style” : In the map vs GPS debate I come down firmly on the side of paper. While a GPS will get you from A [...]
I can’t live without my GPS! Reliance on maps and considering getting lost as part of the fun is for the confident driver who knows he/she will undoubtedly get to their destination eventually. For the more nervous driver, travelling abroad is a daunting experience – the more technology we can use to help, the better!
I can’t live without my GPS too! I guess it’s my obsessive compulsive disorder talking. But it does have its perks!
So does this Gps technology help your journey? And why do they still take you off route at some unkown locations…
Good old maps are still reliable…
cloudwalker – thanks for your comment, as I said I think it’s the stories of the times when things go seriously wrong with GPS that we hear about in the media.
Interestingly here in Ausralia, there has been little impact to the sales of paper book maps. I also have osme difficulty using my TomTom when in the city as there is often some delay wiht satellite response. The signal often gets lost beacuse the line of sight with teh satellite is lost from tall buildings. I think there is always a place for paper maps.
Zoe – You have highlighted a big problem with GPS, the lack of signal in some areas, which necessitates having a map as a back up. I’m still managing to find my way around with maps.