Why you need to use GPS and navigation systems when you travel

There is nothing like showing off to the family that you simply don’t get lost when you travel.

No matter where you travel to or from, many times we opt to not use our GPS or our navigation systems because frankly we know where we are going.

I never use my GPS when I’m traveling around town unless I am heading to a specific location that I have never been to and then, even that is rare. I grew up in the “map” generation and my kids laugh at me when I pull one out in the RV. It is not as easy but there is some enjoyment to it.

No matter how much I love a good map, there is no way to replace it when it comes to distance traveling that can save you hours of headaches and frustration. Whether you are cooped up with the kids or driving your expensive RV, knowing when to get the hell off the highway can save your mind.

Recently I took a trip with the family from North Carolina to Florida. It was a great trip and as most travelers often do, keeping track of the time you leave and the time you arrive is a highway race most of us love. See there is the expected time of arrival, the late arrival, and the “broke the record” arrival. No matter what “arrival” you are going for, nothing will shut you down quicker than road construction.

This is where GPS and quality navigation systems come in handy. Bopping along at 70 miles per hour with minimal traffic becomes a miles long back-up the second some car slides off the road or the first orange barrel appears. And as we all know this NEVER happens when there is a perfectly good alternate route exit immediately to your right. In fact, it always happens just after you pass the last exit for six miles.

Most GPS systems these days will alert you to congested traffic and will tell you how long that congestion will last. Having a good GPS system will save you the headache of being in less than a mile per hour traffic jam. The best part is you don’t have to use an expensive model that is built into your car. Google Maps on your phone will do just fine in most cases.

Many systems may not give you an audio alert so if that is the case, when you travel, you need a good navigator.

My 17 year-old son has taken it upon himself to alert me when the roads ahead turn red and makes sure I can get to an alternate route. On the way to Florida, he was asleep and on two occasions I didn’t use my system and both times I was settled with bumper-to-bumper traffic.

On the way to Florida, the trip which normally takes me 7.5 hours took me over 9 which was miserable. On the way back, the same miles and route, it took me 6.5. The difference was the use of the GPS that allowed me to get off the highway ahead of the back-ups, find an alternate route, and get back on after the traffic situation was resolved.

I’m not a GPS guy and never really have been. I rarely get lost and have always viewed nav systems and GPS devices as something that people with bad sense of direction have to use. Like my wife and father-in-law. Now, I realize there is a greater value to their use. You should to.