When I was growing up and went on vacations with my parents, we learned how to read and follow Trip-Tik booklets from AAA to know where we were and see how much longer it would be before we would got to our destination.

When I took my sons on vacation when they were growing up, I did the same with them.  They were my navigators on the road, telling me what exit to look for and which lane I should be in.  We usually arrived at our destinations with little mishap along the way.

I don’t like to get lost in a city that I’m not familiar with and believe me, I’ve taken incorrect exits or had to take detours.  Plus, it’s getting harder to see the fine print and while also keeping my eyes on the road and trying to read the map.  Add driving at night and it’s even harder.

For the last couple of years, when I’ve traveled, I’ve taken our GPS.  I love the way it gets me to my destination without incident.  It takes me to my exact address, telling me which way to turn, which street to take and recalculates if I, by chance, miss my exit or turn.  The map doesn’t touch it.

Will our children or grandchildren be able to read a road map and get to their destination without the help of a GPS?  Who knows, they may come up with a new technology even better than the GPS by then.