Are Paper Maps Better Than Gps?

Discussion in 'Travel & Vacation' started by Joe Riley, Sep 23, 2021.

  1. Joe Riley

    Joe Riley Supreme Member
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    Maps have a very close relationship with stationery. I think you’d be stretching it to define maps as being stationery, but they are close enough.

    [​IMG]

    "It is no longer practical to write a lots of letters, but to handwrite one letter can stand out as incredibly powerful. Stationery works now when it is a pleasure to use, when it offers something that an electronic means can’t".

    The pleasure of maps

    "Paper maps also offer a pleasure that you simply can’t find with an electronic map".


    "For a start, an unfolded OS Landranger (1:50,000) map gives you a 40x40km (1,600 sq km) area on a map 90x90cm across. I can get the same OS map on my iPhone to display only 3.5 x 6.5km (22.75 sq km). This gives you a sense of your position in the world, seeing not just what where you are but where you’ve been and where you could go. A GPS map allows you to see where you are, to get from A to B. GPS deals in the practical here and now".

    "Paper maps allow you to dream". (Read More)
     
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    Last edited: Sep 23, 2021
  2. Mary Robi

    Mary Robi Veteran Member
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    I use GPS for practical purposes. I use paper maps to fantasize.
     
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  3. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    I like having both in the vehicle but GPS systems have come a long way over the past couple of decades. Fumbling with a map while in traffic isn't very practical anymore. I do keep a Maine Atlas in my car though because there are a lot of roads that GPS doesn't know about, mostly because they're not public roads, yet are shown on the Maine Atlas.
     
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  4. Joe Riley

    Joe Riley Supreme Member
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    An old preacher friend, used to say "When confronted with two good choices....why not both".;)
     
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  5. Yvonne Smith

    Yvonne Smith Senior Staff
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    Having been the Navigator for many years, I always loved reading maps, and I still do. Now, instead of a paper map, I look at the Maps app on my iPad when we are going someplace that I need to know how to get there. The map gives me a basic overview of the whole area, and I can decide what route we want to take, and especially to avoid busy streets.
    I have GPS on my phone, and sometimes we do use that as well. The GPS is handy because it usually tells you when to get ready for a turn, so it doesn’t get there before you are ready to turn, like can happen with just looking at the map and trying to read street signs.
     
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  6. Cody Fousnaugh

    Cody Fousnaugh Supreme Member
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    We use both our iPhone GPS and a Rand McNally U.S. Map. We try to buy a new Rand McNally for the year we are in. Too many road/street/highway/freeway changes to use an old one.
     
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  7. Marie Mallery

    Marie Mallery Veteran Member
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    Paper is better more reliable.
     
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  8. Cody Fousnaugh

    Cody Fousnaugh Supreme Member
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    Not when changes are made to streets, highways and/or freeways. The paper doesn't change until the following year, whereas the GPS is suppose to change immediately. But, like I've already stated, "we use both the Rand McNally Map and our iPhone 12 for directions."
     
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  9. Nancy Hart

    Nancy Hart Supreme Member
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    After one month into lockdown ...???

    "I'm Still Thinking a lot about Folding Things."
    (3 maps)

     
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  10. Marie Mallery

    Marie Mallery Veteran Member
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    LOL we do the best we can with that and let it ride.
     
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  11. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    I use maps because I like a frame of reference when I'm going somewhere. I still carry paper maps with me.

    I bought a car 2 years ago that has a NAV system in it. It's the first time I've used one. I do prefer it over writing down directions, looking at the paper as I drive, trying to keep track of what spot I'm at relative to the written directions and constantly resetting my trip odometer so I know when my next turn is coming up. My car's system projects the upcoming turns and miles-to-go onto the windshield so I can anticipate the next move. It's just so much safer. But even with that, I always look up the address and directions on Mapquest so I have that frame of reference.
     
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  12. Marie Mallery

    Marie Mallery Veteran Member
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    The laast time we used onstar on whatever it was in the car we rented,it took us to a cornfield,no kidding told us to turn into the field.We were totally lost. So every since we don't go anywhere without our paper maps.Of course its been about 3 years since we have traveled anyway.
     
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  13. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    My car has its own mapping database on a memory card. I get free updates but haven't done so because I lack the internet bandwidth to download it, but that's a different story.

    When I first got my car, I would drive to random remote spots in the surrounding counties, change the setting to "Fewest Miles," then have it take me home. The area I live in is chock-full of dirt and gravel back roads. I've had some interesting trips (and learned some interesting shortcuts) by doing that. I've emerged from the set of Deliverance onto a road I recognize and said "So THAT'S where it goes!"
     
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  14. Marie Mallery

    Marie Mallery Veteran Member
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    We don't want car payments and can't pay cash so ours are both old.No high tech in either one.
     
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  15. Don Alaska

    Don Alaska Supreme Member
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    I like both. Nav systems are helpful when driving in unknown territory by yourself. I still run into times when I am told to turn onto streets that are not there or am told I can't drive where I am currently driving, but that is not as common as it once was. I have never driven off a pier or into a cornfield by following blindly. I like maps for planning, even during a road trip. Topo maps for overland treks are not available on standard nav systems that I am aware of, but you can get them on expensive GPS systems designed for remote use. I like both, but enjoy using a paper map more than a navigation system.
     
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