My husband, the same man who will never ask for directions, now wants to buy a GPS for our car. I think it's a frivolous expense, but he insists that we need it. Just because everyone else is doing it, why do we have to join in?
Lost Together
I understand your concern about the expense, but perhaps your husband is trying to solve a bigger problem. Are you holding the maps upside down?
Men will crisscross an intersection and approach it from the north, south, east and west before even coming close to breaking down and asking for directions. No man wants to waste time doing that. Your husband probably wants a GPS to avoid the frustration of asking strangers for help, and listening as they provide directions based on fast food chains, shopping malls and other ubiquitous landmarks. Or stare as though you're speaking a different language, then smile and say, "Well, you can't get there from here."
On the other hand, where is your husband's sense of adventure? With this device, he'll miss all of the wonderful things waiting to be discovered by making a wrong turn. If Columbus had satellite navigation, he could never have mistaken the Americas for India. Amelia Earhart would hardly have complained about GPS.
Apart from the expense, what are you worried about? Are you really going to miss the mess of muddied maps among the coffee cups and garbage at your feet? Do you enjoy searching for wrinkled, coffee-stained travel guides buried under the front seat? You can learn how to use a GPS in 10 minutes. They're also handy during emergency situations, when $100 or $200 will seem a small sum for the information available at your fingertips.
With satellite navigation, you can plot your trip and arrive within centimetres of your destination. Think of the fuel you could save by always taking the most efficient routes. And what if you make a wrong turn, choose a path other than the one suggested, or overshoot your destination? A GPS simply recalculates and provides an alternate route, without getting angry or questioning your judgment. Which brings me to another feature your husband may enjoy - the ability to select the narrator's voice, and set the volume.
Global positioning is most useful when you're outside familiar territory. It's an asset when renting a car in Los Angeles, or trying to find your way around Amsterdam. A Canadian friend living in Europe swears by it. There, she says, the streets are impossible to navigate. Her husband, on the other hand, thinks the device provides wrong directions. He says it's making them stupid. She thinks it's keeping them sane.
There are others who argue that human knowledge is superior to technology. Cab drivers in London, England undergo rigorous training for up to three years to complete the "Knowledge of London" course. It's notoriously difficult to pass - especially since satellite navigation is not permitted. Anyone who has visited the city, or looked at a London map, will appreciate their level of expertise.
Some people find that fiddling with a GPS while driving is distracting. And who says it will function properly every time? Relying heavily on technology has downsides. When humans are involved, there's always the possibility of human error. One recent example is a passenger ferry that sank in British Columbia, after colliding with an island during the night. This occurred despite the fact that the vessel was equipped with leading-edge navigational equipment.
If you stay close to home, does your man really require a GPS to get around? Visit Google Maps and pre-plan your trip before embarking. Also, virtually every cellular carrier offers a navigation system, without a requirement to purchase additional software. All you need is a data package on your phone. Finally, if you leave downtown Montreal bound for the Laurentians and wind up at the U.S. border instead, skip the onboard gadgets. Your basic navigation skills need some work.
If your husband wins the satellite navigation battle, look on the bright side. There are worse problems to have. Like trying to fold a road map.
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