Modern day traveling has never been easier.
Everyone travels with smartphones these days, that low and behold have MAP Apps on them.
But the thing is, majority of the people I meet when I am traveling don’t know how to get around in an unfamiliar city without a paper map, which screams ‘tourist’.
I like to know where I am in a city at all times, and one App on my smartphone has made my travel life that much easier (without the need of a paper map). And in all honesty, I am surprised that more people don’t use common sense of what they have access to, when they are somewhere unfamiliar.
We rely on free wifi everywhere we go, but you do not need wifi to access your location services on your phone. Eg; that little blue dot on any map you load that shows you where in the world your phone is. (In the case of the included photo-I am walking across the Brooklyn Bridge from Manhattan.)
Data roaming is expensive, so always ensure that this is turned off when abroad. BUT, make sure your location services are turned ON and you will always know where you are (to a degree). It doesn’t cost a cent to use, but it can use up your battery.
The thing to remember about not having an active internet connection is that loading a Google map in your Maps App will show you what is around you within a certain distance. But say you want to walk 1 hour away from this location, your map won’t show you clearly enough for what streets to take to get there, as your destination is too far away to load without an internet connection.
My best advice, and something I do before leaving my accommodation in a city I haven’t visited before; is to find out what the furthest distance will be for that day, and load a map of where I currently am to where I want to go.
This ensures that all streets within this distance are visible on my Google map App. There is one thing to remember however, and that is to leave your maps App open -do not close this!- so you can continue to use this map once you head out on your travels, and keep track of where you are on this route.
I never get lost in a city now. I know where I am, and even better, the arrow on this blue dot tells me what direction I am walking, so I always ensure I am going the right way.
I am just really surprised that more people aren’t using this feature when it’s right there on their phone.
I live by this App when traveling, especially in cities like Salzburg or Venice, which can be a real maze on foot.
If you are not using your locations services, make sure you do in future. It will make traveling that much easier!
You can access your location services in your privacy settings, turning this off and on when needed.
Here’s to never getting lost in an unfamiliar city again!
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