Ask your grandparents what it was like to take a road trip before the days of GPS systems. You will hear stories of shoeboxes full of road maps, one for each state, which were so large that you had to pull the car over to fold up the last map and open up the new map for the next state. You will hear stories about how those darn maps would never get folded back into their original configuration, and therefore got torn in the process. Or the maps would develop tears along the crease lines.

You will also hear stories of getting lost, of driving around in circles looking for a location, and then driving around looking for a pay phone to call the location to ask for better directions, and also stories of looking for a dime for the pay phone. You will hear stories of stopping in gas stations to ask for directions and still not be able to find the location. You will hear stories of people sitting not too patiently in huge traffic jams simply because they did not know the back roads and so had no way of maneuvering around it.

You will hear stories of running out of gas because the driver did not know where the next gas station was. You will hear stories of being hungry and driving around looking for someplace to eat because the driver did not know where the next restaurant was.

Ah, yes, those were the days and we are all so glad those days will never come back. Now that GPS systems are accurate and affordable, road trips are much more relaxing. Our GPS can do so much for us. It can plan the route, and also show us the location of gas stations, restaurants, museums, historical places of interest along the way. If we encounter a traffic jam, our GPS can route us safely around it and have us back on our way.

In these days of high gas prices, being able to efficiently find a gas station, restaurant, historical sight, and final destination is a real savings. It is so good to avoid the frustrating, endless circling looking in vain for these places and wasting gas in the meanwhile. And a second benefit is to avoid the embarrassment of admitting you are lost as you stop to ask directions at a gas station. That alone might be worth the price of admission.

Once you are at your destination, the GPS continues to pay for itself. The POI (Points of Interest) database is plenty large enough to contain all the information you need to take full advantage of the uniqueness of your destination. Discover a museum not listed in your guidebook. Heck, who needs a guidebook anymore? Just have the GPS show you a list of the places that showcase the things that interest you. Find them in the menu, then have the GPS show you the way from your hotel.

Try this on your next road trip. After you have reached your destination and fully explored the area, set out on a spontaneous side trip adventure in a rural area. Turn off the GPS and just drive until you see something interesting. Now turn on the GPS to see where you are and find some other points of interest in this new location. If you have time, you could repeat the experience with another mystery location. When you run out of time, simply have your GPS guide you straight back to your hotel.

When it is time to head for home, why not let your GPS guide you home on a completely different route, stopping to explore some points of interest on the way back. You will be amazed at what you can discover.