Am I the only one who travels without a smart phone and/or laptop?

[pixiewings71]

I'll respond to the OP in another post, but first I had to address this.

Is anybody here, or any friend/family member, with a poor sense of direction still lost? Forgetting the availability now of GPS - before GPS and smartphones and 3G and laptop computers: how many of you with a poor or no sense of direction still can't find your way to where you were going? Did you give up and go home? Did you get help - written directions, ask for help, call (on a pay phone) someone to come rescue you?

Were you trying to get home from somewhere unfamiliar? Did you make it? Or are you still driving around years later, looking for a familiar sight? Or did you just give up, stop somewhere that looked friendly, and started a whole new life?

I have a lousy sense of direction. In five weeks working at a new location, I've gotten lost three times trying to get home. It's not like I end up in another state, but I'm absolutely on the wrong road, going in the wrong direction, and of course I never get lost the same place/way twice. And it's not as if I have an excuse other than that lousy sense of direction. The streets in this city haven't changed in fifty years.

I also confuse east and west, north and south. The only way I'm positive of those directions is standing in the front yard where I grew up with my back to the house; even then, I'm only positive about east and west unless there's snow on the ground. And it doesnt help that 128 east/west is the same highway as 95 north/south!

But I do what's worked for me all my life: if it's safe to stop and ask for help, I do. Otherwise I drive until something looks familiar . But if I ever do give in to technology, it'll be for an actual GPS. The screen is bigger than any smart phone.

Well to be honest I rarely drove by myself to new places without someone who already knew the way. I prefer not to get lost because then I freak out and cry. lol But, if I did have to go and no one could help me get there (my other choice was to have verbal directions or hand written by someone) then I did my best and if I did get lost I would find someplace I felt safe and call for help or ask for directions. But seriously....I rarely drove myself anywhere and in fact still prefer NOT to drive in SF at all, I'm getting better at Sac just because my BFF lives there and I've been spending a lot of time with her lately, but I still prefer to use my phone for navigation. But again, I use it rarely enough that I forget I have that option sometimes. I felt really proud of myself a couple weeks ago, one night a week I teach dance lessons at a favorite bar of mine, I've been going to this bar for 10 years so I know how to get there with no issues at all, but my BFF (who works promo for the same bar) wanted to have dinner before we had to work so we decided to meet at this great little Mexican place, I'd never driven myself there but I managed to find it all on my own! I was so excited!! lol

For me, getting lost meant lots of stress and wasted time. If I have a tool in my pocket that can prevent that, why in the world would I not use it. The GPS app on my phone is free. Its more up to date then my GPS, and will not require me to buy updates. I feel much more comfortable using my GPS than stopping somewhere I am not familiar with and asking directions.

I had to chuckle about the 128/95 east west thing. I grew up in that area and know exactly what you are talking about.

This, exactly! Altho I don't know the 128/95 thing.

 

[luvthemouse71]

I don't travel with a laptop but I bring my iPad and iPhone. I like to tweet in the parks and I use the camera on the iPhone frequently.

 

[drcmk]

I have to admit it would be handy to have the internet when traveling, but other than that I don't have a need to carry it with me.

Am I really THAT out of it?

When my family of four travels we take four smart phones, a laptop and an ipad and our Apple tv device (so we can watch movies and the home ballgames). Internet access is nice for entertainment, but I find it essential for getting driving directions in an unfamiliar city, checking addresses, phone numbers and hours of operation for restaurants and places of interest and for storing our travel information.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

No smart phone or laptop for me, but the car does have OnStar, so I guess that's kind of cheating.

Man, this brings back memories. 5 friends & I went to Daytona for a week when we graduated HS, 3 per car. In my car my best friend & I were both very good with directions. The 3rd friend in our car was practically supernatural. He'd made the trip previously & had the entire route memorized. Every exchange, he knew in advance what lane to be in. Unreal. In the other car, 3 friends who would still be lost somewhere in Georgia today if we hadn't had constant contact via CB radio (this was 1985)

 

[Minnesota!]

granted, I am not bad with directions...but do people really freak at getting lost?

I LOVE it! In the summer, DH and I will load up the kids in the van and just set out. Drive for hours wherever. Then turn around and find another way home. We have no clue where we are, or what's around the next bend. But it's fun! See new things....

I agree that any technology that isn't "needed"...I rarely get it.

No microwave, no smart phones, no blu ray, still have the really old tvs (not flat screen), VHS players (that I inherited from my mom), etc. My goal to live simply doesn't include those things.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

granted, I am not bad with directions...but do people really freak at getting lost?

I LOVE it! In the summer, DH and I will load up the kids in the van and just set out. Drive for hours wherever. Then turn around and find another way home. We have no clue where we are, or what's around the next bend. But it's fun! See new things....

10-4, I did that using an alternate route home last Spring from an event, just kind of kept heading North & West until I eventually hit a road I knew. Was very relaxing & fun. OTOH, I didn't have anywhere I had to *be*. Getting lost only stinks when you're on a schedule or low on gas

 

[NancyIL]

I love my laptop, but I don't want to carry it with me on vacation. I got my first Smart Phone (Blackberry) a couple of years ago. I loved getting e-mail on my phone, and it had a web browser. However, the Blackberry screen was so small that I never liked using the internet.

Last weekend I got my first iPhone, and I can finally SEE what's on the internet with the full screen!

 

[NotUrsula]

granted, I am not bad with directions...but do people really freak at getting lost?

I LOVE it! In the summer, DH and I will load up the kids in the van and just set out. Drive for hours wherever. Then turn around and find another way home. We have no clue where we are, or what's around the next bend. But it's fun! See new things....
[snipped]

Um, yes, particularly when getting lost means missing an important appt. or ending up stranded in a really dangerous place. My DH is very prone to getting lost when left to his own devices, and it upsets him probably 3 times out of 5, depending on whether or not he is missing a work meeting or in danger of getting mugged when it happens.

I have an almost perfect sense of direction when I am healthy; and yes, I can usually remember a route that I've only taken once years later, turn by turn. (DH says that he always knows when I'm not feeling well if we are travelling, because I start to get vague on where things are.)

 

[pixiewings71]

granted, I am not bad with directions...but do people really freak at getting lost?

I LOVE it! In the summer, DH and I will load up the kids in the van and just set out. Drive for hours wherever. Then turn around and find another way home. We have no clue where we are, or what's around the next bend. But it's fun! See new things....

I agree that any technology that isn't "needed"...I rarely get it.

No microwave, no smart phones, no blu ray, still have the really old tvs (not flat screen), VHS players (that I inherited from my mom), etc. My goal to live simply doesn't include those things.

I think you missed my posts where I said I freak out and have cried when I've been lost......lol Yes, it's true, no I don't deny it, getting lost freaks me out.

What I've bolded above is NOT getting lost. Getting truly lost and heading out to find unknown things are two completely different things. We do the same thing, get in the car and hit the road, see where it goes, that's NOT getting lost. lol What you've stated above is "getting lost" on purpose so that does not count.

I have a VHS player, it's combo DVD/VHS player. We have a flat screen TV because we had a house fire that destroyed our other TV, the same fire ruined our VHS tapes tho......lol