How to Use Driving Directions

How to Use Driving Directions
It's time to head out on your long anticipated vacation. You plan, pack and hit the road with your driving directions in hand. Everything goes well until you get lost. You're inevitably turned around just before nightfall, in the middle of nowhere. You can avoid frustration and stop turning your car in circles when you learn how to use your driving directions.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:
  • Driving directions from Mapquest or Google Maps Thomas Guide or other paper map Optional GPS unit
  • Driving directions from Mapquest or Google Maps
  • Thomas Guide or other paper map
  • Optional GPS unit
Step 1
Print your driving directions from more than one source. Google Maps and Mapquest are popular direction sites. Compare the directions from your two sources and look for differences. Sometimes, one website will offer an alternative route that will make your drive easier. There are also occasions when these sites will not give you correct information, so check their routes against each other and investigate any differences.
Step 2
Once you have your printed directions, dust off your old map. Yes, the folding kind or your trusty Thomas Guide. Check your web directions against your map. This will both double check the suggested route and help you familiarize yourself with the area you're headed into. Always have both your web directions and a map with you before you leave home.
Step 3
Plan ahead for possible road closures due to weather. Research before you leave if you think you may hit troublesome weather. Look for traffic updates, detours and impassable routes.
Step 4
Plug your destination into your GPS, but don't rely on it to give you the best driving directions. If you have a GPS system, think of it as keeping you on track. If you think you missed your turn-off, use the GPS as a map to get you back on course. GPS systems are known to run out of batteries when you need them or take you off on a strange back road. Use them as a resource to help you use your driving directions, not as your only guide.

Article Written By Kathrine Cole

Kathrine Cole is a professional outdoor educator. She teaches rock climbing, backpacking, cycling, and bike maintenance classes. She is a graduate of the National Outdoor Leadership School, a Wilderness First Responder, and a Leave No Trace Trainer.

Write for Trails.com
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