For the traveler there are numerous ways to navigate, sophisticated GPS systems, online driving direction web sites like mapquest.com, and the good old atlas or road map printed on paper and without interactive features or requiring electricity. Gone are the days when the only option you had for trip planning was to dust off a map and stop for directions if you got lost. But have we become too dependant on GPS systems and online driving directions? They are convenient, and while many people in this day and age will never be far from a cell phone or other mobile device isn’t it good to still have the skills to navigate from a good old fashioned paper map?

The arguments for online driving directions from a web site or GPS system are convincing. They are convenient, many systems offer spoken directions, will auto correct if you make a wrong turn, and will do all the work of navigating for you. They are accurate, most of the time, and can even tell you what the traffic conditions are like up ahead depending on what service you use. The ease of which driving directions can be obtained online is pretty amazing, all you need to do is plug in a beginning and an ending and your driving directions are tailor made for your trip.

What about the downside to online driving directions? Surely there must be some reason why choosing to have a computer navigate for you can be a bad idea. Of course we’ve all seen the commercial where the guy obediently following the driving directions from his GPS device turns right into the side of a building. Over reliance on computers and online services to navigate for us can leave people lost as even the best services are, well, only computers, and can make mistakes just like people can. And what about the inevitable glitch, power loss, or area of the country where wireless service isn’t available? Granted for most people these problems won’t arise but it can’t hurt to be prepared incase your GPS malfunctions in the middle of the bad part of town.

As for The old fashioned atlas, it still has its appeal for modern day navigation. Traveling, especially on long unfamiliar trips, without a backup way of navigation is not the best idea. Having an atlas or road map will make modifying your route easier if you encounter closed roads or heavy traffic and are relying on driving directions from a website. Completely navigating from and old fashioned map is not that hard either, people made their way across the country for years with them. And if you’re the type of person who likes to do-it-yourself, finding your way with nothing more than your wits and a map is much more for filling than listening to the GPS lady tell you where to go.

Just like GPS, atlases and road maps have their downsides when it comes to driving directions. Even the most current edition may not reflect closed or changed roads. Navigating yourself isn’t as convenient as using help of GPS or a driving directions website. And even the youngest travelers know the perils of trying to refold one of those pocket sized road maps. The best idea when traveling is to use as many tools as you need to feel comfortable. Using a driving direction website or GPS is convenient, but having a backup map incase the need arises is a good idea too.