Garmin eTrex Vista cx - Courtesy of Garmin
The next time your kids ask, "Are we there yet?" you can reply, "We will be in approximately 2 hours and 11 minutes." Find out how GPS units improve family road trips.
You might considering ditching that old-fashioned, clumsy folding map if you get exposed to a GPS unit. These gadgets, which can either be built in or purchases as portable handheld units, make family travel dramatically less stressful.
Here are the top reasons to take a GPS unit on your next family vacation:
- You always know where you are. That is almost reason alone to get a GPS unit, especially if you've ever wandered lost in a bad neighborhood with kids in the back. That is not a pleasant feeling.
- You always know when you will get there. Granted, it's an estimated time of arrival. But it's great to have a quick comeback to the age-old family road trip question.
- You can find what you want. Need diapers from a Wal-Mart? Or coffee from Starbucks? Many GPS units now come with databases of top stops like these.
- Entertain the kids. The units are just cool anyway, but some double as DVD players. That can certainly come in handy when whining children have been trapped in a car for too long.
- Get point-to-point directions. This can be extremely helpful while on the road. What is nice about GPS units is they will alert you when you've strayed from your designated path, so you know well before you might have figured it out on your own. Better yet, they will then recalculate new directions based on your current location.
- You can go on a geocaching scavenger hunt. If you get a handheld GPS unit, you and the family can go treasure hunting. Geocaching is a high-tech method of scavenger hunt in which GPS units are used to hunt down hidden items.
Related articles:
Family Road Trip Planner | GPS and Principles of Navigation | GPS and Geocaching | Familymoons | Train Travel with Kids
Copyright Kelby Carr. Contact the author to obtain permission for republication.
Kelby Carr - Kelby Hartson Carr is an Asheville, N.C. mother of three, a seasoned travel writer, and has extensive experience traveling with children. ...
