My husband and I absolutely love to
travel. When our travels began, we relied on what is now referred to as the
traditional map method of navigation. In typical tourist fashion, we would pull
those paper maps out regardless of where we were in order to find our next destination.
As our travels continued year after year, we began to realize how impractical
paper maps were, not to mention how goofy they made us look. As a response to
this issue, my husband decided to try something new before one of our trips.
In 2012, we planned and executed a
trip to Ireland. During our planning we knew that this trip would be different
than any other we had taken in a foreign country. This time we would drive
rather than travel by train between cities. For this trip, our driving was not
limited to two or three cities. Instead, we planned to drive across (from
Dublin to Galway) and all around (down to Limerick, Kenmare, Cork, Waterford,
Kilkenny, Cashel, and back up to Dublin) the country to see as many areas as
possible. In order to do this, we knew we needed a more applicable way to
navigate. As we thought about this possible new method we tried to consider
what we already had that could be useful. Finally, we realized that our Garmin
Nuvi GPS was the most advanced navigation device we possessed. Immediately my
husband scoured the Garmin website and discovered that we could order a special
SD card preloaded with maps of the entire country of Ireland. Purchasing this
card gave us a fearless sense of ease in terms of getting around Ireland.
 |
| (Odhekar, 2008) |
Once in Ireland, we broke out the
Garmin and SD card to begin our adventure. Initially, the GPS appeared to work
far better than any map we could have purchased. As the trip progressed
however, we found that there had been recent changes in some of the road systems
which failed to appear on the GPS. This was a technology feature that my
husband and I failed to explore prior to our trip. As a result of putting so
much faith into a form of technology that was flawed and unresearched, my
husband and I did inevitably get lost a few times. However, we treated this
technology experience as an opportunity to learn from our
mistakes and improve
upon future trips.
The trip
to Ireland helped my husband and I prepare on a deeper technology level for our
most recent travel adventure. This year we travelled to Brussels and Paris.
During the planning for this trip we attempted to incorporate a more holistic
navigational approach. The decision was made to use traditional paper maps and
new technology applications as we attempted to find well and lesser known
sites. Prior to this trip however, my husband conducted ample amounts of research
on different technology apps in order to ensure we were more prepared.
 |
| (Ulmon, 2014) |
We hit our first snag during the
second day in Paris. The first time we attempted to use the app we were unable
to get it to load. Thinking back to Ireland, I thought that this was another
piece of technology that we relied on too much which ended up failing. Luckily,
my husband had read all of the information he could find regarding this app so
he was extremely prepared for this problem. Within moments he had the app up and
running, and we followed suit. From that point on we were able to navigate the
streets of Paris every single day without the use of the “touristy” paper map.
I will admit that we still got lost a time or two, but with the real time map
changes we could immediately see that we needed to alter our course. I saw
these small detours as a success rather than a failure. In my mind, we could
have had the exact same experience with a map, yet a map would not be able to
tell us we were going the wrong way before we walked twenty blocks.
As the trip progressed, I became fascinated
by the city guide app. We were able to find well known sites such as the Eiffel
Tower and Notre Dame, while at the same time answering the standard, “What is
that” question. In the past, I would have asked someone what a specific
building was in order to identify the place and establish a sense of location.
This effort of attempting to communicate in broken French was avoided through
the use of the app. Instead, I would ask my husband what a certain place was and
he would be able to see right on the map where we were and what was nearby. In
fact, if it was not for this app, I would have never known (so quickly) that
this lovely bridge connecting archway is another entrance to the Louvre. Having
this information readily at our fingertips provided us with a sense of autonomy
in an otherwise dependent travel situation.
 |
| (Glasgow, 2014) |
The more we used the
app, the more we were able to learn about our surroundings. While reflecting on
this trip I realized that learning was a critical piece that made it so special.
We had to learn what methods of navigation were the most appropriate and when
to use them. We also had to learn how to adapt to the forward momentum of the
cultural world in which we were exploring. The use of the Ulmon application
allowed us to adapt in a timely manner and find information as we needed it.
Based on our experiences,
it has become apparent that technology can be a very useful tool for travel.
However, it is important to find the appropriate mode of technology based on
the needs of the traveler. Accomplishing this task requires that the traveler
conduct quality research on different modes of technology, their uses, and the associated
reviews. Additionally, it is important to avoid sole reliance on technology as
there are always things subject to change. Technology, at its best, is a tool
for guidance and instruction. Failing to realize this can lead the traveler
astray from the initial goal of having an adventure in which you occasionally
get lost. In some cases, allowing ourselves to get lost opens us to the possibility
of finding untapped wonders.
References
Glasgow, R. (Photographer).
(2014, August 15). Louvre Entrance [Print Photo].
Odhekar, D. (Photographer). (2008, April 30).
Garmin Nuvi 660 001 [Web Photo]. Retrieved
from
https://www.flickr.com/photos/dhan/2454569568/in/photolist-4JUj1Y-4JQ5Ze-4JUjDd-79sjeA-79sjcq-79sjh1-9pZ5UP-4u6HnA-5TuDCo-5UwrcX-68yFZf-4r5hbb-4r1coT-6Xitwn-4r1cgF-4r1cmp-4r1cj2-4r5h8J-4r5hd9-4r1cei-9wUNvu-wBDvE-wBD9P-wBDdt-wBDav-wBDtU-wBDfC-wBD6Q-wBDpt-wBD7t-wBDmu-wBDrT-wBD6d-wBDnZ-wBDed-wBDbG-wBDhC-wBDcK-5QszCs-aiwa8X-4T4koA-aaSJj5-bzN6sW-8xX3WH-wBDf7-wBD8k-wBDbb-wBDjp-6YKjeV-zmN1S/
Ulmon GmbH. (Designer). (2014). Ulmon Apps for
Smart Travelers: Paris [Web Photo].
Retrieved from
http://www.ulmon.com/
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