Still using a paper map book in my car from 2018

I keep a Rand McNally road atlas under my passenger seat that I bought for $12 at a gas station near Flagstaff. When my phone died on a trip to see my aunt in rural Oregon last fall, I just flipped to page 64 and found a back road that bypassed a construction zone. Now I check the atlas before heading out somewhere new - it shows forest service roads and old routes that Google Maps just skips. My coworkers think I'm crazy for keeping it, but it never loses signal or runs out of battery. Anyone else still stash an analog map in their vehicle for emergencies?

2 comments

2 Comments

stellam8918h ago

Kept a 2017 Pennsylvania road atlas in my trunk for years. Came in clutch when my GPS took me down a logging road near State College that turned into mud. Maps don't panic or recalculate, they just sit there quietly waiting to be useful.

oscar39015h ago

Absolutely agree @stellam89. I've noticed people treat GPS like it's always right even when it's clearly leading them into trouble, but a map forces you to actually pay attention to where you're going. There's something about that quiet confidence of paper that makes you trust your own eyes more than a robot voice.