Looking for Rand McNally Road Atlas enthusiasts for New York Post story

[espitznagel]

Hello.

I'm writing a feature for the New York Post about the new 95th edition of the Rand McNally Road Atlas. I'm looking for fans of Rand McNally atlases to share their thoughts on why they prefer them to GPS. Would love to hear from any of you, especially if you have strong opinions about why a paper atlas is vastly superior to GPS.

Thanks in advance!

[ladiestorm]

Hi, I'm S D McDaniel, I live in North Carolina, and I have always liked the Rand McNally road atlases! My husband used to be a trucker and he swore by them! We still have an older version here, at home, and I love it.

I have a couple of reasons why I prefer a paper atlas to GPS, especially for long trips. First, the ease in planning out long trips. The road atlases have some aspects in mapping that GPS lacks, such as points of interest. GPS doesn't list things like, national parks, major lakes, and rivers, or even sometimes personal interest spots along the way. Second, GPS isn't always accurate, meaning it doesn't always give a driver the best route to take. Also, the directions in a GPS sometimes come too late, if one is depending on nothing but the GPS, but if one has planned his/her route by the road atlas, one is already more aware of the route one is taking.

Technology has made us lazy. Yes, in a some ways GPS is easier to use, but easier is not always better. Relying on technical gadgets for everything we do limits us. It limits our learning. Because of GPS, most people today don't even know how to READ a map. But what happens if and when the technology fails? What do you do if your GPS stops working mid trip? Yes, I have had this happen. A paper road atlas can't fail. It's already there, all you have to do is look at it. GPS may be fine, possibly safer, in cities when you are alone and don't know where you are going, but the vocal GPS can also be intrusive.

GPS systems can also be exclusive. I remember growing up, taking long trips with my family. My parents would take turns driving, and us kids, who were too young to drive, would help navigate, using the maps. By doing this, we were included in the success of the trip, we didn't get as bored while our parents were driving, because we were in charge of the directions. It gave us a sense of responsibility. Also, we learned a little more of our country as we were driving through. Everything was there on the map. Viewing the maps sparked conversations between all of us, that made the trip more enjoyable.

GPS has taken a lot of that away. It's hard to pay attention to a conversation, and pay attention to traffic and the roads, while also trying to listen to directions called out by a GPS system. Road trips have become rather boring, with everyone depending on technology to keep them entertained. We have become disconnected from each other, and because of this, road trips have become something to endure until we reach our destination, instead of the journey they were intended to be.

[Falconius]

A paper atlas is not vastly superior to GPS, that is a silly argument to even try to make. They are both tools, and both use vastly different mediums. GPS is simply an easier tool to use, is more direct, and far more widely available, so obviously people use it.

Paper maps are more interesting for a variety of reasons, one of them being its easier to explore and find things one doesn't know about in advance (with GPS you generally have to know your destination, and that it exists). It is also easier to explore the maps themselves, but this is also true of exploring maps in your browser, and in your browser you have easier access to far more map information. As Ladiestorm pointed out probably the main purpose of planning a trip with printed maps in this day and age is to increase the chance of adventure and the encountering of the unknown (on a personal level).