How many of us remember those huge paper road maps? Yeah, the same foldable ones that you found in diaries and travel guides.
Road travels would not be complete without those demonic accessories. One for south India, another for north, west etc. and to make matters worse, you would even have state wise road atlas’s.
Maps v/s Apps for traveling
South India Road Map
Opening one was difficult enough, putting it back… even worse. I, for one, could never ever, (even after I was a very grown man) fold the map back to its original state. So I guess I should be happy that we are done with that part of road travel! To close a map today, you just need to click. But technology apart, is it better?
Imagine this, you were a true vagabond in the earlier days. Navigating by the seat of your pants, was not just a term loosely thrown around. You needed to keep an eye out for major towns, non – existent road signs and be on the top of your communication game!
Remember these?
Each pit stop would have a conversation with the owner of the local business, or with a random passer-by on what we could see in the area, what’s special?! How the roads were up ahead? And most importantly, were we on the right track? In most cases, our questions would lead into the local asking us about where were from and where we were heading?
Locals v/s Technology
It was a part of the experience of the road travel. I know even now many of our travel fraternity prefer to talk to humans rather than use technology to navigate. Invariably, people would ask us “what’s the mileage you get on the bike?” (Kitna deti hai?), as my fellow Enfield owners will remember.
Today, our routes are charted out and an electronic British lady guides us through the fastest route to your destination. The technology will tell you how long you would take to reach there, whether there is traffic enroute. A quick search will tell you what to find there and where to eat etc. You would never have to leave the confines of your car or bike to complete your journey.
It’s easy! It’s convenient! ……. Its ok!
What this does is tell you clearly, succinctly where we should go and how to get there. Plan efficiently, so that we can explore more, see more and feel more. So is that ironic? A technology solution that takes away from interacting with locals now helps you interact with your journey better.
At ScoutMyTrip, we are building a community that will add the human touch to the technology and bring about a seamless experience to the traveler. When we say humans, we mean Scouts! They’re subscription- based travel experts who provide customised trip itineraries with virtual assistance throughout the trip. Another way of doing it is to talk to people and learn from their experience before you plan your next trip. I guarantee, you will enjoy your experience just that much more.
Happy Scouting!
