May 9th, 2013 at 10:00AM: Before a 15-year-old Tim Gravenstreter hopped on a Trailways bus for his first solo trip to the Windy City, his father gave him a piece of advice he still follows.
"Don't stand on a street corner looking at a map trying to figure out where you are," the elder Gravenstreter said. "People will mark you for a rube and take advantage of you."
Although Tim had studied the Chicago map in the days ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
GPS posts
An Odyssey Ending For The Backseat Atlas
May 9th, 2013 at 10:00AM: Before a 15-year-old Tim Gravenstreter hopped on a Trailways bus for his first solo trip to the Windy City, his father gave him a piece of advice he still follows.
"Don't stand on a street corner looking at a map trying to figure out where you are," the elder Gravenstreter said. "People will mark you for a rube and take advantage of you."
Although Tim had studied the Chicago map in the days ...Gadling Gear Review: DeLorme inReach Satellite Communicator
Oct 29th, 2012 at 8:00AM: Thanks to cheap mobile phones and the proliferation of the Internet, it is now easier than ever to stay in touch while traveling, even while visiting foreign countries. But there are still certain places on the planet where cellphone coverage is nonexistent and technology of any kind is at a premium. In those destinations, satellite communication remains the best option, although it can be cost ...Travel Smarter 2012: Take these tips for a better road trip
Mar 9th, 2012 at 9:00AM:
With temperatures hovering near the 70 degree mark on the East Coast this week, many of us can already feel spring in the air, and that means that road trip season is nearly upon us. I grew up as the youngest child in a family of six boys and road trips were an annual event for us. We used to pile into a big, old station wagon and spend the bulk of our trips arguing over who was taking up too ...Gadling gear review: Bushnell Backtrack D-Tour GPS
Dec 5th, 2011 at 8:00AM: Handheld GPS devices are a popular tool for outdoor enthusiasts who regularly hike or backpack deep into the backcountry. They can be an indispensable piece of equipment that comes in handy for navigating through remote regions, and for those who know how to use them, they can quite literally be a lifesaver. The problem is, the devices can also be quite complex to use, which is very daunting for ...National Geographic releases Trail Maps app
Aug 8th, 2011 at 8:00AM: Last week, National Geographic added yet another offering to their growing list of mobile apps available for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. The newest app, entitled Trail Maps, offers a host of options for navigating both urban and wilderness environments, while also remaining useful even when you wander outside of cell service coverage.
The app uses both topographical maps from the U.S. ...Nepal to remeasure Mt. Everest
Jul 22nd, 2011 at 8:00AM: The government of Nepal has announced that it will remeasure the height of Mt. Everest in an effort to settle a dispute with China. This new survey is expected to take up to two years to complete and will likely provide the most accurate measurement of the height of the mountain ever.
Back in 1955 a team of Indian surveyors, using the best instruments available at the time, recorded the height ...Gallipoli battlefield being mapped by GPS
Apr 24th, 2011 at 10:00AM:
Archaeologists in Turkey are making a detailed survey of the famous World War One battle of Gallipoli. Using period military maps and GPS technology, they're mapping the old trenches and redoubts used by both sides.
Gallipoli was the scene of fierce fighting starting in 1915. A peninsula with highlands dominating the Dardanelles strait linking the Black and the Aegean seas, it guarded the ...Croatia set to offer "world's biggest welcome"
Apr 8th, 2011 at 8:00AM: Croatia is about to extend the "world's biggest welcome," thanks to an industrious outdoor enthusiast and a bit of ingenious use of technology.
Earlier this week, adventurer Daniel Lacko set out on a pre-designed course that will see him traveling by foot, kayak, and bike along the Croatian coastline. The 1550+ mile long route will take him through remote backcountry, across open water, and up ...Cockpit Chronicles: Alaska flying - then and now
Mar 1st, 2011 at 12:00PM: Last week I found myself flying to London with a captain who had started his career in pretty much the same way I did-he too had worked for a couple of airlines in Alaska, albeit more than a decade before me.
As we headed out to dinner, we happened to run into another pilot I knew who, coincidentally, flew for Era Alaska just as I had. Even more surprising was that his co-pilot flew for an ...Top five travel gadgets NOT to take on your next trip (and what to pack instead)
Feb 23rd, 2011 at 8:30AM:
I'm in the throes of packing for a two-month journey to Ethiopia. I try to pack light, other than the inevitable pile of books. While some tech freaks pack a lot of travel gadgets, I find these to be more of a hindrance than a help. Here are five things that you might want to leave behind if you're heading out for some adventure travel.
GPS
Yes, these are handy, but they can break with rough ...App review: MapQuest for Android with turn-by-turn spoken navigation directions
Feb 17th, 2011 at 12:30PM:
Yesterday, MapQuest unveiled their Android mapping application. This new app offers something fantastic - navigation with spoken turn by turn directions. I took it for a spin and can safely say that this is the new best free navigation package for Android.
Everything you expect from a decent GPS package is in this app - spoken directions and street names, traffic information, points of ...Geotagging your travels: why you should, and how to do it
Jan 29th, 2011 at 9:00AM:
Even casual travelers know the wonders of GPS. It's hard to imagine how we functioned on the road just a few years back without a satnav at our disposal, and now that our smartphones are also well equipped to guide us from point A to point Z (and everywhere in between), having a true sense of direction isn't quite as necessary as it once was. But GPS satellites are useful for quite a bit more ...NAVTEQ Natural Guidance promises friendlier GPS commands
Jan 5th, 2011 at 11:30AM:
NAVTEQ is behind the maps on some of the most popular GPS units in the world - and a new technology from their labs may help make those GPS units "friendlier".
At the moment, most GPS units are pretty dull - they tell you when to turn, and where to turn, but their commands are hardly friendly. NAVTEQ Natural Guidance is designed to deliver turn by turn directions the same way a human would ...
Ordnance Survey maps: sometimes government CAN do a great job
Dec 22nd, 2010 at 3:30PM: The BBC recently interviewed a cartographer for the Ordnance Survey. This government department is in charge of mapping the United Kingdom, except for Northern Ireland, which has its own agency.
If you like maps or plan to hike in the UK, the Ordnance Survey maps are simply amazing. They've been measuring and drawing this green and pleasant land since the eighteenth century and produce the best ...Gadling's cold weather gift guide
Dec 14th, 2010 at 11:00AM: Christmas is less than two weeks away (and Hanukkah wishes are now being expressed belatedly), and that's still plenty of time to shop for all of your favorite people. We've already covered the best gifts for outdoor travelers and the top luxury travel gifts, so this time around we're focusing on people who embrace winter.
You know the type: the adventurers who see snow and can't wait to get ...National Geographic maps available on new GPS device
Nov 19th, 2010 at 8:00AM: Earlier this week National Geographic announced that it was joining forces with Satmap to release a handheld GPS device that offers support for a range of maps from their library. The collaboration of the two organizations means that backpackers, hikers, and adventure travelers will have an electronic version of Nat Geo's award winning Topo!, Trails Illustrated, and AdventureMaps in the palm of ...Ayn Rand fanatic travels to send GPS message
Aug 16th, 2010 at 2:30PM:
In today's politically polarized climate, die-hards will do anything to get a leg up in the battle for communication. Larger crowds are sought, along with bigger signs, louder voices and greater media play. The days of slapping bumper stickers on random cars are giving way to more sophisticated stunts, and Nick Newcomen just set the bar higher with an unusual road trip.
Newcomen put 12,328 ...GPS: More than just a road map - International travel tip
Aug 6th, 2010 at 3:35PM: Traveling abroad and don't have an iPhone or other smart phone device? Got a GPS? A GPS can be your best travel companion.
Sure it can get you from point A to point B but many units also have a built in travel kit including --
* bilingual dictionaries,
* world clock,
* currency converter,
* measurement converter, and
* calculator.
It can really be a handy resource when you find yourself ...Cockpit Chronicles: Navigating Paris with an iPhone GPS
Aug 6th, 2010 at 3:00PM: I've lamented on Cockpit Chronicles about my distaste of four-day trips. I've come to realize that I shouldn't be flying such long trips after I came home once and I could actually see the growth in my two daughters.
But when a rare (for the Boston base anyway) six-day trip showed up on our bid sheets, I had to rethink my bidding preferences. The trip had a 24-hour stay in New York between two ...Two routes, one trip - Road trip tip
Jun 20th, 2010 at 5:28PM: Before embarking on a road trip, map out two different routes -- a slower, scenic route and a shorter, faster (less scenic) route.
In case you need to reach your destination sooner than planned, you'll have your faster route. However, try to take the more intriguing scenic route. Grab a camera, hop out, and snap some shots of the beautiful scenery you pass by. Discover the hottest eateries on ...
