Holiday travel is on our doorstep again, and I’m expecting the same wonderful experience we always have: traffic-free open roads, long naps in the passenger seat, children sitting quietly in the back – a typical holiday trip, right? As if we didn’t have enough stress to deal with, my wife and I have invented another source of aggravation: conflicting computerized directions.
With a long drive ahead of us, it’s important that we make sure our directions are accurate. You would think that with the state of technology today this would be an easy task. Enter your target location into your mobile phone or GPS, tap another icon for the route, and wait for the jagged blue lines to appear indicating your best options.
That might work for most people, but not for us. Not only can my wife and I not agree on which of those tiny blue lines we should follow, we can’t even agree on which mobile application we should use. She prefers Google Maps; I use my iPhone’s Maps App. On top of that, we throw her car’s GPS into the mix for good measure.
On our last trip, one we’d taken from Kentucky many times, we got into this discussion as we approached a turnoff:
“What are you doing?” I asked, probably not the best opener.
“Turning.”
“Don’t make the turn here. You’re supposed to go straight.”
“That’s not what the GPS says.”
I drew my iPhone. “Alternative two, variation three says we should go straight.”
She reached for her Samsung Galaxy. “When I cross-check with Google Maps, option fifteen tells me to make a left and a quick right.”
We fired routes at each other as the cars stacked up behind us, all waiting for our decision. Finally, I turned to our four-year-old daughter who was strapped into her toddler seat. She was pressing button after button on her Fisher Price mobile phone.
“Honey, what does your GPS say?”
“Turn here, Daddy.”
I couldn’t believe it. Even Fisher Price was against me. “Are you sure?”
“I’ll check.” She pressed a few more buttons. The A-B-C song began. “Yes, this is it.”
I was outnumbered. I couldn’t face off against my wife and Fisher Price. I’d lost this showdown, but other vacations and other turns loomed ahead of us. I would be there with my Maps App. What’s your preference?
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