Over the last few decades, the world has started to feel like a much smaller place, as many businesses have either or both national and international operations and there are more flights accessible to more places in the world than ever before.

As a result, venturing outside of Paisley is easy and seeing the world via travelling has become a bigger part of our lifestyles. Even if you don’t travel for business, you probably travel for fun. It may be that your one big passion in life is travelling.

It can be overwhelming because of the globalisation we are experiencing to choose a destination and plan out a trip. 

Especially if you are new to travelling or have planned a huge tailor-made holiday consisting of multi centre destinations. That is when you really need to rely on help.

How to Make Sure You Don’t Get Lost on Your Travels

The crux of the matter is that the majority of travellers know where they want to go, it’s just how they are going to travel there and what they are going to do and where they are going to go when they arrive. 

The good news is that there is a wide selection of different resources that can help.

Apps

Probably one of the most commonplace and easily accessible is the maps on Apps and that come with smartphones that utilise GPS. 

That’s all very well and good, but what do you do when you reach a destination with a poor satellite or even no Wi-Fi signal? 

We take for granted in the first world that these things aren’t commonplace everywhere. 

Maps

In these cases, you need to turn to maps.

Maps are obviously not new, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone can read them. In actual fact, many can’t read a physical map because they have only ever used digital ones.

Generally speaking, most travellers will consult a digital map to see the best way to get there by car, if that’s how they are travelling.

Even if they are travelling any other way initially, they will still need to use maps if they intend on renting a vehicle or just to help them get to the correct hotel.

Maps are often full of useful information and don’t just tell you how far one location is away from another, but come maps will show you the kind of amenities, like laundrettes, restaurants, bars and museums in that area. 

As an aside, we even recommend spending a day out in Paisley with a detailed map. We bet you’ll find things you never knew existed and a newfound appreciation for your home city!

When travelling by car, one thing you really should familiarise yourself with is road maps. You will find these are available at most gas stations and stores on route. 

Some of the important pieces of information you can find out on road maps includes:

  • The straightest and shortest routes
  • The number of miles from one location to another
  • Where tourist spots and local attractions are
  • Where any rest points are

You can use maps alongside a set of instructions, but the latter should not replace the former.

Why Maps Are Still so Important

Why? Often attractions change and different points of interest change too, and if people get off course, the instructions they have are virtually useless.

However, when you have a map and know how to use it, you can find out where you are and how to get your journey back on track.

Reading maps effectively, though, is a skill that you need to work on.

It’s very easy to look forward to where you are heading when you are travelling and as part of the booking process, it’s normal to spend a while finding the best hotel and the right kind of activities you want to do while you are there.

But, if you really want to get the best experience out of traveling, it’s worth putting just as much time into learning and reading maps and understanding them before you hit the road.