Archive for May, 2009

If this sign is in your future, GPS may be right for you

I recently embarked on a cross-country move from Chicago to Silicon Valley to work here at the TeleNav headquarters and have to shamefully admit that I don’t think I would have survived without the help of a GPS device. I’ve been good with directions my entire life and would not consider myself directionally challenged. However, after completing the trip I honestly questioned whether I could’ve done it alone. Forget how the pioneers made it across the country hundreds of years ago, I found myself wondering how people did it in the 90′s!

So, I thought I would share some of the things GPS technology (such as TeleNav GPS Navigator) helped me out with during my trip and after arriving here in sunny California. I’m no longer convinced that a friend with a pick-up truck is the best resource to have when moving and here’s why:

• No more maps – Although they’re always good to have as a back-up resource, I didn’t look at a map once when driving across the country. Each day I would determine how many hours I wanted to drive and then I was easily able to pinpoint the town/city I needed to drive to in order to reach my desired driving goal. Not only that, I was able to find hotels in the town I had targeted as my stop for that day and call in advance to ensure I had a room available when I arrived.
• Keeping gas in the tank - As those of you who’ve driven across this great country of ours may know, there are some areas where a tank of gas will barely get you from one town to the next. During the entire trip I tried to make sure I never dipped below a quarter of a tank to ensure I wouldn’t end up on the side of the road sitting on empty. One thing that helped me do this was checking the GPS device for gas stations along the route to help me better judge when I should fill-up. If you miss the chance to fill the tank, it might not come again very soon. Trust me, watching that needle drop while you frantically wait for the next exit is not good for the nerves.          
• Getting back on course after a stop – One of the most difficult things to predict when driving a long distance is when and where you’ll be stopping. Whether it’s for food, gas or just to stretch, it’s hard to plan ahead when you will be getting on and off of the interstate. I’m sure we’ve all seen an exit sign with five fast food choices listed, only to find after taking the exit the food is five miles down the road and now you’re driving around in a small, unfamiliar town. With the GPS device, this situation is easy to avoid because you can see the restaurant’s distance from your current location. You know it’s not 10 miles off of the exit. And even if you do have to drive that far off of the interstate, you have the comfort of knowing the device can get you right back onto the interstate and headed in the right direction.
• A local guide to your new city - Finding your new city of residence isn’t the last stop for your GPS experience. I’ve actually found that using TeleNav GPS Navigator in my new town has been more beneficial than I could’ve ever imagined. There were so many things I needed to locate immediately after arriving like furniture stores, a bank branch, the post office, the DMV and my office. Sure I could’ve looked these up online and printed out directions, but it was so much more convenient to be able to type or speak it directly into my phone and be directed right there. After having some time to settle in, I still find myself using the service to find things like grocery stores, gas stations and restaurants. My friends are also commenting on how well I seem to be getting around the new area. If they only knew . . .

Those are just a few of the benefits using GPS technology provided to me while I was making the trek across the country. I’ve made the drive across the country a few times now, both with and without the help of GPS, and I can honestly say I felt much more comfortable with those directions being spoken to me along the way than fumbling around with some printed directions. If you’re planning a move to a new city, I would highly recommend picking up a GPS device or mobile phone application to help you adapt to your new surroundings, it’s been a life saver for me personally.