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How would you rate your navigation skills on a scale of one to 10, with 10 being “Who needs GPS?” and one being “I get confused getting in and out of my shower but I’m still a better navigator than Dorothy Rosby.”
If you rated yourself eight and above, you could stop reading right now. Actually you could stop reading now no matter how you scored your skills. It’s a free country. But I encourage you to read on. I heard the following tips on an episode of NPR’s Life Kit program. And I listened carefully because I’ve been concerned about my navigation abilities ever since I got lost somewhere between my camper and the outhouse in a nearly vacant campground.
Let me preface this by saying the information was more practical than some of the silly, old saws you used to hear like that one about moss on trees. I can never remember which side of the tree it’s supposed to grow on and I’m not convinced the moss knows either.
I was also happy that these tips applied to both urban and hiking settings, since I’ve been lost in some of the finest of both.
On the other hand, not all of these will work for me, and that includes the first one: 1. Turn off your GPS. The experts interviewed on the program said that when we’re relying on technology to find our way, we’re likely not paying attention to the cues around us. You try this if you like, but I don’t intend to. I hate to give up technology after I’ve finally learned how to use it.
Besides, I save so much travel time when I use Google maps because I don’t have to stop at every gas station on my route and ask for directions. I can find a few places without help though, for example the post office and grocery store.
2. Get lost on purpose. I’ve been using this one my entire life—except the part about doing it on purpose. Go ahead and try this if you like, but I’m not convinced it’s all that helpful. If getting lost helped improve navigation skills, I could be a tour guide by now.
I’m not saying you can’t learn anything from getting lost though. That’s how I learned not to turn off my GPS.
3. Pick landmarks to orient yourself. But don’t make the mistake I’ve made more than once. Never pick landmarks that move. Parked cars, for example, make poor landmarks.
The experts on Life Kit said the ideal landmark is large and far away, like a mountain or a tall building. That makes sense. I can see how you could keep your bearings by noting your position in relation to a larger, distant landmark as you traveled. Also it wouldn’t move.
4. Remember to look back now and then. Someone could be tailing you. Kidding! The real reason you should occasionally look back the way you came is so that it looks familiar when you turn around to go back. Things look different on the other side. For one thing, the trees could be covered with moss.
5. Create a narrative about where you are. For example, “Hey, this is where I tripped over that tree stump and twisted my ankle” or “This is the street where I rear-ended that UPS truck because I was looking for my turn.” I’ve never done that, but I can see how I’d remember the street if I ever did.
6. And finally, pay attention. They didn’t come right out and say this, but it was implied. I admit that not paying attention is part of my problem with navigation. My husband usually drives, partly because he loves to drive and partly because I tend to doze off in a car. That makes it hard to pay attention.
Dorothy Rosby is an author and humor columnist whose work appears regularly in publications in the West and Midwest.
