I love this. I was a 90s kid, but never learned how to read a map because car-mounted GPS were already a thing by the time I started driving. (I used MapQuest in the early days though.) I love the idea of encouraging wanderlust in my kids with paper maps. My daughter isn't quite 3, and already pays a ton of attention to her surroundings when we're in the car. I think she'd love looking at a map even if she can't understand it yet. And I'd love to learn how to navigate without having to use a device.
Completely agree. Also maps, unlike phones with GPS, don't automatically make you the centre of where you are. You have to find where you are on the map and this psychologically quite a different experience. There is also growing evidence that over reliance on GPS shrinks your hippocampus and this might have an impact on brain health later in life. Also love that maps open up for a broader perspective rather than narrow your thinking to a small black oblong.
I finally invested in a 2025 atlas. Our last one from 2005 got a lot of use. There is something so reassuring about being able to see your entire route in one glance and I loved being able to see how many miles between each point. 5 or 7 miles at a time was far less intimidating as a child than hundreds of miles.
When we homeschooled, we had a piece of clear vinyl we used to cover the dining room table and I'd rotate out various maps for the kids to look at. I've been wanting to go back to that and it's a great dinner conversation starter!
Once I got into a blizzard driving from Hamilton to London after a long day at a conference. My phone battery was low and I soon hit road closures. The battery actually died a few minutes in and I was so grateful I had a road map book of Ontario since roads were closed and I had to navigate county roads in a blizzard. A 90 minute drive turned into 3 hours but I got home safely and eventually thanks to my road atlas.
I love this. I've been trying to use my GPS less lately and my husband mentioned the other day that we should invest in some paper maps. The idea of having one when you explore a new place is such a great idea. When I don't know a place yet, I often have the impulse to climb to the nearest high point and just really get the lay of the land. A map would probably be the easier way to accomplish that!
you ARE a Luddite, and that’s good. As former Treehugger writer Brian Merchant notes, “Let me tell you: The always misunderstood Luddites, who fought back, not against technology, but against the titans who used technology to exploit ordinary people—against the “machinery hurtful to commonality”—are more relevant than ever.”
We used to take “Left-Right Trips” when we first got our driver’s license and just wanted to go out and drive around in the evenings with no destination in mind. Left at a red light, right at a green light, straight ahead at a yellow light. Or we would change the rules whenever we began our adventures. Got lost often and had to find our way back home. This was back around 1970-71.
We have a US map hanging in our dining room with pins of all the places we have visited. It’s a great conversation starter when people come over and they always take a closer look. Bonus, our kids never have to study for a geography/states quiz because they look at it all the time and already know where all the states are!
Awesome read. I remember growing up and doing road trips without Google Maps. Flipping through the pages of the Road Atlas was so fun. I'll have to do it again sometime for nostalgia. Thanks for sharing!
A brilliant post! For my 6 years old I printed out and laminated a map of our neighbourhood without street names from Google Maps, and she's been learning to use it when we walk. This is an example how print and digital can coexist. A curious fact I've learned recently: in BC learners and novice drivers are prohibited from using GPS even in hands free mode as it's considered distracted driving. I've been learning how to drive in Ontario with a driving instructor, and I don't use GPS. There's something refreshing in observing the streets as they are and memorizing the layout of the city.
Maps are a way to decode , memorise , remember and explore the world. I too have a selection of maps with me whenever I travel - even for Bruce and Grey Counties where I have lived for 30+ years. When travelling alone in a new place,it is easy to lose GPS contact ( vagaries of roaming or out of reception) . Once I ferried from New York State to Vermont and did not arrive in Burlington as expected. GPS conked out. When I found my way to Burlington, the only detailed city maps were for tourist locations. From kids drawing pirate treasure maps to old travellers, maps are agency.
Maps are magical! I completely agree that they ground and orient me when travelling locally or in a new place. They give you a ’sense’ of where you are in relation to the bigger picture. I’ve always loved looking at maps, marking them to indicate the best ways to go, or wonderful places I want to visit or revisit. GPS/phone maps can never replace the tangible physical map in my hands.
As always thanks k you Katherine. Such a powerful visual reminder. Your story made me think of a video I show my students every semester when I begin my tech addiction unit. I’m sure you r already seen it but I’ll share it here for your readers as well https://youtu.be/Z7dLU6fk9QY?si=uTgGMHsQLEXiv3lM
Hi Nicole. I usually get them tourist information booths in airports or train stations. Those are city maps. But for bigger road trips, you can order detailed maps online in advance of a trip.
I agree. Just mapping my journey with a highlighter, tangibly holding the map and seeing all around my route is so fun and helpful!!
I love this. I was a 90s kid, but never learned how to read a map because car-mounted GPS were already a thing by the time I started driving. (I used MapQuest in the early days though.) I love the idea of encouraging wanderlust in my kids with paper maps. My daughter isn't quite 3, and already pays a ton of attention to her surroundings when we're in the car. I think she'd love looking at a map even if she can't understand it yet. And I'd love to learn how to navigate without having to use a device.
Saving this post!
Completely agree. Also maps, unlike phones with GPS, don't automatically make you the centre of where you are. You have to find where you are on the map and this psychologically quite a different experience. There is also growing evidence that over reliance on GPS shrinks your hippocampus and this might have an impact on brain health later in life. Also love that maps open up for a broader perspective rather than narrow your thinking to a small black oblong.
I finally invested in a 2025 atlas. Our last one from 2005 got a lot of use. There is something so reassuring about being able to see your entire route in one glance and I loved being able to see how many miles between each point. 5 or 7 miles at a time was far less intimidating as a child than hundreds of miles.
When we homeschooled, we had a piece of clear vinyl we used to cover the dining room table and I'd rotate out various maps for the kids to look at. I've been wanting to go back to that and it's a great dinner conversation starter!
Once I got into a blizzard driving from Hamilton to London after a long day at a conference. My phone battery was low and I soon hit road closures. The battery actually died a few minutes in and I was so grateful I had a road map book of Ontario since roads were closed and I had to navigate county roads in a blizzard. A 90 minute drive turned into 3 hours but I got home safely and eventually thanks to my road atlas.
It is a form of road safety kit-my paper road atlas.
I love this. I've been trying to use my GPS less lately and my husband mentioned the other day that we should invest in some paper maps. The idea of having one when you explore a new place is such a great idea. When I don't know a place yet, I often have the impulse to climb to the nearest high point and just really get the lay of the land. A map would probably be the easier way to accomplish that!
Yes! I wrote about this for PBS KIDS several years ago. Also, love the left-right trip idea -- may have to try that with my kids. https://www.pbs.org/parents/thrive/why-children-still-need-to-read-and-draw-map
you ARE a Luddite, and that’s good. As former Treehugger writer Brian Merchant notes, “Let me tell you: The always misunderstood Luddites, who fought back, not against technology, but against the titans who used technology to exploit ordinary people—against the “machinery hurtful to commonality”—are more relevant than ever.”
Great article!
We used to take “Left-Right Trips” when we first got our driver’s license and just wanted to go out and drive around in the evenings with no destination in mind. Left at a red light, right at a green light, straight ahead at a yellow light. Or we would change the rules whenever we began our adventures. Got lost often and had to find our way back home. This was back around 1970-71.
We have a US map hanging in our dining room with pins of all the places we have visited. It’s a great conversation starter when people come over and they always take a closer look. Bonus, our kids never have to study for a geography/states quiz because they look at it all the time and already know where all the states are!
Awesome read. I remember growing up and doing road trips without Google Maps. Flipping through the pages of the Road Atlas was so fun. I'll have to do it again sometime for nostalgia. Thanks for sharing!
A brilliant post! For my 6 years old I printed out and laminated a map of our neighbourhood without street names from Google Maps, and she's been learning to use it when we walk. This is an example how print and digital can coexist. A curious fact I've learned recently: in BC learners and novice drivers are prohibited from using GPS even in hands free mode as it's considered distracted driving. I've been learning how to drive in Ontario with a driving instructor, and I don't use GPS. There's something refreshing in observing the streets as they are and memorizing the layout of the city.
Maps are a way to decode , memorise , remember and explore the world. I too have a selection of maps with me whenever I travel - even for Bruce and Grey Counties where I have lived for 30+ years. When travelling alone in a new place,it is easy to lose GPS contact ( vagaries of roaming or out of reception) . Once I ferried from New York State to Vermont and did not arrive in Burlington as expected. GPS conked out. When I found my way to Burlington, the only detailed city maps were for tourist locations. From kids drawing pirate treasure maps to old travellers, maps are agency.
Maps are magical! I completely agree that they ground and orient me when travelling locally or in a new place. They give you a ’sense’ of where you are in relation to the bigger picture. I’ve always loved looking at maps, marking them to indicate the best ways to go, or wonderful places I want to visit or revisit. GPS/phone maps can never replace the tangible physical map in my hands.
As always thanks k you Katherine. Such a powerful visual reminder. Your story made me think of a video I show my students every semester when I begin my tech addiction unit. I’m sure you r already seen it but I’ll share it here for your readers as well https://youtu.be/Z7dLU6fk9QY?si=uTgGMHsQLEXiv3lM
I love this! Where do you usually find maps when you go to a new city?
Hi Nicole. I usually get them tourist information booths in airports or train stations. Those are city maps. But for bigger road trips, you can order detailed maps online in advance of a trip.