Maps

Zagreb, Croatia

Go straight, Turn right, Turn left, If we are on the road, these are some necessary steps for us to arrive at our destination. Now, we have google maps or apple maps to help us to find routes easily or avoid traffic jams. Using maps is always very important when traveling or driving.

When I was traveling to Europe, it was my first time to travel alone. I didn’t have a phone with the Internet. I took the train from the airport to the station. I only had the hostel address and then I asked for a map from the train station office. The staff gave me a map and guided me where to go. Well, it actually took me a while to arrive at the hostel. I asked several people on the road and thankfully they were all really kind and willing to help me. I got a little bit lost because some roads were not shown on the map and I didn’t notice. So, I walked a while on the street with my heavy luggage. Reading maps has been an interesting thing to do when I’m traveling. I always asked for maps in the airports, stations or tourism offices. For me, that’s a good way to “read a city” and it’s something different from using google maps. It was 6 or 7 years ago, I was traveling in Finland. My friend had to go to school and we agreed to meet after his class. He showed me some places to visit and walk around. He also taught me how to well use the map. The map is usually like a small poster and when we read a map on the street, people can easily recognize that we are tourists. Sometimes, it might cause some problems when some people know you are a tourist. My friend minimized the map and it perfectly fitted on my hand. I can read it more easily.

As google maps or apple maps update frequently, we rely on using them heavily. I use google maps to help me find a route from airport to hotel or identify the best transport options. Hence, I can arrive at the hotel without too many problems. However, I usually don’t use roaming service or buy a SIM card from local telecom service providers. I still enjoy reading maps when traveling. Well, by doing this, I might be lost sometimes. But, I often find something interesting or explore something new when getting lost during a trip.