In the US, I have been completely spoiled – there is a GPS suctioned to my windshield, which has provided me with walking and driving directions throughout the tri-state area, and from my home in NY to BU. On my Blackberry, the GPS system is very reliable, especially when exploring new places, because WiFi is rarely sparse. But in traveling through Europe, cities are your only primary place of technological commonness: when going far north in England, picking through the ruins of Rome, and weaving through the streets of Venice, don’t count on the GPS.
My sense of direction has always been pretty keen – I never had to worry about feeling truly lost going from one place to another. Taking that quality and applying it to navigating foreign countries is definitely a large adjustment, and after over 2 months here, I have once again mastered the fourth grade skill of map reading.
When traveling, my map never leaves my bag. I am constantly whipping it out in public, looking for the fastest and prettiest walk to get to the next destination: my good travel buddy, Ramona, has lovingly named this position “Map Girl.” It sounds like a superhero name, and rightfully so– Map Girl is independent, can get you out of trouble, is always there in a pinch, and doesn’t require a lot of backup. She can point you to where you need to go safely and in an entertaining way.
Yes, ladies, you can be her, too.
A map is not an expensive item either – most hostels or even train stations will have free maps at their check in and information counters. Grab one and go! I have even kept all my city maps as keepsakes, taking them home and highlighting the places that I have been. Being hopeful to return to Europe, I anticipate being able to revisit my maps and see what sections of locality and tourism I have yet to touch upon. How exciting!
If your travels take you to any area with which you might be unfamiliar, or if you are simply feeling bewildered by being somewhere new (especially in a place where you don’t speak the language), do not feel ashamed of carrying around that map! We can only rely on our smart phones and nice locals so much – if you want a real independent feel for your traveling experience, you will get so much out of it by getting from point A to point B by yourself. Just pull over to the side of the street so you are not crowding pedestrian traffic, take note of your surroundings, and navigate from there. You can even plan your day trip in the morning at a café over a nice cup of espresso and a Nutella crepe, and you cannot deny that you’d enjoy it! It doesn’t have to be a bird or a plane – just give a girl a map, and you’ve got a superhero.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at BU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.