[dale_glass]

What do you do with that knowledge? I mean, it's a good skill if you're actually going to apply it to something. Knowing you're facing north is great if there's some use you get out out that. Finding your way around is way more work than just "north is that way".

I remember the first time I traveled internationally. Incredible stress. I had a bunch of printouts with all the details. Still, I depended completely on the friend I was visiting. I literally didn't dare leave his house without him because I wasn't confident I could make it back without having to have him rescue me and didn't want to give him that trouble. Sure I had a bunch of info, but one wrong decision and my static stack of papers might not be enough to get me out of it.

Technology made an absolutely amazing difference. With GPS I could wander around a city aimlessly and still find a way to my hotel. I could figure out where the center was. The early incarnation was rough but amazing for the amount of stress relief it provided.

And modern tech? Just sci-fi magic. I can see both the usual sights and find various obscure ones and any business I might need. With Uber I could get a trip in random countries wherever needed without speaking the local language. Google now tells me about bus and tram routes, tells me what to take, where the station is, and what stations am I going to go through, and when I'm going to be there. There's a magic real time translator for both text and voice.

[T-A]

> Sure I had a bunch of info, but one wrong decision and my static stack of papers might not be enough to get me out of it.

If you knew how to read a map it would have been.

I can't imagine being so dependent on a phone which can be accidentally dropped, misplaced, or simply run out of battery charge that I would be lost without it.

[dale_glass]

Paper has limited information. If you failed to acquire a map with the relevant useful information you have a problem. Not every map contains enough information for every possible need. If you planned on going by car then improvised and took a bus you might not even have bus stops marked on it.

> I can't imagine being so dependent on a phone which can be accidentally dropped, misplaced, or simply run out of battery charge that I would be lost without it.

Same way you deal with anything else: what if you have a car problem? So you plan ahead. Get the car checked before a trip, fill the tank, figure out what to do if it does break.

Phones are easier. I've got a stack of old ones that are still functional, easy to bring an extra one. I have an external battery. You can charge in many cafes and similar, just find a Starbucks or something. You can go to a shop and buy a battery or the cheapest phone they have if it comes to that.

[52-6F-62]

…Did you just chastise me for being able to orient myself?