I simply cannot travel without a good paper map! I like the feel of a paper map and I also need it to orientate myself to ‘the bigger picture’. Modern day travellers cannot imagine themselves overlanding without electronic devices like GPSs, smartphones or tablets/iPads. True, these are invaluable, but the reality is that they can fail you. Therefore you should always travel with paper maps too.

An electronic device with a built-in GPS and a good map or app can indicate your position to within 5m or navigate you to your destination. However, such a device may give you tunnel vision as you usually look at a small screen zoomed in to see detailed information. Also, the device can let you down when it loses satellite signal or its power fails. Continue reading Don’t forget the good old paper map →