What aspect of 'normal' life is alien to you?

[PurpleSky300]

By which I mean... what are the "normal" things of life you haven't yet done or experienced, compared to most people?

For me it's:

Driving, I'm hopeless, just can't get it
I've never been to a club
Anything to do with babies
In-laws
A properly "senior" job

When there was less traffic on the roads. I used to be a sales rep and managed perfectly well without a satnav, but I absolutely needed it when I moved student DD from halls to a flat in Liverpool on a busy Saturday afternoon last summer when half the population were protesting in the streets and the police were closing roads at random.

I couldn't just stop the car and read a map.

Sorry, but I struggle to believe that anyone could find a specific address in a large city with one way systems with roads several lanes wide by memorising a map.

What makes you think that everybody NEEDS to navigate city centers?
We travel all across the UK in our Moho but the routes are planned beforehand and driving through busy town centers is just not a requirement, that is what the trunk road network is for.

Anyway, not to derail the thread.😜

I was justifying why I use a satnav. I don't need one to drive to Northumberland or South London, but I do to drive round Liverpool.

Having parents who have your back, support you, make sure you’re ok.

@Nourishinghandcream Sorry, but I struggle to believe that anyone could find a specific address in a large city with one way systems with roads several lanes wide by memorising a map.

You struggle to remember a world before satnav. Very likely you never lived in it.

People memorised the route to the city, and drew a plan of the detail of the route once they were close to it. Sometimes two plans, one to get them close and one to get them to the door.

You struggle to remember a world before satnav. Very likely you never lived in it.

Absolutely not true.

I used to be a sales rep 35 years ago, and managed perfectly well without a satnav, but I absolutely needed it when I moved student DD from halls to a flat in Liverpool on a busy Saturday afternoon last summer when there were protests in the streets and the police were closing roads at random.

I couldn't just stop the car and read a map.

I don't need one to drive to Northumberland or South London, but I do to drive round Liverpool.

When was the last time you drove round the middle of Liverpool, Sheffield, Leeds or Bradford?

The roads in these cities have changed so much and there is so much more traffic on them. The one way systems and multiple lanes mean that I can't stop to look at a map.

Traffic conditions vary so much that when I drive to Liverpool my satnav chooses a different route each time to avoid congestion once I reach the city. I don't need the satnav to get to Liverpool, but do for the city centre where DD lives.

I take my hat off to anyone who can remember complicated routes, one way systems and which lane to get into on multiple lane roads in cities they have never driven round before, but I don't have the memory of an elephant.

Also, when driving long distances my satnav warns me of road closures. I recall a drive to South Wales many years ago and due to a serious accident on the M5 I had to divert and go via the M69. Once off the motorway I had to keep stopping to check my map. A satnav would have made the journey much easier.

@Imdunfer and for the record, I still keep a road atlas in the car.

I spent a lot of time driving to small English villages when I was younger.
I used a road map, an A-Z for small towns. In many villages I had to use an OS map and then just drive around or ask someone till I found the street. I put longer routes on index cards.

I think I'd rather use Google Maps.

I spent a lot of time driving to small English villages when I was younger.
I used a road map, an A-Z for small towns. In many villages I had to use an OS map and then just drive around or ask someone till I found the street. I put longer routes on index cards.

Ha ha. I use to do the same. It just wouldn't work for some of the larger cities now though.

Getting drunk and being hungover. Never drank that much in my life. Why would you want to be so out of control?

Cruises. Far too many people! We're about to book one as I want to see the fjords but there's a part of me that feels sick spending £8k on something I know I will hate a lot of.

Package holidays, all inclusive. Never been on one.

Reality tv, in fact most tv passes me by. Podcasts and books are much better

So do I.

And anyone who remembers the O2 two day failure from a few years back should too.

For us map keepers it was pretty hilarious hearing and seeing all the people who couldn't get to where they needed to be because O2 was down. Map books became like gold dust. And of course it also has some really serious consequences for some people, which was sad.

Every driver who ever needs to be in a particular place at a particular time needs the skill of being able to read and follow a paper road map.

As a teenager in the times long ago before satnav I remember drivers used to stop passers by and ask for directions all the time. I was hopeless at it as I walked everywhere. People got lost a lot more.

There aren't any more A-Z printed - I think I looked and now there are only London and a couple of really big cities.

I still have my old A - Z maps of areas I used to live in.

I find that looking at maps still gives a better perspective of the bigger picture. They probably aren't of much use now since new roads have been built and road systems have changed.

I used to know my way around Leeds, but so much of it has been made one way now and there have been so many more new roads built, especially on the East side of the city.

Thirty years ago just using a road map would have sufficed, especially if you have a good navigator, but in busy city centres where the road signs don't always indicate which lane you should be in until it is too late it is more difficult if you are new to the area.

Having lots of kids. Sorry not for me. One and done.
Having a supportive mother.
Not overthinking
Being able to make my own decisions

When was the last time you drove round the middle of Liverpool, Sheffield, Leeds or Bradford?
The roads in these cities have changed so much and there is so much more traffic on them. The one way systems and multiple lanes mean that I can't stop to look at a map.

Didn't want to derail the thread as the OP's question was asking what is alien to people and I replied that my OH does not use satnav.......... doesn't mean that others can't.

Some people just NEVER go into cities they don't know (or cities at all for that).
Why would we want to drive around Liverpool, Sheffield, Leeds or Bradford (or Southampton, Plymouth, Canterbury, Birmingham, Stoke On Trent, Nottingham.......) when we have no requirement to go there?

Sky, Amazon TV, Netflix, Spotify, Tiktok, Twitter, Kindle....... never used / watched / listened to any of them.

Package foreign / beach holiday, never done one.

Nail bar.

It's all available online and can be printed off. If I'm on an important or complex journey that's what I do. I sometime drive it first by Streetview or take the birdseye view on Google Earth (though you do have to know how old the images are. )

The O2 incident showed just how dangerous it is to rely on your Satnav being active if you have a time critical journey to make.

People have short memories!

There are 38 towns and cities with printed A-Zs still being sold by Collins.

Living in the countryside. That's where wildlife and farmers are supposed to live, not people like me. It's often a really inefficient use of power, transit and food infrastructure too. I love the natural landscape - that's why I don't live in it!

I also can't imagine not being able to get home from visits and events easily via public transport. Doesn't make sense to me.

Some people just NEVER* go into cities they don't know (or cities at all for that).
Why would we want to drive around Liverpool, Sheffield, Leeds or Bradford (or Southampton, Plymouth, Canterbury, Birmingham, Stoke On Trent, Nottingham.......) when we have no requirement to go there?*

What was the point of posting?

Some of those are cities I do drive around, and I can't memorise an A - Z like some posters on here can. I'm not an elephant.

I do use Streetview before I set off as well.

there are other businesses in the countryside besides farming!

Never had kids, 2 miscarriages and then never happened.
Never had a bubble tea (and looking at them, I don't want to!)
Never had a short hair cut.
Never had an oyster, again, see the second one!
Never been divorced or lived alone.
Never known a day without some sort of bodily pain.

Waze is far better and more accurate than Google maps! Fact!

I like Waze. Google owns Waze and has incorporated some of the better aspects of Waze in Google maps now, plus they share data.