disaster journey home w w u have done...

[Sarah510]

So, coming back from campsite yesterday, the battery in my phone was low-ish but I wasn't too worried as I had bought a solar charger, which worked perfectly on the drive down, and I was able to charge my phone as I was driving. 2 kids and a dog in the back (just FYI!)

Couldn't get solar charger to work :( Battery getting lower and lower. I tried to get the directions into my memory, but the last bit of the journey is all motorways and junctions, and always rely on google maps to get me home - only lived in the area a few months. Soooo, phone dies about an hour from home. Tried to find the way on the motorway but came off at wrong exit, ended up so lost, miles away from home. Thougth could I charge my phone in mcdonalds - found one, but they said it wasn't allowed (understandably). Went to a petrol station to buy a map - didn't have any. Asked lots of people, nobody knew. Finally found a sign to a town that I've visited a few times, so went there, Its about 10 miles from home. It was pitch dark by now and we'd been travelling for more than 6 hours, so very fraught in the car. I thought I recognised the 'road home', but went wrong somewhere. Finally stopped at another petrol station, no maps again, but asked the lady, and thank god she knew my town. If it wasn't for her I think I'd still be driving round. I learned my lesson anyway. Never ever go out without a map, or backup written directions. I felt so guilty for my poor kids, I feel like I let them down. (and they think that too, rightly so as it was idiotic). I do have a sat nav in the car but it just stopped working one day, for no reason, so I always just use my phone now. Anyway, I dont' think I'm even going to tell my friends/family as I'm so embarrassed at putting us all at risk like that, and putting us through it. A 3.5 hour journey took more than 7 hours :( Voting: UANBU - ok to rely on technology. UABU - always have a map in the car!!!!

@Oliversmumsarmy

I do think sat navs have impeded our ability to think logically.

If you are heading towards Newcastle and you are meant to be going to Birmingham then you know you need to turn round as you have definitely gone wrong. You don’t need a sat nav to tell you that you have gone wrong

I agree. Unfortunately I think all these electronic "crutches" are making us lazy and stupid. We're becoming far too reliant on them.

@oakleaffy

Page from Post Chaise map book.

Oh god! I still manage to miss turnings WITH google maps on my phone, I can't imagine using one of these 😂 my brain simply isn't wired that way

I get that it was frustrating, and probably really stressful, but it wasn't really a disaster. You got home, nobody was hurt, no property was destroyed, you just went the scenic route...

How old are your children? I suggest that you are projecting to say they feel you let them down - although if they are older then they are probably put out that they had to spend longer in the car than they wanted. Tough, huh? It is character building.

In future, make sure you have a backup plan if you are travelling in an area you are not confident in. It might be paper based (I still print out directions if I am not familiar with the area I am going) or a map, or a secondary electronic device.

But really, no harm done, and you probably know your local area a bit better now! When I first moved where I am now I spent several days just driving around the area trying to get a sense of how it all fit together...

Take bottles of water - for drinking.
Remember dog's drinking bowl and water for it too.
Have a blanket, in case of overnighting in the car.
Emergency food snacks.
Paper road atlas. Which you've looked over, studied route and noted main junctions.
Sense of humour.

My driving Instructor said to learn to scan for road signs from left to right...But in summer road signs are more overgrown, and lane markings are worn out {plus all the PoThOleS}

A few weeks ago, someone broke down in front of my house. Their phone battery was dead. He knocked on my door and politely asked me to charge his phone. I put it in the charger and offered him my landline to call the recovery company. His phone charged while he waited outside with his car for about 40 minutes, then I handed it to him. He was very thankful.

OP

Your kids are 12 and 16 from another thread you posted on!!

Surely one of them has a phone available?!

Sometimes it is good for children to see adults / parents mess it up. Nobody is perfect. Then if they ever mess up, they know it's normal.

So you say to them : I should have had a map, then buy one, lesson learnt.

What a nightmare!. Sorry you had that happen op

It is too late now but I would get a charging cable and a charger socket converter (if necessary) and leave them in your car permanently (this is what I do) . Also order one of those books with a map of the UK and put it in the boot

Then you will never have that problem again

@torquewench

Id check the route first and write the directions down, but Im an old fashioned codger 🤣

I travel most places by motorbike, its easier to just print off the directions as theres nowhere to run a satnav on my bike.

Same here. the first bit not the motorbike.

I'd have either stopped at the first garage and bought a charger to plug into the cars usb port or lighter if its a old car, followed the road signs to the nearest big town and taken it from there or told the kids its an adventure and drove round till I figured out where I was.
You seem to be making it a bigger deal than need be.

@MolyHolyGuacamole
Dad used to make me ''Navigate'' as a kid in front seat..I'd feel nauseated reading the maps.. but it did stand me in good stead..I don't like satnavs at all...{I use phone, car not got one} :)

You poor thing! I sympathise so much .

I ran out of petrol on Monday (not wholly my fault) and a teen and I had to walk for about an hour in the blistering heat along the side of an A road with no hard shoulder to get to a petrol station. I am a strong person but I really could have cried at that point, it was horrible and so stressful.

Sometimes these things happen but it's awful when it does for you OP.

Mapreading tip...PP mentioned ordnance survey maps filling up the whole car..
One has to fold map to only get the ''square'' of map that you are on...It really helps to have someone else read it if you are driving.

Navigating can be quite fun..Get children doing it..it may make them feel bit carsick, but it is strange how many people don't know how to read a map..{I was always being asked directions by tourists in London, and they had an AZ in their hands ...Hold the map in the direction of travel, too :)

Sounds like you got yourself in an absolute panic and you couldn't think straight anymore. Best thing to do would have been to stop for a donut or coffee to get yourself together, I say this with sympathy because I know what it's like to be so panicked.

Some strange choices on your part - not buying a car phone charger is one. But very very strange for you not to be able to follow road signs to get home when you were just 10 miles away. Sure we've all taken the wrong exit more than once but you seem to have lost all sense of calm at that point which is not good if you're driving.

You were in a car. In a very safe country. 10 miles from home. The panic coming through your post is not really justified.

Don't make it into a big deal, you eventually got home safely! We all make mistakes, and the best you can do is learn from it. I've been lost a few times, and I've found it to be a good way to learn about new routes. Win/win!

Honestly? It's because I'm old, not because I'm smug, but I don't leave on a long journey without checking which motorway exits I need and there's always a road atlas in the car. If it's complex route I print out the instructions on the AA Route planner beforehand. It's very uncomfortable for me to be completely reliant on technology.

But you had a really bad day, you didn't let anyone down. I'd be really cross if my kids were saying that to me after (presumably) I'd planned and paid for a lovely holiday.

@MrsMop1964

If you don't have a map, but have a home printer, google the directions to where you're going and print it off beforehand; just in case. I have a morbid fear of getting lost so I do this whenever I'm going somewhere unfamiliar.

I do this too as I like to familiarise myself with a route I don't know. I always have a map as others have said because sometimes the phone signal gets lost but also because I'm quite a good map reader and I don't want to lose that skill. (Sad I know!)

@Chicchicchicchiclana
Oh yuck...A roads as a pedestrian are no fun at all...Especially in the heat.

Get a decent phone charger and/or a sat nav!

Also it does depend on the 10 miles. I was thinking about this the other day. 10 miles from home I'd have no problem finding my way back... except in one direction. I just never go further than around 4 miles in that direction. So I could end up there, knowing I was close but not knowing exactly which way to go. Throw in a bit of panic and it would be easy to feel totally lost only 10 miles from home.

Why wouldn't you buy a car charger for your phone in the petrol station? Or follow the road signs.
I never understand this blind panic and inability to follow a road sign.

Do you have a cigarette lighter in the car? Buy a phone adapter to go in there!

[quote oakleaffy]@MolyHolyGuacamole
Dad used to make me ''Navigate'' as a kid in front seat..I'd feel nauseated reading the maps.. but it did stand me in good stead..I don't like satnavs at all...{I use phone, car not got one} :)[/quote]
I would have thrown up (and still would!).

Surely Using a phone is exactly the same as using a satnav though ?

Dad used to make me ''Navigate'' as a kid in front seat..I'd feel nauseated reading the maps.. but it did stand me in good stead..I don't like satnavs at all...{I use phone, car not got one}

When i was a lad i had to do that for Both sets of Uncles and aunts who took us out as they only could afford cars at the time, amazing that i had to tell them where to go!

One aunt remarked that it was surprising all the railway junctions and radio and TV masts ands other "intresting" steam realated structures we passed on the way!

I looked upon it as a job perk:)

Lovely map that Oakleafy:)