To wonder how people found unfamiliar places before Sat Navs

[Eastie77Returns]

Obviously IABU as I’m in my mid 40s and didn’t use a Sat Nav when I started driving but I can’t remember how I managed!

Things that puzzle me…if you were driving to another city, clearly maps and signs on the motorway would be used. But once you arrived in the city and then had to get to a specific address (not a well known attraction that would be clearly sign posted), how would you find it if you didn’t have a detailed map like an A to Z of the city. Presumably people wouldn’t go to the expense of buying those kinds of maps every time they visited an unfamiliar city. And yes you can stop and ask people but how would that have worked in large cities where a passerby is very unlikely to know how to get to 23 Random Street which could be anywhere from close to the city centre to miles away in the suburbs.

I had too much coffee today and can’t sleep so I’m awake ruminating over the little things in life that puzzle me😂

People would give you directions. ie. Travel along A246 until you get to cinema, turn left then take third turning on your right. Etc

My parents had a few map books, they had every little road in the country on them. I remember my parents would spend a few days ahead of our trip planning the best route. It was usually for holidays which were coastal small towns. We never did overnights in cities but whenever we did day trips we would park up in a large city carpark and walk to our desired destination!

I used to print out an AA autoroute, I guess you mean pre things like that though.

Road atlas and then a to z of what ever city , I spent a lot of time asking people for directions!
AA routefinder online was a godsend when that came out

I your going to someone's address, they would tell you. Ie. Come off X big road that's signposted at junction Y, continue for half a mile until you pass a roundabout, and turn left at the post office.

Road atlas.

Most road atlases would have small maps of cities in the region in the back - I remember one when I was small of the U.K. that had about 100.

Yes people would give directions - so we used to go to holiday cottages and the instructions would include directions, sometimes good sometimes shit.

Road atlas and asking for directions!

Yup. All of the above.

We had the big "AA road map" in the car which had all the main routes and then as t the back it had close ups of town centres.

They also used to sell "A-Zs" everywhere like newsagents as was. So I had A-Zs of my area, my uni town and if we visited somewhere we'd get one.

There were also maps on stands on town centres if you were walking.

And yes directions were on things and little maps or directions included when you got sent an appointment etc.

I still find it strange when I went to uni I didn't have a phone or really the Internet as it is now. And we used to walk round to each others colleges to see if people were in or wanted coffee.

And arranging to meet you really did have to be there!

Oh while I typed it everyone said the same thing😂.

you could borrow A to Z maps from the library and sometimes i got a few from friends
luckily for me that was only a few years before i started printing/writing out from the AA route website

With great difficulty. Big road map in the car and street map of the area. Pulling over and looking at the map. Asking directions.

In addition to pp re: maps and directions; I used post it notes that I wrote my own shorthand directions and stuck them on my steering wheel.

Sometimes I miss those days where I planned my own route instead of following google maps gps directions. I never ended up being misdirected, ending up at a dead end or a driveway with a sign telling you to turn back, Google maps is wrong 😁

Oh yes it was a big deal having someone in the car "to navigate" and couples would argue over the directions.

Or you pulled over.

Or caught a train because it was easier...!

The same way I find them now! 🤣.....a map and my mouth to ask for directions......😎

Yes to all of the above but also lots of getting lost and it being a huge pain in the backside. If you were visiting someone it might involve finding a payphone and calling them to describe where you'd found yourself. If you were finding a place, well good luck!

Ok, well I understand why a lot of (older) people say map reading skills have died a death as you definitely had to be good at it back in the day.

Also the ability to give people directions. If someone was driving to visit me I think I’d struggle to give accurate directions once they left the motorway.

I remember my dad driving us all from London to Leeds to visit family. He had a few lines scrawled on a piece of paper with directions to my uncle’s house when we arrived in Leeds and found it after a few wrong turns. The thought of having to do that panics me!

A-Z

Mum? Is that you?

🤣

Payphones…I was explaining to DD that I used them a lot when I was a teenager as we had one phone in the house and I didn’t want grandma and grandad to hear all my conversations. She just looked completely baffled.

I'm in Australia and still use Melways and VicRoads, the big street directories. I find Google maps, etc. always want to steer you away from gravel roads, even when they are the shortest way to get where you're going.

My only tip for going to a new place is to note the street before the one you want, so you're on the qv in plenty of time.

My mum navigating from a big map book. Omg the bickering!! 😂😂

A to Z (yep, I bought them!) and asking people for directions. I was just thinking about how I used to often be asked for directions and now I never am. I’m only mid 40s.

I've just remembered how I used to describe getting to my house from the motorway! Definitely haven't had to say that for well over a decade.

This. I’d check the map before leaving then write directions on post it on steering wheel. Plus have map with me in car and stop if I needed to check.

I think we focussed more when driving than we do nowadays

I recall a few "interesting "journeys"!, to Cornwall when DC were young. Sat Navs are a brilliant invention .My cousin went to map reading classes to improve her skills.my in laws still don't have a sat nav at a!l!