How to Read a Map
Reading a map is not just essential in traveling, it’s essential in everyday living too. Imagine having to go to an unfamiliar part of the city for a job interview and having no map to rely on. Here’s how to avoid getting lost by reading a map.
Get yourself an updated road map. You can also go online and visit Wikimapia or Google Maps (read Top ten ways to use Google Earth). There are also phone applications that allow you to use GPS. Either way, the best thing to have is to have an updated map.
If you’re reading a map manually, flip over to the index. There will be a list of locations depending on the scale of the map you’re reading. If you’re just reading a local map of a county, there should be a list of towns. If you’re reading a town map, there should be a list of streets or major thoroughfares.
Right after the name of the location in the index, there will be a serious of letters, numbers or both. These are indicators depending on the overlying grid formation which you will later see on the map itself.
Locate the place you’re starting from in the index, and turn to the page the index indicates.
Once you locate your starting point, you’ll be able to plot out on which route you intend to take. Updated maps should have major road landmarks pointed out to you to help you have a rough estimate of where you are in the map.
Try to visualize yourself on the road. One of the biggest obstacles for first-timers is visualizing what the map indicates and the route itself. Try twisting and turning the map around in a position that will make you visualize the route easier.
Use your finger to plot out the route that you intend on taking. Take note of the landmarks, and how many streets you will be intersecting.
You can prepare for the number of hours on the journey by calculating the distance covered according to the map. You must also take the condition of the roads into consideration.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you’ll surely enjoy learning how to use GPS.