Originally Posted by
Machka
But the thing is, I have toured in places like the UK, France and Belgium where there is a mess of little roads everywhere, and Australia where my sense of direction was completely messed up for some reason ... and still managed to find my way around and not get significantly lost using the following things ...
- a general map (not too detailed
.....
I missed this comment initially. I believe it is immensely helpful to have as detailed a map as you can find. After all, those little roads in France and Belgium are not going to be found on a general map. One thing that I have learned in my years of touring is that my level of enjoyment while touring is inversely proportional to the level of traffic. If you've just got a general map in France, you're going to be riding on "N" (national) roads, and you will have to endure a high level of traffic. That's a pity, because the network of quiet secondary roads in France is the best I've encountered anywhere in the world.
As for GPS, it sounds like it would have been pretty useless to me in Laos or Sri Lanka at the present time, and completely unnecessary on the GAP Trail/C&O Canal.