Fun Uses for your Garmin Nuvi GPS System

Did you think that a GPS system can best be used by the Military and Rescue services only? Well, think again, because some of us ordinary civilians have found some very unconventional uses for the GPS unit.

In case you didn’t already know, a GPS unit is a dedicated mapping and location device that can be fitted into your car or truck or any other vehicle and helps guide you to your destination in unfamiliar terrain, with built in traffic and weather updates and emergency signal services.

Your smartphone can accomplish the same thing except in cellular dead zones, which are common in remote locations that an adventure trip would take you to. Standalone GPS units use satellite broadcasts to ascertain your current location within a few meters of precision and come with pre-loaded maps of your country complete with roads, forks and bends, diners, rest stops and the nearest hospital.

GPS units are extensively used in mining, surveying and mapping. There is no reason why you can’t use it in similar ways to enhance your outdoor experience. In so doing, GPS units replace your old paper maps, compasses or the practice of recognizing landmarks. Transportation fleets as well as hiking enthusiasts have embraced this technology wholeheartedly to seek the correct trail, return to the original starting spot and make sure they’re not going round in circles.

Our Recommendation: The Garmin Nuvi 2699 LMTHD for Maximum Fun

You can use your car and a good GPS unit such as a Garmin Nuvi 2699 LMTHD, which contains detailed street level maps of North America and you can completely trace your route given a destination with automatic rerouting capability within seconds of taking a wrong turn. Other features of this top end Garmin Nuvi are Lane Assistance and Junction View which give you alerts on traffic congestion every 30 seconds, speeding limits, location within location guidance, points of interest described to the best service and rates they are offered at along with the nearest entrance in your route.

Scavenger Hunts: You can use your GPS unit to set up a scavenger hunt. Only, in this case you can use a much bigger canvas - the whole state or even country! Websites are available that allow you to interact with other scavenging enthusiasts across North America and pack off on a wild adventure. Objects you can search for include rare books in collector’s bookstores, a particular dish at a restaurant and so on.

Geocaching: The details of this game are available at geocaching.com. Essentially, it involves finding, storing and leaving instructions for moving or using a coded object in a box or storage container. Such geocaches can be hidden and left behind anywhere in the country or continent or world for that matter and then people who communicate through the site will know where to find and use the object in the cache. A small log book or diary for recording the opening of the cache is usually stored within the container.

Waymarking: This game requires you to visit and report about particular places of interest with the aim of building a community wide map of cool places that people feel are worth visiting. A Garmin Nuvi unit has a Nuvicam or webcam that allows you to obtain real photographs of places as you move recording details that the eye can miss. This can be very useful while you are describing or searching for a visually complicated building for example.

Recreational uses of the GPS system are only limited by the human imagination while providing safety, security and convenience even while you enjoy the great outdoors!