Product review: GPS navigation systems

After living in Colorado from age 5-19 I moved to Michigan for college alone. Moving has tons of scary and unknown new adventures that can be fun and educational. Sadly some are just scary and unknown. In Colorado there is 1 major highway that cuts right through the city I live in. No matter what I want to find 1-25 to get me home. Also I know I live between Denver and Colorado Springs, Denver is north the springs are south. The mountain's are always to the west so no matter where I was I just had to find the mountain's and 1-25 then head towards either Denver or Colorado springs.
In Michigan I left the airport and went "umm....Cadillac? Grand Rapids? Kalamazoo!?" I was not only lost but had no idea where I wanted to go. I pulled out my cell phone and called my parents who asked me where I was "umm....I don't know...Grand Rapids?...I don't know what way east is...ummm I think Im going south...I don't know!"
For Christmas I received a Magellan 300. The voice guides you and tells you about 2 miles before any turns what you need to do and then again about .5 miles away. If you do make a wrong turn it nicely guides you to what you need to do to get back on track. It also has a mode that will just tell you where you are and where the nearest streets are as well as one where you can look up almost any type of business from Wal-mart to the nearest library or airport.
I drive back to Colorado at least once a year and it keeps me paying attention even after driving strait on the same road for 8 hours. I can type in when I want to find the nearest gas station and it will give me directions to it perfectly. It also really helps on the busy and confusing roads in Chicago.
This was the best investment my parents made on my move to Michigan and beyond. I can't begin to remember how many times I have printed out map quest directions and compared them to the GPS to find that the GPS had a faster route as well as was more accurate. OH! and thats another great feature, once you pick the address you want to go to you can select if you want the quickest route, the shortest route, the one avoiding toll roads or the one avoiding highways.
If you are moving or if you have a 16 year old child you feel confident that a GPS and a cell phone are the best investments in safety you can make. Just knowing you can find your way home no matter what is worth way more than you will ever spend on the GPS.