Most of us have been here when we start packing for our travels. We pack all our clothing, cameras, video recorders. And then there was all the laptops and gear that goes with them. In my case there used to be four. Now that the kids have gotten older there are times it is just the two of us. So still two laptops. We could have taken only the one or none. But we like to stay connected on our travels like most people. Sending updates and pictures to our family and friends. After a long day on the road the last thing that I wanted was the fight over who was using the one laptop too long. When the tablets first came out I was like why would I want anything like that. It was so small and did not have any real computing power to them. Now they have getting more powerful and there are so many apps that I have taking another look at them. They can play movies and games to keep the kids and the wife happy. They are smaller than the laptop and can be kept charge with the cigarette lighter plug. No more inverter to change the 12v to 120v that the laptop needed. A big plus for me is that each one that I have to replace my laptop with means one less bag to carry into the room, camper, or tent for the night.
As I get older I also find that I like things that are simple but also can be used for more than just one thing. Tablets can fill this for the traveler and help cut down on things that we take with us on our trips. When we travel we also like to stay connected and that can mean things like laptops, GPS, and phones. I am going to stick with the tablet as a way to replace your GPS and laptops. I am leaving phones out for this one as they are more and more getting to where they can do all three.
The tablet will work very well for us older travelers as we can have a bigger working screen on them and still have a smaller phone to make our calls and text from. I use a Google Nexus 7 tablet and it has replaced my GPS and laptop when on the road. This has a very larger viewing screen that works better than the tom that I used to use. When picking a tablet to replace your GPS you will need to make sure that it uses a true GPS for finding your location. Tablets that are also connected for data through a cell phone service most of the times will use the cell towers for the GPS location. This is get for where you can get cell phone service but when you are in the back roads you can lose cell phone service and the GPS will not work.
Next you will need to get a map app from the google store. I use a few different ones. But for all my travels I use GPS Navigation & Maps by Sygic. I have tested the navigation app to my tom tom over many trips and have found that it preforms as good. Sygic has a level where you can have access to maps in every country that you can download and use when you are not connected to a network. So before my trip I check the state maps that I am going to be going in and download any updated map. If you are used to using a GPS like tom toms then you will find this just as easy to use also. Just like with other Navigation devices you can do searches for places to eat, get gas, hotels. When I am by a Wi-Fi area I connect and then use the tablet to do most everything that I do on my laptop.
Using the tablet as my laptop replacement has become easier with so many apps on the market today. There are apps for most of the favorite social sites, banks, movies, and music. Most come with apps that can be used with Microsoft office products. While you are kicked back in your chair at night relaxing from the days travel. You can smile as you think of all the space you saved in your car to bring stuff back with you.
