Explore More Monthly Challenge: No GPS

We are busier people today and spend most of our lives distracted. At the same time, the world is more open for us to explore. We can go places and interact with people in ways that our grandparents and even our parents could not. 

So as working parents with busy lives how do we explore this amazing world around us? Take it in small steps. 

So I invite you take part in the monthly Explore More Challenge. Each month I will be posting in my Instagram stories (and saving it in the highlights) a new prompt as inspiration for how you can get out and see the world in a new way. 

May was month one and we had a blast taking this one on. 

This one was a way to ease into it but ended up being quite challenging. We rely on our phones for everything especially the built-in GPS. So I challenged myself to go somewhere without using it. 

To make it doable for a first endeavor I set a few ground rules:

• Don’t go for a meal – I get hangry 
• Don’t take the kids – I broke this one and am glad I did
• Go somewhere close to home you’ve never been or somewhere well known so there are signs to help guide you

So where did we go? 

The Bronx Zoo was a place we had talked about going to since we moved to New Jersey and with family in town for the holiday weekend, it seemed like the perfect time. Our journey included a train ride, a quick trip from Manhattan to the Bronx on the subway, and then a walk to the zoo. 

What did we learn? 

The simple act of not using GPS completely changed the way we experienced this trip into the city. We were forced to pay attention because even on the subway we couldn’t space out on our phone and wait for it to give us directions. I had to look up and pay attention to where we were. So we saw murals, businesses, and activities on the sidewalk and in the subway that we would otherwise have missed. 

When we got off the subway we had to look around for signs of where to head next and a local out walking their dog asked if we needed help. We ended up chatting with them for several blocks. Another thing we would have missed out on had we just used the little voice in our phone to get to our destination. 

What’s next?

I hope you will go out and explore. Use this as inspiration for taking your own little no GPS journey. If you do I would love to hear from you – tag me on Instagram! 

The beginning of next month is just around the corner and we’ll be posting a new challenge in our stories so be sure to follow along.