Navigation assistance has advanced leaps and bounds from “Turn left at the old Jensen farm and go a mile or so until you hit the north pasture and then hang a right when you see mile marker 6.  If you reach the elevator, you’ve gone too far.”

With the introduction of Garmin and GPS, it seemed we had reached traveling nirvana.  But, as is the Tech Guru mission, we would like to introduce you to a technology upgrade.

Waze.

Affectionately referred to as “wazers,” users type in their destination address and simply drive with the app open on their phone to passively contribute traffic and other road data.  Alternatively, you may take a more active role by sharing road reports on accidents, police traps, or any other hazards along the way, helping to give other users in the area a ‘heads-up’ about what’s to come.

Leave behind he frustration of the bulky maps and outdated Garmin as Waze is very user friendly. Even if the user happens to be Grandma:

     

Waze has some pretty cool features which make it an app you should definitely check out and save yourself some time by avoiding traffic delays, major event congestion, flooded back roads, icy interstates, stalled vehicles, accidents.  Voice alerts will even notify you of an upcoming object on the road ahead and road construction resulting in lane closures.

If you are traveling with friends, Waze makes it easy to share your location with the rest of the caravan to coordinate arrival times and see the exact coordinates of your traveling companions as you drive.

And, it’s free.  Join the Waze Craze!