As I rushed to the bathroom, a call came in from Nkechi, my colleague. “I’m on my way, madam”, she said. “Are you on your way as well or at the office already?” I murmured under the sound of the brush on my teeth, but she couldn’t hear me clearly. I spat out and told her I was still at home because I overslept. She shouted, “What! You fixed the damn meeting! And you’re usually the early bird. What will happen now?” “I will be there on time; trust me, Nkechi”. I was being crazy, of course, and she knew. “I wonder where such confidence is coming from. But you do have your ways of getting things done. Hopefully, that magic will work this time”. With the advancement of technology in this age, navigation apps are becoming necessities for everyone, and especially for tourists and travelers. You necessarily don’t need to ask for directions in a new city if you have a navigation app on your phone. The use of unsure human minds can be frustrating and gives room for errors. Not only do navigation apps provide better accuracy in locating addresses and places, they also now help you find the fastest route to your destination. I was banking on this important feature that morning. I got dressed and was in the car at 8:05am, took out my phone, clicked on my navigation app and punched in the location of the office. Next, I looked for the fastest routes and got one that gave me a fighting chance of being at the office on time. And then, I was on my way.  As I drove, I prayed for a miracle. Lagos traffic is a living, breathing demon, and could still switch up on me and mess this up. Thankfully, it didn’t, and I was driving into the office premises a few minutes before 9am. I sighed with so much relief when I entered the office, got to the board room, and met my GM and a few of my colleagues seated. Nkechi was nowhere to be seen, but she came in moments later, walked up to me and whispered in my ear, “You are a witch!” I liked that. Technological advancement is often like witchcraft in its results. Conducting a video call like we do today would have been labelled witchcraft a few hundred years ago. How else would a person in the dark ages have described being able to see and talk to someone remotely? The benefits of navigation apps cannot be over emphasized, they create convenience e.g. searching for places to hang out, the apps gives you options to choose from, locations and details, so that you are able to your make choice on the go. We no longer have to drive far and wide to dine or hang out. They also create room for connectivity, as a traveler you can share your route with family and friends or those expecting you at your destination.

On the Play store and Apple store, there are different types of Navigation apps that we can install on our devices based on our lifestyle and preference.  Navigation apps for Android include: Google Maps, Maps.Me, HERE WeGo, Map Factor and so much more   Navigation apps for iPhone include: Drive Safe & Save, Waze Navigation, MapFactor Navigator, Apple Maps, and Google Maps.

Of these apps, several of them offer offline navigation. They include Google Maps, Maps.ME, and HERE We go.