Lost and Found in Germany

My 16-year-old son is on an exchange program in Germany this month with ten other students and one teacher from his high school in Michigan. Before he left, I set him up with a Bad Elf GPS and the CityMaps2Go app for his iPod touch.

One afternoon during their first week in Hamburg, their teacher took them to see the city center. To get there, they rode public transportation - first a bus, then a subway, then another subway. When it was time to head back, their teacher informed them that she had to run some errands in the city center first. The students asked if they would be allowed to find their own way back. After she quizzed them on the details, she agreed, but only if they promised to stay together as a group.

So off they went, retracing their route - a subway, another subway. But when they emerged from the final subway station, they were unable to find the bus stop for the last leg of their return trip. With the collective wisdom that only a group of teenagers can muster, they decided to start walking. They agreed on a direction and trudged off.

After a few minutes walking past unfamiliar scenes, my son remembered that he had his Bad Elf GPS along. He plugged it into his iPod touch and opened the CityMaps2Go app to the Hamburg map. Luckily, he had placed a marker at the host high school earlier in the week. With the Bad Elf GPS showing their location and that marker on the map, he was able to show the rest of the group that they were in fact heading in the wrong direction. They changed course and soon spotted a car dealership that they had remembered passing on the bus ride earlier in the day. Sure enough, they came upon a bus stop with their bus number on the sign. They boarded the next bus and were back at the host high school a few minutes later.

Bad Elf GPS to the rescue! No 3G, no wifi, no roaming charges, no monthly fees, no battery to keep charged, and no pricey iPhone. Just the iPod touch that he already owned, a $1.99 app, and a Bad Elf GPS.