I bought a portable GPS the other day – the Garmin 260W. It ranks up there with LASIK surgery as one of the best decisions I ever made.

Prior to owning a GPS, I would think through a trip, print out dozens of Google Maps with directions, and read the printouts in the car while driving to my destination.  Now, instead of relying on potentially inaccurate or hard-to-interpret Google Maps, I can just type the address in Garmin and let it call out directions.

Best of all, if I go slightly off-track, Garmin starts directing me back towards my destination.  One wrong turn results in a slight detour, rather than a disastrous series of U-turns and three-points.  It also calculates the arrival time, giving me a clear (and pretty accurate) sense of when I’m going to arrive.

The 260W seems to be the best model. The more recent models have MP3 players and FM traffic updates, but why would I want a MP3 player in my GPS when I have an iPod?

The best thing about the Garmin is that anywhere I am (well, in North America) I know where I am and where I’m going.   There’s a certain peace of mind to never feeling lost while driving again.