The first time I was asked to navigate somewhere using only a map app, I was dumbfounded. Up until that point in my life, wherever I needed to go, I just knew how to get there. But this time was different – I was in a new city, Heerhugowaard in the Netherlands, Google map Heerhugowaard and was expected to use Google Maps like a local. As someone who has always preferred getting lost in real life to finding my way with technology, this presented quite a challenge. I loaded up the app with a mix of trepidation and curiosity, input my destination, and hoped for the best. What followed was a surprisingly enjoyable experience of virtual exploration that taught me a new appreciation for the technology and convenience of map applications. In this blog post, I’ll share my story of navigating Heerhugowaard with Google Maps for the first time and what I learned along the way.