Corporate Blog

When taking a long road trip, having a GPS system is incredibly useful. You will usually be driving through unfamiliar territory, and trying to navigate the old fashioned way will only lead to frustration and a car filled with maps that refuse to fold back up.

While we can’t get you out of speeding tickets or make the trip go faster (well, unless there’s traffic, but we’ll have more on that later), we can give you our top 5 GPS tips for road trips.

1. Don’t always settle for fast food. While fast food meals can get you in and out quickly, sitting down for a meal can be just the break you need to recharge for the second half of the day. NIM navigation apps can let you search for whatever kind of food your mood may call for, so if you happen to feel like sushi for lunch, with mobile navigation, that is an option (unless you are in the Midwest—then sushi may be out of the way).

2. Prepare yourself for traffic. NIM navigation products can alert you when traffic is coming, and oftentimes give you an alternate route to take to avoid it. While there are still some times when it is impossible to avoid the traffic, we have found that if you know it is coming ahead of time, you can prepare yourself and adjust your mindset accordingly. Every little thing helps.

3. Never worry about gas (except for high prices). Many people who have been on road trips have at one point had the scary feeling that can creep up on us when we’re not paying attention—“I may run out of gas.” With mobile navigation devices, you can search the nearest gas stations, and never have to worry about running out.

4. Bring a car charger. There is really no other way to say this–running out of batteries is the worst. If your phone runs out of juice, not only will you not have access to the navigation, but you are also stuck without the other features of your phone, such as playing MP3s.

5. Don’t be afraid to take the scenic route. With the slightest bit of planning, NIM’s navigation products will enable you to get off the main road and take an alternate scenic route. On a long road trip, you never know when you’ll have a chance to detour through a beautiful national park. A road trip is a chance to see the country at its best, and a navigation device can help make sure you do.

When we built Gokivo for the iPhone, we knew it would need great features to stand out in the crowded App Store. We think our traffic function is a huge part of what separates us from the competition, and we strive to give people an edge up on traffic that will make them always feel like they are in the carpool lane.

Here at NIM, we understand that getting stuck in traffic is no fun (and being out in Southern California, believe us – we understand), so we built Gokivo to help you avoid gridlock whenever possible. Gokivo calculates the best route to take based on the traffic conditions (avoidance is always the best option), and if you are forced to take a route that has congested traffic, Gokivo will monitor it in real-time so that you don’t have to wonder how long it’s going to take to get moving again.

To further help you in the fight against traffic, Gokivo also keeps track of past driving experiences (good and bad), and will tell you historical traffic information. Next time you are driving with your friend and they say, “Don’t go this way, the traffic is always terrible” feel free to prove them wrong.

Gokivo gives you the tools you need to attack traffic by combining the convenience of a portable GPS system with top of the line traffic information. You will be able to see the traffic coming, and if need be, take the steps to avoid it.

Here’s to traffic free drives for everyone.