Before the internet people used to buy maps (still do) and guide books, now people download maps as they can be more up to date. Do you print them out or keep them on your smartphone or laptop? I print them out, so I can pull them out and refer to them if I am in a new place, because of the dreaded running out of battery on the phone. Also you can't rely on an internet connection everywhere so printed maps do help, especially on hiking trails.
I don't know how to read maps, but I print them all the time for our driver at work. He is not that tech savvy, so when he needs to look for something, he asks me to print maps. I think that printables are still better than downloadable ones because they are more convenient. You can use them anywhere unlike some map apps that need wifi or gps.
Oh man, kids these days do not know the honor and life changing value of having a tangible map on hand when traveling anywhere! Seriously, phone maps are reliable only if it has service and if the battery still has charge, otherwise one would want to be a human knowledgeable in being a navigator if one wants to go anywhere correctly. I for one download and print my maps nowadays too, and if I want to keep it for a long time, I laminate it or simply use big clear tape to protect it. I have had to be grateful for doing this a couple of times when I went camping, because having a printed map did help me return back to camp safely.
I saw a couple of people on their bikes using GPS tools that look like a Gameboy. I don't know if they work with WiFi or other systems. I looked around for price comparison but the price range is outrageous. Some have a $100 price tag, while other similar looking products cost up to thousands of dollars.
