Maybe I'm old fashioned
but I have never owned a GPS unit and I still have no intentions of owning one. To me it takes the "thrill" out of traveling and feeling self sufficient.
Instead what I do if I am going to a new/unfamiliar place I will study (and I mean STUDY) google maps of the area until most people would have gone insane. I look at street views, alternate routes, places to eat, read the reviews of the places to eat, etc. etc. etc. So far, every time I have gone somewhere new, I feel like I have been there already.
My fiancee is amazed by my determination and ability to retain it all. Also, she was amazed at the months (not kidding, it was months) that I spent planning our trip out to Oregon in 2009. I created an itinerary which included waypoints, places to eat, places where we would need to stop and get gas, bio-breaks, approximate times that we should be hitting certain waypoints so we could keep track if we were ahead or behind schedule, etc.
The best part is, google maps is free. All I ended up buying was a US road atlas and a book called "The Next Exit" (
http://www.thenextexit.com/ ). Plus, I just know that if I had a GPS and relied on it at all, it would quit working in the middle of nowhere and I would be completely lost. Or maybe I just have OCD?