Being lost in the middle of nowhere or in the middle of New York City is not much fun. People have always been looking for better ways to keep track of where they are, where they have been, and where they are going. Even little Hansel and Gretal left breadcrumbs as they wandered to help them get back home. Granted, the breadcrumbs were eaten by pesky animals almost as soon as they were dropped, but the children had the right idea. When venturing out to places that are unfamiliar, there is a great sense of security with knowing exactly where you are; explorers have been using landmarks, maps, and charts for millennia to stay safe.

We have come a long way since the days of breadcrumb trails and mysterious pirate treasure maps. We ve got GPS on our side now, and walking through the wilderness or hiking through deserted mountains is no sweat with a handheld GPS unit. There are endless reasons to love these gadgets, and the top ten are listed here:

Reason #10: Even though handheld units sometimes don t come with all of the fancy features that larger units like marine devices do, that s ok, because who needs to know the location of buoys when you are geocaching in the Amazon? Handheld ones are simple enough for Tarzan to use.

Reason #9: Handheld units can be cheap, and are available in models that cost below one hundred bucks, a small price to pay for always being able to know where you are.

Reason #8: Handheld units fit comfortably in your hand, making them very portable and readily available, should you need to pull it out quickly or keep it close by. The larger units made for cars, for example, are larger, heavier, and a lot more cumbersome.

Reason #7: Versatility makes handhelds great for anyone doing anything. Whether you are hiking on a trail deep in a ravine or out on safari with the lions, your handheld can go with you, easily.

Reason #6: Handheld devices are made to be tough, so when you are cycling through the desert, you don t have to worry that dropping and having it drug off by a scorpion will break it. They are often constructed with thick rubber to absorb the shock of being dropped time after time.

Reason #5: These little gadgets are just as accurate as the big boys. All GPS units operate with at least three different satellites that orbit the Earth, so a signal is a signal is a signal.

Reason #4: With a handheld one, you can set waypoints, calculate distances traveled, and they have the ability to map out and calculate your entire route, no worries.

Reason #3: They come in so many different shapes and sizes that they are easily customizable to fit not only your needs, but your hand, too.

Reason #2: Handheld units are completely self contained, which means there are no wires, cords, or converters required to use them, unlike many of the marine or auto units.

And, the #1 reason to love a handheld GPS unit is that you will look super suave being the hero of your group when you are in the middle of Los Angeles, dying of starvation, and no one knows how to get to the little hole in the wall eatery you are looking for except for you, thanks to your GPS friend sitting right in the palm of your hand.