Always have a contingency!
Besides, an Atlas gives you more relational perspective of where you are going and what is nearby.

Love my GPS and I love my maps.

Driving in Sicily now, prefer Michelin maps, they are quite good as well as the Italian Auto Club maps FWIW.

Years back when having a nav unit rather defined a Luxury Car a good fried who travels a lot to big cities for business meetings was proud to show it to me; commenting that the end of annoying folding maps was over!
I commented that perhaps someday an accident, detour or whatever may cause you to exit the highway into a neighborhood you'd pay anything not to be and a paper map may of helped you avoid it.
A couple or 3 years later he calls me stating -- How the hell did I know!!
Seems construction in the Boston area dumped him into an 'infested' neighborhood. Before he could figure a way out the natives did the baby-in-a-carriage pushed in front of his car from between 2 parked cars. Of course the carriage was empty but a crowd immediately formed and volia, a crying baby magically was in the carriage.
They scammed him for all his cash ($400) such that he was 'allowed' to leave unscathed.

And as others have said -- a map lets you view the area for points of interest.

Former Boy Scout, Be Prepared is burned into the memory bank. I have used a GPS for a long time, great devices. I have a road atlas in the car, it comes in handy. The atlas gives a "30,000 ft" view that the GPS doesn't.

More than one tool in the toolbox, each has a purpose.

Not anymore but I actually liked looking at them on trips as a kid. The one we had showed exit numbers.

Both. GPS for tactical view, paper for strategic and backup. Even pilots still carry their paper backup.

I have a lot of paper maps, always have some with me. When I boated out of NJ, I always had paper charts aboard, learned this from my Dad.

I like the Benchmark atlases, NatGeo Trails Illustrated and assorted BLM maps. The National Forests also publish maps, I have those, too. We're off road somewhere most weekends, GPS backed by maps.

 
Back in the '50s and '60s, gas stations used to give out state maps for free. They had racks of them. Some stations had just the state they were in, and maybe a couple of surrounding states. Others had a wide selection. I used to collect them. IIRC, Texaco was the best.
 

This message has been edited. Last edited by: henryaz,

Funny this should come up now. I normally try to have a map with me. I'm in Dayton, OH for a trip, and this morning, my GPS suddenly experienced a loss of satellite connection. I was only on a short outing for breakfast, so I turned it off. It was fine when we left the restaurant.

I like to have both road maps and a city map when I'm in a place - just forgot them this time.