Apr5 Fun Holiday – Read a Road Map Day
Read a Road Map Day is on April 5. It encourages people to go on an adventure the old-fashioned way – with a paper map!
Pick up a road map and go on an adventure.
©iStockphoto.com/jacoblund
Also known as National Read a Road Map Day, the unofficial holiday is a throwback to what the kids today call the "old days" before GPSs.
No GPS
Roadmaps, or route maps, are navigational maps that usually show roads and landmarks in a specific area.
In recent years, the rise of Global Positioning System (GPS) and mobile technology is making paper maps outdated.
How to Celebrate?
When was the last time you picked up a map and used it for directions? No, not a GPS or a map app, but an actual paper map? Don't remember? Here are some ways to celebrate Read a Road Map Day:
- Take a short road trip and use only paper maps to guide you. Bring along a navigator who does the map reading and directing for you. If you do not have a navigator, please make sure you only read the map when your car is at a complete stop.
- If you have never read a map, take some time to learn to read one. We reckon it will be a good skill to have in the unlikely event of a zombie apocalypse.
- Learn more about maps and how they are made.
Did You Know...
...that the Turin Papyrus is thought to be the oldest recorded road map in the world? Historians believe that it was created around 1160 BCE.
Read a Road Map Day Observances
| Fun Holiday: Read a Road Map Day Observances | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Weekday | Date | Name |
| 2024 | Fri | 5 Apr | Read a Road Map Day |
| 2025 | Sat | 5 Apr | Read a Road Map Day |
| 2026 | Sun | 5 Apr | Read a Road Map Day |
| 2027 | Mon | 5 Apr | Read a Road Map Day |
| 2028 | Wed | 5 Apr | Read a Road Map Day |
| 2029 | Thu | 5 Apr | Read a Road Map Day |
| 2030 | Fri | 5 Apr | Read a Road Map Day |
| 2031 | Sat | 5 Apr | Read a Road Map Day |
| 2032 | Mon | 5 Apr | Read a Road Map Day |
| 2033 | Tue | 5 Apr | Read a Road Map Day |
