If I want to go somewhere I've never been, I have two choices.

I can put the address into google, get in/on my vehicle of choice and listen to a super-annoying voice tell me what to do. This makes me feel less alive.

Or, I can figure it out. I find the address on the map, find nearby cross-streets that I recognize, and then formulate a route based on my internal spatial map. Since I'm often on a bike, that involves also considering clothing choice/weather, lock-ability, size of pack, and hilliness in addition to the car-related issues like traffic, road-conditions, and time of departure/arrival. Each of these variables involve their own mental maps of sorts that layer and combine, restricting options, leaving me with a only a couple dials to actually do anything with.

In short, I am forced to plan. I do a little mental weight-lifting. It makes me feel alive and involved with my life, not just "along for the ride". And apparently, it makes my hippocampus sexier.

How do you navigate?