GPS

We've never owned a GPS and managed all our European driving without one up until now, so when David's brother offered to let us use an extra one they own, we didn't jump at it. David's brother practically installed it in our car himself. "Just use it while you're here," he said.

Oh my. Our world changed. The GPS was not perfect. It led us astray a few times, but at least it was decisive in its misdirection. And it gave us someone not in the family to be mad at. And mostly it got us where we needed to go in strange new cities where we didn't speak the language and could barely read the street names on the map.

So, if you're going to drive in Europe, think about getting a GPS.