Whether I’m meeting some friends at a huge venue, splitting the party while walking a city, snowboarding a mountain or even just living life on any random day, I’m always sharing my location with half a dozen people. Getting over the big brother aspect of it, the results can be wonderful.

Sure, I only permanently share my location with close friends and family but it’s super neat seeing my people’s faces on google maps whenever I open my phone or go online to look up a potential destination. The coolest result has to be that I’ve been able to connect with my dad a few times serendipitously because he’s an over the road truck driver and I find myself traveling pretty regularly. After getting off the plane in Phoenix a couple days ago he gave me a ring and mentioned he saw me in Phoenix while plotting his next path there so we connected and he had a chance to meet one of his newest grandsons, Mason!

I also like it because it reminds me to reach out to people.