A skill that's becoming much less important in Sri Lanka is reading a paper map and finding your way without a phone. I'm a forty-five-year-old tour guide based in Kandy, so navigation used to be a huge part of my job.
When I started guiding in the late nineties, every driver and guide needed to know the roads really well. We carried folded maps that were falling apart, and we'd ask tea-shop owners for directions in remote villages. Bus conductors, delivery men and even ordinary families going on a trip had to be able to read a map or at least remember landmarks.
Now almost everyone just follows the GPS on their phone. Young drivers I work with sometimes can't tell you whether they're heading north or south; they simply listen to the voice telling them where to turn. Phone coverage has improved even in the hill country, so there's rarely a situation where you really need a map.
I've got mixed feelings about whether it's a good thing. On the positive side, GPS saves time, reduces stress and helps people explore places they'd never have dared to visit before. Tourists who travel alone are much safer now. But I think something is being lost. When you read a map, you understand how places connect, where the rivers and hills are, and you build a picture of the whole region in your head. Also, technology fails; I've been on mountain roads where the signal disappeared and young drivers panicked. So I'd say it's fine to use GPS, but people should still learn the basics, just in case.