I've been all over and never really had this problem. I know the sun rises generally in the east and go from there. I'm from NE, where the roads meander and US 95 (a N/S road) runs E/W thru CT, go figure. DW is from Idaho, where she used the Tetons as a visual reference for North. Considering we are now in NC, she never knows which way is what. Lack if her visual reference is my guess.

Slightly off topic - On a cross country drive preceeding me going to Korea for a year, we went from TN to RI to ID in that order. The first night, we slightly passed our exit to find a motel. The next morning it was very foggy. We took off onto an empty road, no traffic, and going in the wrong direction. To this day we use the phrase I used that day -- "Dunno where I am, where I'm going, but I'm making great time."