GPS Driving Naviagational Systems in Europe
 

Hi everyone,

I just love my portable navigational system that I purchased and use in my car here in America. A nice, calm lady guides me to my destinations, without the stress I used to feel when traveling in unknown areas.

Are these devices as popular in Europe? Just wondering.

Oh yes! We had one on a trip a few years ago that kept telling us "Make An Illegal U-Turn Now!" and directed us to the middle of a cornfield.

We had a NeverLost in our hertz rental last summer and would now never rent without one...at least in Italy! I don't know how we would have found our way out of Florence or thru the tuscan countryside without it. We loved the calm british voice and she certainly saved some marital strife!

We took our GPS to Germany & Switzerland last year, and found it invaluable. It was so much better and less stressful for my wife not having to be glued to a map and getting lost because we missed the turn.

Going again to Switzerland/Italy, and I won't leave home without it. ((b))

I'm taking mine to the UK next week and to France in July but I also take back-up maps. I find the GPS is very helpful but unlike St. Cirq's, mine only advises me to make <b>legal</b> U-turns!

StCirq must be driving in Amsterdam:)

I think those things can help, but they do need human override. We were trying to use one last Wednesday in Augusta Georgia to get around traffic backups. The silly thing kept sending us back the way we had come for a very circuitous re-routing.

Like all equipment based on computer logic, they know no judgment.

Other than that, we were successful using it to find our way from one office complex to another without having to use the cell phone constantly be guided with oral instructions.

For Europe, a good place to see where one is valuable is to try driving around in Munich or other large city.

Hello dfo:

I feel the same as cmeyer. I had a built-in GPS in an Avis rental in Germany last Fall. I had my Garmin portable with me and did a side-by-side. I ended up preferring the built-in and now would not rent without one for all the reasons mentioned here. It keeps the navigator's head out of the cockpit and able to enjoy the scenery. Gradyghost

I might add that like a lot of other current gadgetry they can be very labor-intensive upfront in terms of learning how to use their many features <b>properly</b>.

There has been a few disasters in Britain from the satnav system including recently a woman who followed instructions and ended up being swept away in her &pound;96,000 Mercedes in a swollen river. Such systems are handy but should not replace the use of a brain.

Just used the Hertz Neverlost device here in France and I will never again rent a car in Europe without it. The first screen lets you choose English and programming is a breeze as long as you know the first few letters of an address. Well worth the 11 euros/day.

If you are traveling with a laptop, consider the possibility of acquiring Microsoft AutoRoute with GPS locator instead of buying the rental agency's unit for them. With your PC, it's all you need.

One advantage to this alternative is that you can pre-plan all your routes and practice with the software before you leave home.

microsoft.com/autoroute

And how much does a GPS device you need to go with it going to cost, Robes?

It's included, Dukey-poo - as in <b>with GPS locator</b>, above. You can find brand new packages on eBay for less than $100.

Thanks for clarifying that and am sure other will appreciate the information.

Do you have to buy a laptop? ((b))

No. You can also

rent
borrow
steal

one. But since I began this digression with &quot;if you are travelling with a laptop,&quot; I assume the reader has that aspect covered.

OK, I am certainly not against using a laptop-based GPS but how convenient is it to use in a car?

Seven.

My statement was rhetorical. :-)

It would be pretty tuff driving by oneself, keeping eyes on the road, and looking down at a laptop. :-)

Besides, I don't think I could talk my wife into holding a laptop while I was driving. I think she would much prefer a map, but on second thought, she likes our windshield mounted Garmin. :-) ((b))