GPS - TOM TOM
 

We are booking a rental car in the UK and Provence for around 3 weeks. The price of a GPS from the rental companies is quite expensive. Should we purchase our own tom tom as it would be significantly cheaper? Advice appreciated.

you can purchase your own. If in the UK you can find prices say in Halfords to give you a good idea of prices. Alternatively purchase at home with a map covering Both UK and France. These can be added to a micro sd card.
Alternatives are to use your smart phone with a GPS app.Which one will depend on your phone Android/windows or apple.
Have a paper map as a back up!

I've been glad that I purchased my own TomTom -- it has more uses than I anticipated! (And I don't even own a car.) The one I purchased covers the US (where I live) and Europe with free up-dates.

As ribeirasacra says, taking a paper map with you for a back-up is a good idea!

If it's cheaper than renting one from the car rental company, then why not do it? You can make sure your maps are up to date.

Taking your own lets you practice with it ahead of time, plus you can pre-load in addresses for hotels, restaurants and towns you want to visit.

We're in Provence now and glad we brought our own.

Thanks for all the comments. I will look into the purchase of one

If you do have a smart phone you can download free applications like NavFree that don't require an active phone data connection - ie works exactly like a Tom Tom

Google maps allows you to download and save maps for a limited area but does require a data connection for route calculations and recalculations if you stray off route.

Something to consider is that many TomTom models offer the RDS-TMC traffic information, something that your smartphone will not (unless you turn on data). The RDS-TMC is very helpful as it can help alert you of congestion before you get there.

Also, something to consider is that the GPS chipset in a dedicated GPS device is better than the one in a smartphone, i.e., faster and more accurate.

This one is $115 with free Prime shipping: TomTom START 55TM 5-Inch GPS Navigator with Lifetime Traffic & Maps and Roadside Assistance http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...U2FFZ6MVSOT2YJ
(The base model without lifetime traffic and maps is $90.00)

Why would you buy a Tom Tom when the Garmin Nuvi and Magellan Roadmate models are more highly rated?

I guess it doesn't really matter what brand dedicated GPS device you buy. If I were to do it again, I might consider a Garmin.

Because some people like the way TomToms work better than the others. Many find TT works better than Garmin in Europe. I currently own 5 of the things ... all TomToms... can't resist when I spot one at a great price. All my current ones have been bought used and 3 came with European Maps. Prices ranged from 30 to 90 dollars.

So by all means get a device before you leave. The important thing is to learn how to use it properly. Use it every time you get in the car, even if it's to the corner store. Better to get familiar with it at home and not on a crowded motorway when you are on the 'wrong' side of the road. So many of the supposed faults of a GPS one reads about are actually user error. Like complaining your GPS sent you down small goat tracks (nobody forced you to turn onto that tiny track!) when setting it to 'avoid unpaved roads' would have prevented this.
I once read a TR where the lady complained their GPS "kept us on a small road and 'wouldn't let us' get on the autoroute we could see right beside us". Duh. What stopped you? And setting the device to NOT avoid autoroutes would also have helped.
And don't believe those "the GPS made so and so drive into a river". You do need to keep your eyes open when driving! ;^)

By getting your won you will also have time at home to both update it (TomTom has updates from other users for example) and download from thousands of POIs. (Points of Interest) This could be something that shows all the "Plus Beau Villages" in France to branches of a bank where you'll pay no fees to hotels in a chain. I don't know about Garmin but there are thousands available for TomTom.

Don't neglect good maps... a GPS isn't meant to replace them. You can plan and see an overall picture with a map but for on the spot directions a GPS device is great. Like coming to a major junction on an autoroute or motorway with all kinds of signs and multiple lanes of speeding traffic... a quick look at your TomTom with lane guidance turned on and you'll know just where to position yourself.

And don't forget, if you see a road you like the look of don't be shy to turn down it. A GPS will tell you a couple of times to turn around but if you ignore it the thing will just replot a new route to your destination.