AGM_Cape_Cod

We are considering buying a GPS unit to take for our upcoming trip to Europe. My DH is trying to decide between a TomTom Go620 which comes with world maps and the Garmin DriveSmart 61 LMT-S for which we would have to buy European maps. Any advice for us?

https://www.tomtom.com/en_us/drive/car/products/go-620/
https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/55.../010-01681-02#

Thanks!

hetismij2

Until yesterday I would have said TomTom (good Dutch firm ) but they are liable to go broke soon since several car companies have opted for Google.
So either the Garmin or use a phone/tablet app. Some need to be online, but with others you can download the maps you need and use them without needing data. Google Maps allows you to download some maps for a short period, Here We Go allows you to download as many as you want and will keep them updated. Both give you voice directions as well as maps.There are others, some you pay for some are free.

ribeirasacra

Really? This says the changes to just one car alliance will not occur until 2021.
https://kval.com/news/auto-matters/r...its-dashboards
and this basic report suggests things are good.
https://www.businesswire.com/news/ho...r-2018-Results
If the OP wants to use an Andriod/Apple app then waze is ok.

hetismij2

TomTom shares dropped on the announcement. It has been struggling for a while as it just can't compete with the power of Google. They are trying to get into autonomous vehicles now but again Google has more spending power...

Garmin is still going strong because it also offers GPS devices for hikers, motorcyclists and sailors.

I tried Google maps for our latest foray with the camper, but hated the routing it sometimes had, just to shave a nano-second off the time, and the fact it logs your every move. Here has it's quirks too, but at least it isn't constantly following you to the extent that it knows which shops you have visited, or which crematorium a funeral was held in. I am still getting adverts for funeral directors and insurances after that! It has also updated so that you can no longer see your entire trip in a single map, only day to day tracks. I do like it's ability to add a stop long the way, or direct you to a petrol station mid trip. I used data all the time and it wasn't that data hungry. Here has a speed limit warning which is very useful. I sometimes ran both apps at once just for that!
Waze is also owned by Google.

bvlenci

I use Google Maps instead of a GPS unit. My husband uses Tom Tom, and in the past used a Garmin, but even he often finds Google more useful, especially at finding destinations such as restaurants, B&Bs, unincorporated localities, and the like. The Tom Tom usually wants an address, and is very intolerant of spelling variations. Any intelligent restaurant owner is going to make sure her establishment is on Google Maps. If we're using the Tom Tom, usually we first have to Google the restaurant to find the address. Of course that doesn't work without data, either. With Google Maps, we've never failed to find a restaurant using just its name and the name of the town.

When we were in Northern Ireland, our rental car had a GPS unit, but we often couldn't find our destination on it. I remember that we wanted to go to a rental apartment in the town of Florence Court. The name was unknown to the TomTom, and we couldn't get cell service, which is very spotty in rural Northern Ireland. My grandmother was born in that town, and I knew it wasn't just a wide spot in the road. I later learned, when I had access to the internet, that the town is actually spelled Florencecourt, while Florence Court is the name of the manor house in the town, which is a National Trust property. Google Maps easily finds both spellings. One would think that a National Trust property would be in the Tom Tom database. Lots of places in rural Northern Ireland have spelling variations and addresses are not very standardized. Later my relatives told me that it's better in rural Ireland to use the post code rather than the address. Of course, that doesn't get you to the exact spot where you want to go.

We ended up doing what Hetismej suggests: downloading Google maps when we had wifi. The area covered was usually enough for a day's exploration.

bvlenci

Our Tom Tom also has some very weird routing. We once went to a truffle festival here in Le Marche. The routing took us on a road that became unpaved after a while, and then became a rocky trail. At the festival we got to talking to a family that had come from a town near to our home. The man asked us which way we came, and when we told him, he said, "Oh, also you have a TomTom!"

When I use Google Maps, it usually shows me at least two alternative routes, and I can choose the one I like best. I also prefer to have a map to consult to see how minor the road is. And if I see a road sign that says Villa Rosa is straight ahead, while Google is telling me to turn left, I'm inclined to follow the sign. Google quickly adjusts its advice and doesn't annoy me by saying "Recalculating."

I used to be annoyed by the Garmin constantly telling me on a roundabout to take the second exit on the right. Here in continental Europe, the roundabouts have no exits on the left!

hetismij2

Even Google struggled with the address of our friend's daughter, which was just the name of her house and the tiny hamlet in the Cotswolds where shel ives.. I ended up putting in the post code and it got us close but we still had a but of searching to do before we found her. I didn't try Here until later - and that found her with no problem! Swings and roundabouts.

I always have a proper map with me, usually several, so if I see something interesting marked on the map we can divert to it, and I read the road signs too, which is more than DH does. Half the time he doesn't listen to the directions either and wonders why I get annoyed when asked for the umpteenth time which exit was it?

AGM_Cape_Cod

I am trying to avoid the extra data charges that using my iPhone usually accumulates when using Google maps. We will look into the offline options you have mentioned. Thanks.

bvlenci

AGM, you can get a European phone number and a plan with data services, probably for less money than buying a GPS unit. One option is to get a European SIM card for your iPhone. The other option is to buy a cheap Android phone to use for this and future trips, and then get a European SIM card for it.

EU law now forbids roaming charges, so that any plan you buy in, let's say, France, can be used in all other EU countries. Just do a little research to see which is the best plan, considering that you will be visiting other countries, in the first country you will visit.

Dukey1

Since my phone plan allows unlimited data and texting in Europe I am inclined to use it and I do when walking around. When driving I use my Garmin: bigger screen, more features but to each their own.

ribeirasacra

The problem with Any GPS is a business may or may not be shown on said system.
If I had to pay all the GPS systems I would be broke.
However, if my guests use Google it is easily found. Plus TomTom have the village name wrong and although I have sent corrections they have failed to up date the information.
The wife prefers to use a paper map. She can understand the whole picture and our location.
I can understand that, and with another but.... descent ones are getting harder to find.
I suppose it will come down to if you want to use the GPS several times. Then a unit is good use once in a blue moon the phone is better value for money. Even if you have to pay connection charges, which you don't have to.

Traveler_Nick

Worrying about TomTom going broke is no different than worrying if any disposable product going broke. My TomTom is I think seven years old and it still works. The map updates over the years have been nice but for the most part unneeded. If the GPS you buy works it'll work even if the company goes broke.

Having said that. You can download Google maps at home. Or for that matter if your hotel has wifi at the hotel. The app will then give you driving directions. You don't get real time traffic which can be very useful but that's the main thing you give up. If you download in advance no data charges.

The main point I wanted to make is no matter what you decide on decide early enough you can input all your destinations BEFORE leaving home. If the location seems a little iffy go to Google Streetview and check it out. You can avoid the problems mentioned above by making sure the address is correct BEFORE you even leave home.

I'm not one to suggest over researching but sometimes it can really help.

greg

>>> I am trying to avoid the extra data charges that using my iPhone usually accumulates when using Google maps.
I am interpreting that your issue is the cost, and not that you unconditionally prefer dedicated GPS hardware over iPhone.
If that is the case, you need to do some computation rather than outright assuming that the dedicated GPS serves your purpose at an acceptable cost.
First, who is your carrier? From your id, it seems you are from the U.S. If you are using postpaid t-mobile or Sprint, 2G roaming is already included in your plan. If you need faster speed, you can buy fixed cost high speed data pass. If you are ATTwireless or Verizon, you can buy international data pass at $10/day only on the days you use = you cannot use any data on a day to avoiding paying $10 for that day.
That brings up just when you are using these dedicated GPS unit. The GPS unit you are looking seem to be about $200 devices. I don't know how you plan to use the unit. For example, due to lack of any stated usage data, suppose you plan to use GPS for 5 days. If you use an international data pass, you are spending $50 for the trip. If this is the kind of usage model you are planning to use, you are migrating towards a $200 solution vs. much lower cost solution that is already familiar to you. Depending on how you assimilate technology, GPS units do come with a learning curve unless you are already familiar with the operation. If you think you will do this again, then aggregate the total cost of all trips and compare while realizing that with your iPhone, if you choose to deploy a data roaming option, you also get traffic updates and query current info on businesses and landmarks that appear on the map.

Andrew

Yes, do check into Google Maps offline - try it at home first to see how it works.

mjs

We use a Garmin which is about 5 years old and we update it before each trip. Do also supplement it with Waze. Have tried Google and Co-Pilot but prefer the Garmin so far. All of the cars we have rented in the last 4 years have come with GPS but we like to use the one we are used to and do not want to pay for the GPS in order to make sure we have it. Find information about the constantly changing speed limits and speed trap locations to be quite useful. Do also use the local Michelin map to plan our routes.

Traveler_Nick

People running Android phones can put the TomTom speed limit app over Google maps or any other mapping app of choice. It won't provide all the information in France but I think it should be 100% functional outside of France.