rg12345

Hello fellow travellers
We are planning to drive in Spain and Italy, and thought we might like to buy a sat nav device in Australia rather than hire one this time round. It makes sense as it would be useful for future trips and for use at home.

However it is not as straight forward as I thought it would be. Ive been to the shops, trawled online forums, and Tomtom, Garmin websites...and getting thoroughly muddled.

Is a sat nav universally compatible in all cars regardless of whether it is in Australia or Europe? Do i need an international adapter to charge it? I was told i need to buy an SD card to download europe maps bought online first before sticking it into the device to use the maps...another alternative would be to get a friend in the UK to buy it for us or buy one in Paris which is our first stop in Europe?

Any assistance and clarity on this is much appreciated.
Thanks!

michele_d

We bought our Garmin Nuvi GPS here in the US before we took it to Europe. If you have not already purchased the GPS then just check if it has Europe maps on it when you purchase it. Like I said we bought the Garmin Nuvi and it already came with the maps installed on it. Just plugged it into the cigarette lighter in the car and we were off. Cigarette lighters are the same in Europe as the US, can't imagine they would be different in Australia.

HappyTrvlr

We bought Europe minimSD card withbEurope maps for our Garmin nuvi.

michele_d

I really like our Nuvi, would definitely purchase one again.

annhig

there are two issues here - hardware and software.

re the hardware [equipment] cars in europe all have standard cigarette lighter sockets so if aussie cars are the same you should be good to go.

re the software [the maps and info] presumably any maps can be downloaded into any satnav.

if you are in any doubt, why not ask the manufacturer &/or retailer if it'll work in europe?

rhon

We are Australian and yes you can use a GPS purchased here. Just make sure it has the room to load the European maps. We have a TomTom which takes a memory card onto which we loaded the European map. We have had ours a couple of years so cannot speak for newer models. We used ours in France and Italy. You will need an adaptor anyway to charge/use anything you bring e.g. phone, camera, hairdryer.

DebitNM

Not sure if they are all the same, but ours can only charge via the car lighter or via USB to computer or other charger that has USB input. Also, we find paper maps still needed, especially in cities. We are in France right now and the GPS was of little use when we made a wrong turn in Marseille ( accidentally exited the auto- route). Took us a long time to get turned around and back on the auto-route, trying to follow the GPS suggestions.

rhon

Ours is the same Debit. But an adaptor is needed anyway for other things. I agree that you also need maps. We always plan our routes and we often want to detour from the GPS route . We find a GPS useful in large towns but certainly not infallible. We have been directed across pedestrian bridges and up staircases. And they are no use if you come across a " route barree"!!!

rg12345

Thanks everyone for your feedback, I think we can now look for a sat nav with a bit more confidence rhon.....do agree re paper maps, they definitely have a part to play still in modern day travel!!
Have fun in France, debitNM!
Michele_d, I had a look at the garmin nuvi range, tested a few models and found it easy to use..
We looked into the SD card preloaded with maps, happytravler but it would take too long to arrive as we are off last week of Feb!!
Annhig, you have given great advice, I have emailed Navman as I just couldn't get anywhere on the tomtom and garmin websites...fingers crossed, I will have an answer on Tuesday as Monday is a public holiday here!

Cheers everyone and thanks again! Rg12345

justretired

It'll work, but the map will be upside-down.

rhon

rg, we did not purchase our card with the map preloaded. Rather we just had a standard SD card and down-loaded the European map from TomTom onto the card. Quite easy.

Good luck.

di2315

Hi rg

We have used our Australian GPS (known affectionately as Ms G) many times over many years in Europe, and she is an absolute godsend!

Yes, she plugs into the car cigarette lighter just the same as at home. Yes, you definitely need paper maps to double check on 'her' - she doesn't always know everything!

In large cities with multistory buildings she gets a bit bamboozled - I try to take a mental note of the next few turns we're due to make, just in case she loses the plot for a few minutes.

We upload extra maps by plugging the GPS into our home computer - at least DH does, so if you want to know any detail about that I can ask him. We only download maps for the parts of Europe we plan to need.

The adaptors are the same as you'll need for other Aussie electronic gadgets you'll be travelling with.

To justretired - not only upside down maps, but driving on the 'wrong' side of the road as well . . . just as well we are so adaptable! Di

rg12345

Thanks justretired and di2315, your posts are great, thanks for your input...

kja

One thing to consider: Make sure the cigarette lighter of your rental car has not been disabled.

When I was in Turkey last year, my TomTom worked fine - until it ran out of energy each day, usually well short of my target destination. I learned to turn it off whenever possible, but it was a bit frustrating!

rg12345

Thanks for the tip, kja