Sugarmaple, you are certainly getting a very good price. It also sounds like you'll be getting safety cameras included in your subscription and that is a nice feature. Mine came with US maps and I bought the Ireland Garmin map (all of Europe actually) for $45 from a dealer on the Internet. The other day I just downloaded from Garmin the safety cameras for Ireland NI for a one-time charge of $8.45. Coupled with my current Ordinance Survey Road Atlas and my Michelins we're all set.

Buying the Garmin with the updated maps for lifetime (assuming you meant to key 2475 LMT) is a really smart idea.

Happy trails!

The Garmin 2475lt, which I purchased a few weeks ago, doesn't have lifetime maps. But in the US that is the only current Garmin model sold with pre-loaded Europe maps. That was the one negative about that model. But since I have been driving with my older Garmin GPS with 2008 maps just fine - I thought it would be fine. At $200 I can buy a newer version down the the line as the Europe SD map cards I saw were closer to $90 - about half the price of the GPS.

The OSI atlas was the atlas I had! Not the one I linked above. It was out of stock at a couple of places I tried in Dublin, but I found it at a bookstore in Kilkenny.

Sugarmaple, you are lucky to have that model available locally, near me no one carried that model in stock.

Enjoy your trip.

Get a GPS anytime you travel overseas and rent a car...is totally worth every penny and saves lots of arguments in the car!! Lol!!

enlehman76, those are among the truest words spoken. In our house we discuss various destinations when we're in the car and we come to agreements: either Cookie does it or my wife does it, but both cannot do it. Once that ownership of navigation has been determined on a case-by-case basis, the travel there is smooth. As I have said to my wife and others, you may not always agree with Cookie on the route she chooses but she will always get you there.

I drive. My husband navigates. He no longer argues with me, he argues with "The Great Garmina" our GPS. He still looks at the map to decide if he is going to listen to her, or make her "recalculate"

A GPS is INVALUABLE in towns and cities.

Use a GPS, much less stressfull!

Hi sugarmaple,

Sounds like you're ready to go. Personally, I would recommend getting a beanbag dashboard mount as well for ease of placement and to avoid the tell-tale mark that the included windshield mount leaves behind. This way, you can easily unplug your GPS and tuck it out-of-sight in a footwell or in the trunk when you're parked. Also, keep the unit plugged-in all the time you're driving to keep the battery at a full charge.

Once you have it in-hand, get to know the interface and how to use the unit (it's pretty straightforward); use it for navigating around town so that you're comfortable with it on your trip. And don't be surprised if it very occasionally takes a while to establish a lock on satellites (especially the first time you turn it on in Ireland). While on trip, I'm in the habit of turning the GPS on about 15 minutes before I'm going to leave and sitting it on a window sill to ensure there's no surprises.

And lastly, while driving let the person riding shotgun do any interacting with the GPS. I'm sure the Irish constabulary is just as sticky as the OPP is about drivers fiddling with electronic distractions like your GPS and I wouldn't want a ticket to mar your vacation.

Have a good trip

u

We have had a Tom Tom, Garmin Nuvi and in-car GPS. Our Garmin is coming to Italy and France with us next week. We will also have decent maps. One suggestion for newbies: occasionally a GPS will get "stubborn" about trying to make you go a certain way, even if you don't want to. In that event, just turn it off for a minute and, when it is turned back on, it will re-calculate to a more suitable route. Try to use it as much as possible before you leave.

One of the biggest advantage to having a portable GPS is that I can bring it into my office during my trip planning. As a result, I have already pre-programmed all 11 of our hotels and quite a few attractions we plan to visit during our four-week visit to Ireland. This saves a lot of keying once we're there as well as allows me to continue to familiarize myself with all the many functions in the unit.

If your GPS is new to you, you might find it of great benefit to sit down with the instruction manual (which you can find on line) and learn what all the functions are and consider how best to take advantage of them. I've been finding the voice command function of my new unit especially helpful for hands-free driving.

Another advantage to a portable GPS is to be able to use it when walking around as well as in a car. Walking, it will guide you around cities. Or, though I've never tried this, on country walks.