SatNav use abroad

[Mr E]

We are open to suggestions as I have never been that way before,I would like to celebrate my 50th in somewhere sunny but not to busy,I dont drink a lot due to my job and I will have my 14 year old son with me (and my wife of course !) So sea side is perfect but with something to keep my son interested and not to expensive. We are planning 5 days there on the way back from Spain then heading home.

Depending which side you're crossing the Pyrenees....

On the east side, Carcassone is a nice old town/city. The Perpignan is OK too. Personally I'd goa bit further into France - follow the motorway to Arles or Avignon. Plenty to see, good history, nice countryside and not so expensive as the coast.

On the west side we quite like the area around Archachon. Beaches are ice and sandy, and being the Atlantic coast the rollers are quite good if you like that kind of thing. You can also tour around the vinyards south of Bordeaux too.

 

[Aerialmark]

I have an app on my andriod HTC for google maps if I was to use this in france and Spain for navigation would I have to have the mobile internet switched on or does it just work without ?

 

[DITTRICH]

I have an app on my andriod HTC for google maps if I was to use this in france and Spain for navigation would I have to have the mobile internet switched on or does it just work without ?

Example: Garmin City Navigator mapping covering Europe is around 2.5gb so unless there is a bloody great file of map data in your phone already, it has to get it from somewhere - the mobile wifi connection to google servers. Mobile data roaming is probably expensive - anything from £1 - £5 per MB in europe (check your own network provider as my figures are guestimates). A portable garmin or tomtom unit capable of screen mounting and cig lighter powered for say £80 + screen mount? Just choose a cheap one unless you intend loads of trips. My own cd/dvd/nav unit cost £1,200 incl install in 2006 but I have a system that regularly gets firmware upgrades and map upgrades and covers the whole of western europe and some of eastern europe. It has a 7" diag screen in a single DIN flip up arrangement. The nav unit is a separate computer with internal memory and sd card slot leaving the dvd/cd slot free for music (some nav systems work from discs).

 

[Mr E]

I have an app on my andriod HTC for google maps if I was to use this in france and Spain for navigation would I have to have the mobile internet switched on or does it just work without ?

IIRC Mrs E downloads the country maps for her HTC Android (Desire HD) as needed which means that she can use them without having to rely on roaming. Handy as we can use that for wandering around towns and cities on foot, whilst relying on COMAND for the road journey.

 

[@MARK]

I have an app on my andriod HTC for google maps if I was to use this in france and Spain for navigation would I have to have the mobile internet switched on or does it just work without ?

The current Google Maps application now has an Offline Mode

You need to go to the area you want and select "save for offline" and there you have it. Clearly you need to do this before you travel.

The downside is that the search feature and navigation feature still need an internet connection

 

[Piff]

But in France the database is now illegal

Aren't they a bunch of sweeties

 

[Sp!ke]

I purchased a MIFI device reasonably cheaply, unlocked it for free by googling for instructions and now purchase a PAYG data sim in-country (usually for about a tenner for a months data) and then leave my mobiles connected to it permanently allowing me to use my mobile devices (all of them) to use the inter web freely as if I were still at home.

You can potentially plan your route at the hotel or wherever using the hotel wifi and let your device cache the route and thereby using it offline but it'll get interesting if you stray off route.