Is a GPS really necessary???

Of course, no it isn't necessary. I personally prefer maps. If you rent a car in Europe, many models come standard with a GPS for no extra charge, so (in this person's opinion) it doesn't make much sense for the average traveler to buy one for a short trip.

We took one on our last trip and would never travel without one again! The passenger can relax and enjoy the scenery instead of having to track every turn and exit. When you get into town it lets you take detours, miss a turn, etc. and still get back on track. Drive back to your hotel from any direction after a day trip, the GPS leads you right there.

Be sure to get one that can add European maps to it. The lowest cost ones are US only and can't be updated, but ones that can download a European map aren't much more.

It's not really necessary, and I'm not sure I'd buy one only for one trip. However - I have been "lost" lots of times, particularly when I have been traveling alone (kind of hard to read the map and drive at the same time). I will take my GPS next time I plan to drive (I already own one).

I used to be a Luddite in regard to GPS. I finally gave in and bought one. It is not perfect, but I have found that it helps eliminate missed turns, backtracking and wasted hours on long trips. It also gives me confidence to wander off the beaten path, knowing that the GPS will help me get back on track without getting lost. I have not used it yet for a walking tour, but several people have said it comes in handy for pedestrian use, as well.

I took my GPS to Ireland (bought an Ireland map "chip" for it) and I am so glad I did. As someone said, it is not perfect. The great thing is that if you do miss or make a wrong turn it recalculates your route and gets you back on track. I think the GPS gave me the freedom to explore, knowing that I would always be able to find my way back.

If you don't have any other need for a GPS just rent one with your car.

Hmmm...may have to convince hubby that a GPS would be a good investment. Sounds better than dropping bread crumbs along the way and we could give it to one of the grandkids when we're finished with it.

Oh, how I wish I'd had one during my trip to France. I'd gotten rather cocky because I'd enjoyed being lost in the UK whenever it happened. I did not enjoy missing my exit on the French equivalent of the Interstate. Because of the lengthy gaps between exits I probably lost at least an hour. And sadly it wasn't an hour of scenic beauty finding unexplored village, no it was just the French equivalent of the Interstate. ; ( I swore that I would get one for my next trip. I didn't. That time I found myself in a traffic jam on the Autobahn, poor maps--I was only going from Salzburg to Stuttgart, who needs a detailed map for that? Hah! So, next time, for sure, I am getting a GPS and I'll probably love it. I bet I take it with me on business trips in the US and use it here as well.

Pam

If you can navigate fine with maps, and if you have no need for a GPS in the US, and if you don't plan on renting a car in Europe after this trip, then don't buy a GPS.

As a general rule, we have done fine without a GPS in Ireland, Scotland and England, but I can think of a couple of times when we got lost and a GPS would have been a big help. We bought one for our trip to France this fall, and it was definitely nice to have. However, I don't know that it would have been worth the cost for that trip alone. We plan on taking more trips, plus we can use it in the US, so I thought it was worth it.

GPS is not necessary. Since you have never used one you will not miss it and you will be able to navigate with a map. My wife would read the maps when we traveled and we always got to our destination although sometimes in a round a bout way due to navagational errors on somebody's part (my wife dosn't read these boards so I can get away such). In 2007 we took a gps with us, along with a good map, and we were sold on this modern gps technology and vowed never to go again without one. It just made a world of difference especially for my wife who could enjoy more scenery. It really comes in handy when driving through towns where reading directional signs can get confusing as to which lane to be in for the proper turn, etc. Would I get one just for one trip? Not if I had never tried one but since I have the answer would be yes. We have since used it locally and for traveling in the states as well as a recent trip to Europe. You may decide to use it more than just this one time if you puchase it. If you do purchase one I would advise you to get one weeks before you go to give you time to practice with it so you will not have a learning curve upon arrival.

We drive on every trip to the UK and have never used a GPS. Before we put up the car we always get a good road atlas usually anAA Road Atlas. Have never got lost. If you want in the evenings you can spend a few minutes and plan your route for the next day. It's so easy using an atlas.

We're GPS fans. One reason is mapping pedestrian routes; another is the convenience of marking your parking spot or hotel on the GPS so you can stroll as you please and still find your car (or train station); another is the convenience of preloaded restaurants, ATMs, hospitals, tourist attractions;and it answers "how far is it to..."
Then there are the beeps (from the TomTom) when I exceed a speed limit letting the whole family know. I love maps but I learned about the usefullness of GPS on this forum and I'm so grateful for all your posts.

I agree with Steve: "Count on getting lost in Europe, at least with the GPS it will guide you back to your destination."

We rented from AutoEurope in Sept/Oct and a "free" GPS, already loaded with European maps, was included with the rental. We had to pay to get it shipped to us to take along. They are advertising the same special right now. I recommend a GPS/navigation system.

Have a great trip.

Is a GPS necessary? Of course not. Just like any other piece of new technology, one can get by without it. Do we really need cell phones?

To me, the question is return on investment. The return can be convenience, peace of mind, and efficiency. I have driven in Austria and Germany each of the last two years with a Garmin GPS and I will NEVER go without one again. Most GPS's have points of interest already loaded. There were a number of times when we decided to go to a certain place and I looked in the POI list and it was there. All I had to do was select it and touch "GO". Didn't have to research the address, look at a map - nothing. And when it was time to go back to the hotel, I just touched "Return to previous location" and off I went.

Before the trip, I wrote down the name and address of any hotel that we might stay at. When the time came, I just entered the address and drove right to it.

So, necessary? It's an individual choice, but it certainly is a winner in my book!

For Italy, it's absolutely necessary.

For the British Isles, not as necessary.

A GPS will help you, however, in some instances.

When you enter a roundabout with multiple exits, the GPS will tell you, and show you, which exit you want. If you accidentally get off on the wrong exit, it will immediately recalculate and get you back on course.

When you drive into a large city, your GPS can take you directly to the TI and the public parking closest to it.

When you are trying to find a B&B with a difficult address, the GPS will take you directly there.

I survived many trips in Northern Europe without a GPS before trying Italy without one. I survived and had fun but bought a GPS as soon as I got home.

Now I'm wondering why I didn't use one earlier, the time they can save is well worth the money.

For best results, get one at home and learn to use it before your trip.

I drove in Italy without a GPS and survived.Then I was upgraded to a GPS equiped vehicle in Germany and when I returned home got a Garmin.I wouldnt travel without it.Could I ? Certainly, but whey would I want to.Even in the USA it is helpful to have one.

We purchased a GPS system (a TomTom) last year, prior to a trip to the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. We used it again this year, on a trip to Italy. We've used it once or twice when at home.

I would say, unless you're planning on using the GPS in the future, it may not be worth buying it.

We found that we still needed to use maps, as a backup.

The GPS, we feel:

• Is very good in big cities, not that we drive in them that much, mostly to drop or pick the rental car. In Budapest, when I missed a turn, it was invaluable in getting me back to where we wanted to be.
• Tended to get confused in rural areas with small roads - it didn't distinguish between roads the size of cow paths and roads that were wide enough to have a strip down the middle (unlike us humans, who prefer the winder kind)!
• Would lose itself on windy back roads, and would suddenly show the car as being in a field or in a pond. It would always find itself again.
• Would sometimes just get confused - one time, it directed us to a little road, which was actually a wide, gated stairway that led into the city park. We chose not to take that route.

Lexma~~it sounds like having a GPS was worth a few good laughs!

As a friend of mine says: "if you need 3 satellites and a computer to find your way, you probably shouldn't be outside to begin with."

:)

It also sounds like Lexma may have had the GPS in walk mode. My TomTom has drive, bike and walk modes. If you aren't in the correct mode, you could be in for surprises (that's why it's good to get one at home and learn to use it).

If I have a complaint with my TomTom, it's the opposite of what Lexma said. It tends to steer me toward major highways.

I work around this now by testing different routes. I can tell the TomTom to give me the shortest, fastest, scenic, avoid tolls (and other) routes. Before I head out, I check the time for each route. If I lose 30 minutes (on a three hour trip) taking something other than the shortest route, I'll choose that one. If the choice is between a three and eight hour drive by skipping a toll bridge, I'll take the shortest.

I found it a must have (maps are good, but your co-driver will be looking at them and not the road/sights.

My only advise would be don`t get the Hertz "Never Lost" GPS had us lost more times then us guessing (it ended up driving us back and forth between tow traffic circles until we decided to guess). I found the GPS system from Eurocar the great. I never tried Avis, so I don't know about theirs.

Garmin Nuvi200 has preloaded European maps - check and see if it includes UK. Not that expensive and for all the stated reasons - comes in handy ALONG with maps.

Margaret, I have recent experience driving without a GPS in England and using a Michelin map book. I am also a senior citizen.

It's very difficult. The primary reason is the road signage and the roundabouts. There are tons of signage but unfortunately, 1) they let trees and foilage grow in front of many of them and you can't get enough information off of them as you pass and, 2) you often see good signage as you approach the roundabout and then the signage changes to show different cities and towns as you enter the roundabout. For example, the signage as you approach often shows the highways and larger cities. You can understand this. Once in the roundabout, the signage often changes to smaller towns and villages that you know nothing about. We often circled a roundabout 2-3 times to make our best choice and sometimes it was still wrong. We just weren't familiar with the small towns on the signs.

I did buy a Tom-Tom with European maps a few months before our trip but I returned it as it was highly inaccurate in California (as much as a mile off).

Via Michelin instructions off of the internet were terrible. The way they listed their instructions was hard to understand. Finally, we received some Google Earth instructions and they were great. The large Michelin Great Britain map book was very useful on long distance segments.

The GPS from Avis would have cost us about $23/day. Also, I suggest you get the full CDW insurance. We ran over someting in the road and our tire had to be replaced. We needed the CDW.

We drove 1,850 miles on our journey throughout England. Most of the roads you will be on are not large motorways. Many are narrow roads that the English think are raceways. You will often be passed by high-speed drivers on these narrow roads. Finally, the roundabouts are frequent and they take a bit of getting used to.

I have an alternative suggestion, especially given where you are headed:

Get a cell phone with GPS or what they call Assisted GPS (A-GPS). A lot of the new Sony Ericssons have it. Then get a local SIM card with a data plan once you get to the UK. The cost in the UK is pretty cheap compared to the cost in the US. With a data plan and A-GPS you can then load Google Maps on your cell and use that when necessary. Then I suggest using the maps, which I think are more fun anyway, but break out the cell phone should you get lost.

Sometimes I'd get turned around exiting the Tube in London and would use my phone to see if I was heading in the direction I thought I was heading. For faster determination, I later bought a very small compass and began to use that coupled with my pocket map instead. ("Let's see, I know I need to head north, which is . . . that way.")

The way I see it, a GPS is one more gadget to carry around that I might not need but a cell phone is something I'd be taking regardless.

Personally I would not leave on a trip without my Garmin.

We took a month long trip here in the states last summer. The Garmin Nuvi 780 recognized names of gravel roads in Arkansas and names of block long side streets in Grand Isle, Louisiana. It also tells you the speed you are going and when we came upon a speed limit sign within a second it would tell us the new speed limit.

I love my Garmin.

BTW Costco has the Gramin Nuvi755T(4.3" screen)online and on sale. My niece received hers on the 3rd day after purchasing it online. When you purchase online you receive an instant rebate.

Margaret, I have to agree. Yes, you don't need one, but once you use one you will find they are "the best thing since sliced bread".

I am in my 60's and was a Luddite also, until I bought my TomTom 920 a couple of years ago.(Pre-loaded with maps of both the US and Europe...the only way to go.) My wife is the best darn navigator in the world. Give her a compass and a map. and she can find anything.

But I have to be honest with you. That darn GPS has been one of the best things for our marriage. No longer does she have to point out that I missed the turn that she told me about; now the GPS does that, and it silently re-calculates the next best way to get our destination.

The GPS warns me when we are approaching a fixed radar unit, and when I drive over the speed limit, it also lets me know.

Come to think about it, I don't think my wife has to police me any more...she just lets the GPS do it.

I have driven on obscure roads in the middle of the night looking for our next hotel, and it never fails to get us there.

Yes, she still carries her Michelin maps and compass, but they are for "overviews."

We have used our GPS in Germany, Portugal, France, and for a cross country US trip.

It really is the best vacation "extra" we have ever purchased, and has made our vacations much more relaxing and enjoyable.