Phone GPS for Walking or Auto

You can download Google Maps onto your telephone or tablet, and the GPS function works offline. So you don't need to subscribe to any $10 per day cell phone service when traveling out of the country. And in a hotel or hotspot, you can speak via Wifi instead of the air waves.

Can Google maps download specific areas into your phone prior to use? I've only ever used it with data on and it updated when you moved locations?

I like renting from Hippocketwifi.com.......then I have wifi wherever I want, whenever I want without dealing with a SIM card and having to open my iPhone. I grew tired of using “free” wifi in European hotels where I could not get it to work unless I sat in the prefect corner of the hotel lobby and hoped it would come through......usually at night when I got back to my hotel. We always rent a car......though I have an idea of where we plan to travel it would be my luck to not have a preloaded map I wanted and then need some help. They always have a Black Friday deal available and deliver the unit to you at the first hotel you stay in.....we think it is a game-changer.....no matter how far out in the country we drive we always have wifi coverage, enabling us to use our maps features whenever we want.

Hey allsopp! Yes, you can definitely download appropriate sections of maps using Google Maps. All you have to do is open an area map and then select and save the particular area that you want. As an example, on one trip I downloaded the East and West halves of Sardinia, all of Corsica, Assisi, Parma and Orvieto. Worked like a charm. About the only thing missing was current traffic conditions.

allsopp,

The Maps.Me app sounds like a good alternative for those that don't want to incur data charges during travels. Thanks for the tip.

On my more recent trips, I've just used Roam Like Home as I need to be accessible on my home number. It's a bit expensive but it's worked well, and provides the same data limits I have at home. When out touring during the day, I often leave cellular data switched "off" unless using GPS or unless I need to access the internet. That prevents the "background applications" on the phone from accessing the internet when I'm away from Wi-Fi. I have higher data limits now so might just leave data "on" all the time, as I've found that sometimes text messages can't be sent or received unless data is available.

Ken

That's a Rogers feature. I'm on SaskTel which has charges of $100/month for 1GB of data overseas. Since my upcoming trip spans 2 months, that's $200 for data and 100 minutes of calls and 200 text messages. That's a little steep. I don't feel like playing around with changing SIM cards, or hauling an extra device like HipPocketWifi. Those are good options but a bit of a pain to use. I'm sure many of the American travelers have better overseas plans as well. SaskTel is one of the cheapest in Canada, but still far more expensive than the U.S.A.

I love maps.me. I've used it for two trips to Europe now. I've used it both for step by step driving navigation and for walking. I download the maps in advance when I have wifi and then pin my hotels, sightseeing spots, restaurants, etc.

One hint, if it doesn't happen to find something you search on, often if I search for something I know is close, I will then find it, sometimes its a spelling issue or a difference of using exact name or the difference in language.

allsopp,

Yes, that's the name Rogers uses for their roaming plan. I believe it's currently priced at $12 per day with a maximum of 15 days charged in any billing period ($180). As I recall, it's available for 30 day terms but can be renewed for another 30 days during a trip. While it's somewhat expensive, it works really well and in the big scheme of a European trip, the cost is not a big deal.

I'm surprised that SaskTel doesn't have something similar. The Telus rates are the same as Rogers.

Ken.
Sasktel has 3 plans for travel to the UK, or most of Europe in the same plan. One only has voice and text for $25/month, one with 250MB of data (which would be eaten by the first Google Maps Update), voice and text for $50/month, and one with 1GB of data, voice and text for $100/month. The only daily plans are for the U.S. Not the best.
I'm more than happy just using available WiFi to check email periodically and using the Maps.Me or pre-downloaded Google maps. I have other methods to back up photos from my phone and camera and never sync my photos to the cloud. Background services like that can surprise you with massive charges starting at 0.15$ per MB. One typical photo can cost $1.20 to sync at those rates.