Have read a lot of good information in these forums about technology. Have a question about navigation vice communication and/or security. We plan to do two weeks of driving throughout Sicily, to both well-known sites and also lesser-known vineyards and locations. I have Tom-tom loaded on my phone and plan to use it for our navigation. On a previous visit, I rented a device from the company and it worked really well in and out of the car. I'm wondering if the online version will work just as well. Also, what about connectivity for data through Verizon while we are driving through more isolated places? Should I consider a mobile hot spot or will Verizon service be solid throughout the island? Thank you in advance for your comments!
Posted by
West Michigan
573 posts
If you HAVE to have your normal cell number working all the time, them maybe you need to pay Verizon their crazy price of $100 per month for international coverage. If you don't need your normal number active all the time, then you could buy an esim for $10-$20 to get high speed data for a month. When you have wifi, like in the hotel, you could use wifi calling to call or text home for nothing (I don't think Verizon charges for that).
I don't know about Tom-tom, but perhaps their app allows you to download maps ahead of time while you are at the hotel? I use Organic Maps, as all the maps are pre-downloaded when I am on wifi. But Organic Maps may not be as good for driving an automobile.
Posted by
🏝️ Hobe Sound, FL⛱️
3472 posts
I totally agree that I’d use an option rather than Verizon. If your phone can’t use an eSIM, you could always buy a SIM card from local carriers TIM or Vodaphone. The Tim Tourist Card is great. Cost is €14.99 + €10 for the card. I’ve used this in Sardinia together with Google Maps. I downloaded the maps so that when no cell service was available, the app automatically and seamlessly switched to off line mode and back again when service was available.
I also took 2 trips to Sicily and used a Garmin GPS for navigation and it never dropped off. Overall, coverage in Sicily is excellent.