Rental GPS

If cost isn't an issue, in my opinion it's best to have a unit you're familiar with. Download the maps and enter the destinations before you travel, then you're good to go as soon as you get in the car.

It's better to take your own unit. Even if you reserve a GPS with your rental, it's not guaranteed that there will be one available for you.

I bought a used Garmin European card on Ebay for less than half what I would pay to rent a GPS in Ireland for a week. I could have bought a reconditioned Garmin with both Europe and North American maps preloaded for less than the rental cost. The obvious downside is you have to pack the Garmin over in your luggage but it's reasonably small.

Definitely take your own GPS! We didn't actually own one but bought one before our recent trip. I found one on Amazon that included one free map update for Europe. It is a Garmin that also had traffic alerts - this feature worked both in The Netherlands and in France and saved us hours on two occasions when we were stuck behind traffic accidents by re-routing us around the traffic. In the US, particularly in the West, I prefer maps to GPS. When driving in the NE US and in Europe, I prefer the GPS.

I bought a 2010 European card off of Craig's list for $50 and took our Garmin to Spain. The quote from Avis was an extra $18E per day for a GPS, way more than I would like to pay. Also, you can preload some of your destinations while at home. My friend picked up his rental car in London and was informed that they were all out of GPSs although it had been specified on his rental agreement, what do you do then?

Thanks to all for replying to my question on the rental GPS. I will definately bring my own. Sandy