Cheapest way to get US mapping.

[franco]

Hi I have the usual European and UK mapping on my satnav, but my son will be holidaying in the States soon and is asking can he borrow it. AFAIK, it's a one off trip, so don't really want to spend too much. Any ideas?
Thanks

 

[canderson]

Hi I have the usual European and UK mapping on my satnav, but my son will be holidaying in the States soon and is asking can he borrow it. AFAIK, it's a one off trip, so don't really want to spend too much. Any ideas?
Thanks

Which model do you own, and what is the current price for the US maps from TomTom in your area of the world?

 

[franco]

My model is in my sig, XL Classic Europe. A quick look tells me the US mapping will cost ?55-?60.

 

[dhn]

I'm not sure whether your model has 1gb or 2 of storage BUT I see on the UK site a US map at 30 pounds:

USA v8.70
Download 777 MB


Detailed coverage: United States, Puerto Rico
Coverage information: Includes all states including Hawaii, Alaska and Puerto Rico.
Roads covered: over 7.9 million km / over 4.9 million miles
Points of Interest (POI's): 2.7 million Points of Interest

 

[- et -]

Does your son have a smartphone?

If he does have a smartphone that will work in North America, this might be a viable option.

Given that this would be a one-time use of the TomTom map, it may make more sense to just use the free Google maps and Google Navigation that are available for North America. In my opinion, they are not as good as your TomTom unit, but I have been pleasantly surprised how much capability they do have. It may be enough for his purposes.

This suggestion assumes that the cost of data for his smartphone would not be a concern. In my case, I pay a flat rate of $30 per month regardless of the amount of data downloaded, but I have heard that the rates in Europe can be quite high.