Maps

[pfunk]

Thanks for that Foy, I was actually thinking around the same thing. Has anyone actually used a Tom- Tom before? Any thoughts on them? Are they cost effective, or should I just stick to maps by themselves?

Ive ordered tourist maps from around 20 states, these should be coming in the mail within the month. Hopefully with these and the US wall map that I have I can plan my trip accordingly.

[Mark Sedenquist]

Has anyone actually used a Tom- Tom before?

Here are a couple of field reports filed by members.

Mark

[Foy]

I should emphasize except for some localized glitches, common to all nav systems which must be updated for new construction and general corrections to the original databases, my son absolutely loves his Tom-Tom. He's new to the Southern California area and has made much use of his unit, purchased for around $150 at the on-base Naval Exchange, as he finds his way round Sou Cal's labyrinth of highways and streets. He does, however, keep his two CA map books (DeLorme and Benchmark) and his large-format Rand McNally, on board the truck.

On the recent road trip, he programmed in the normal fuel window distance and other waypoints into his TomTom so was able to have a full report, at his fingertips, of how far to fuel, to what high-elevation pass, and his final destination. The only "futz" was the Park City street address, and that is apparently in a common database, as another guest headed for the same place took the same "detour" in a rental SUV equipped with a different nav system.

The instrument would have been very nice to have when he and I drove the truck from NC to CA in late October. The truck has a small fuel tank and we had to stay on our toes in terms of where to stop for fuel in western OK, TX, NM and AZ. We really pushed it once and got 24.6 gallons in the 25 gallon tank.

"These boots were made for walking"

Foy

[PNW Judy]

The tightwad in me says that you should only invest in something like this if you think you're actually going to get good long-term use out of it. If you were flying here from another continent, I would say stick to paper maps and that the expense isn't worth it. But, since you live in Canada, I would guess you'll come to the States more often and that Tom-Tom also has Canadian roads on it. So it might be worth it, in that case.

I don't have one and don't yearn for one either. But I can see where it could be handy. For awhile, my cellphone carrier offered something called VZ Navigator on your cellphone. You could pay $1.99 to use it for one day (or $10/month). There were a few times where I paid the daily fee when I found myself trying to find a specific place in Seattle that I hadn't already printed out a google-map from home to locate. It worked well and was very handy. Except for the fact that the screen is smaller, it worked just like a Tom-Tom unit.

It took me right to my location easily. And I liked how you can plug in for assist in finding nearby locations in categories like ATMs, auto repair, gas stations, hotels, restaurants, movie theaters, etc. I did play with it a bit the days I subscribed to see where it could take me and, yeah, lots of cool stuff. I would think Tom-Tom is similar.

But the bummer is that they cancelled the daily option and now you can only subscribe for the $10/month. I've not done that because I might go 2-3 months without needing it at all so, why bother? However, if I was going on a long road-trip to unknown areas, I might subscribe that month to use during my trip and then cancel. You might check your cellphone carrier to see if something like that is available to you. At least that way you can check out the concept and see if you like it before laying out the big bucks for a Tom-Tom.

[RoadTripper Brad]

I stick with mainly paper maps, but, I do have Google Maps and Live Search on my PDA phone, and I love it! I can look at traffic, sat images, search, etc. all without any extra hardware.

[Quiet Hero]

A good road atlas in conjunction with a USA wall map is helpful with initial planning. You can also get a membership with the CAA (Canada's version of AAA) for access to free, detailed regional, state and local maps and travel books. I have found that the "official" road maps published by each state's transportation or tourist agency offer fantastic detail, but some states may indeed balk at mailing to Canada. Most states, however, offer these maps at welcome centers located near the state line on major highways.

[pfunk]

Yes I did have trouble getting maps sent to Canada from around 5 of the 20 states that I inquired, but 75% isn't all that bad. My parents have CAA and im planning on getting it before I begin this trip, I wonder if their coverage will cover me also? Thanks for everyones input, this is becoming very informative.

[RoadTripper Brad]

It won't cover you. AAA/CAA is a membership, not insurance, so it follows the person, not the car. Unless you want to drag them along too, you'll have to get your own.

[pfunk]

Well as much as I love my parents, they aren't coming with me on this one. I might use their membership with CAA to get myself some maps though...

[PNW Judy]

We have our two adult children on our AAA membership. We can add them for less money than an individual membership for them would be. They are still attending college so maybe that makes them eligible and, possibly, an independent adult would not be? But I think it's worth a shot to look into.