Do you use SatNav or road maps or a combination of both?

[StephandJohn]

This year we did a long trip from the ferry at Ijmuden through Germany, Austria, Slovenia, to Croatia. Then got the ferry from Split across to Ancona and came back via Italy, Germany and Holland.
We did a rough plan using AA Route Planner to start with (this got us various options of places to visit and mileage) then did a better plan using road maps. Finally used SatNav combined with road maps for the actual journey.
We like road maps because you can see around a destination for interesting places to either stop at or drive through that you might miss just using SatNav.
We met some people who just used SatNav but ours is inclined to take us down strange little paths across fields, or on motorways we don't want to go on so we don't totally trust 'her' (it's programmed with a woman's voice because John says the man sounds aggressive!).
Just wondered what other people do?
Steph

 

[Munchie]

Both.

 

[Two on Tour]

Both but mainly satnav.
We roughly plan our trips for the areas we want to go to by exploring things to do and see at home on Google maps and then plan a route to fit in with these but we use this as a template rather than it being set in stone.
We barely if ever use motorway as we prefer to meander taking in the countryside and stopping at whatever we see along the way that takes our fancy.

 

[buttons]

Both

 

[StephandJohn]

Both but mainly satnav.
We roughly plan our trips for the areas we want to go to by exploring things to do and see at home on Google maps and then plan a route to fit in with these but we use this as a template rather than it being set in stone.
We barely if ever use motorway as we prefer to meander taking in the countryside and stopping at whatever we see along the way that takes our fancy.

So do we. Avoid motorways unless we really need to get somewhere in a hurry.

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[Baileysbus]

Definitely both SWMBO likes to see what’s in the area we’re travelling through as we go so who am I to argue

 

[clanjones]

Both and via Michelin.

 

[Offagain]

Although we’ve only just bought our first motor home we’ve been driving round Europe for years.
We use a combination of paper maps, Sat Nav and phone. I’m usually the passenger and navigator. I find our desired destination on the map, program it into the Sat Nav and monitor our progress on the map. This means if the sat Nav has a wobbly I know where we are and which way we should be pointing. In theory at least! Plus I can see on the map if there are any interesting places to visit en route or worth making a detour for if just off route.
Last year whilst driving through Italy, heading for our guest house and running late as we had been diverted from the autostrada due to a pile up, I was using a map, Sat Nav and phone all at the same time to find the best way round the obstruction but not go miles out of our way. Oh and a shielded torch so the driver wasn’t distracted.
I find using maps on a phone is really useful as it’s dynamic and warns of upcoming problems, but need to keep an eye on data usage so I don’t use it all the time.

 

[Jim]

yy

 

[Mikey RV]

Maps, sat nav, google earth, street veiw, intuition.......and luck.

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[pandas]

Both as it gives us a better since of your location and where you are travelling through. However use a combination of TomTom stand alone unit, Google maps through CarPlay, map books, as convenient, AND folded maps as we mark in highlighter at some point the actual route on the maps before we forget it. Also going to try out Google 'Timeline'. All sounds a bit sad but it's the journey not the destination. They used less to put a man on the moon!

 

[GerTee]

Think our SatNag is possessed, sends us all over the place so we prefer maps, both paper and online versions. Not keen on surprises

 

[Jim]

Think our SatNag is possessed, sends us all over the place so we prefer maps, both paper and online versions. Not keen on surprises

Try loading your precise preferred route into the satnav, that way you get all the benefits of the directions but no surprises

 

[Casper46]

Maps, sat nav never gets any input, only used as a speedo as I cannot see the Fiat one.

 

[rb62]

Maps, sat nav, google earth, street veiw, intuition.......and luck.

Not just me then

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[mfw]

Wife cant read a map and wont drive van so i just run 2 sat navs only because i have had a sat nav stop working and that then becomes hard work but i do have an out of date map but by the time maps get to print they are already out of date so cant really win ( oh dont forget you cant always get a phone or internet signal )

 

[maison]

We use maps to decide on an area to visit and our preferred route, (scenic, coastal, fastest etc), then enter waypoints into the SatNav to ensure we actually go that way.

 

[tacr2man]

Two sat navs and Google maps in preplanning

 

[Petehvan]

Both, my wife follows the planned Satnav route ,if it decides to cut corners to save 30 seconds leading you on unsuitable roads she takes me on an easier route. It is the final destination (aire or camp site) when the Satnav comes into it's own.

 

[SpeedyDux]

Pre-planning with maps. One day I'll start using Basecamp but I tend to memorise maps quite well.

On the road the Satnag is for guidance and can be ignored when it goes a bit lairy. The speed readout, distance to next junction, and ETA are always useful.

I carry a spare Satnav because the main one has been known to behave as if it runs Windoze and crash just when you need it most.

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[nicholsong]

We use both - maps for panning an area to visit. We always choose Michelin as they have so much info that gives one a good idea of the area, and it helps that I studied Map Interpretation as part of Cartography at school/university.

Then as above choose a scenic route, put in waypoints into satnav programme on Samsung 5" phone in a dash bracket.

When it comes time for a stop or lunch break I usually revert to the map to see if there is a scenic spot close to the route. Same for looking for wild spots for the night.

When getting close to a chosen nightspot in the last 5-10km we keep our Mk 1 eyeballs peeled for any other potential overnight stops, so that we can backtrack just in case our chosen one disappoints/is full etc.

Geoff

 

[Geo]

Tom Tom and Pam Pam never let me down yet

 

[Zigisla]

Solely and blindly follow sat nav. Some very interesting places found using this method though and always an hour more on the journey. Jane says it is to stop the “you sent me the wrong way” arguments, but it doesn’t cos she still looks at sat nav and tells me “ this way” and we end up over the hour longer it was going to take. She used to be a brilliant navigator but since sat nav has lost all instinct. Small price for not allowing her to drive though. At least I would get there.

 

[Reallyretired]

Sat nags (always at least 2). Maps useful to see what's around us but not used for navigation. Preplanning of routes we don't do.

 

[two]

All three:

SatNav
Map
Weather
​

I wish the SatNav had an "I'm feeling lucky" button.
We follow the weather or whatever tickles our fancy, on the continent.

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[JJ]

I use my SENSATIONAL Samsung Galaxy Note 8 which has both sat nav and maps on it.

I often turn on my old, non updated for years, TomTom though... I like to tell Serena where she is going wrong with her directions...



JJ

 

[Conal]

Both, in the planning stage, and whilst travelling. Every now and then our SatNav will try to send us around two sides of a triangle rather than the shortest route so a check of the route on a map is useful.
At 4.5 tonnes we travel at the same speed as HGVS so no real benefit from the “quickest” route.

 

[Mikeco]

I use three
Satnav for the quickest
Map for scenic
Wife to get lost.

 

[Robert Clark]

Satnsv only (plus google maps for route planning)
Both have real time traffic updates and get you to the exact co ordinates you’re going to.
Maps don’t do this

 

[Riverbankannie]

We use both - maps for panning an area to visit. We always choose Michelin as they have so much info that gives one a good idea of the area, and it helps that I studied Map Interpretation as part of Cartography at school/university.

Then as above choose a scenic route, put in waypoints into satnav programme on Samsung 5" phone in a dash bracket.

When it comes time for a stop or lunch break I usually revert to the map to see if there is a scenic spot close to the route. Same for looking for wild spots for the night.

When getting close to a chosen nightspot in the last 5-10km we keep our Mk 1 eyeballs peeled for any other potential overnight stops, so that we can backtrack just in case our chosen one disappoints/is full etc.

Geoff

That’s a good description of what we do except I use scond satnav to put the way points in as we go. I can always put my finger on the paper map exactly where we are at any time. Michelin A3 size for France so you can spot interesting places or scenic roads to divert to.


What is it with these women who can neither navigate nor drive? I’m better at navigating than husband and can use tech and he cannot at all. So I let him drive (He’s not too bad at it , lol) It’s just easier that way

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