Millions of people all across the world love to travel. Whether you travel for a vacation, to visit family, or for business, it can be a great experience. However, unless you’re going somewhere you’ve been before, getting around can be a bit of a hassle.
As a result, having a GPS that you can use internationally is a good idea. It will keep you from getting lost and make sure you always know the right way to go.
In an effort to help you choose the right one, this guide is going to look at the best GPS for when you’re in a new country.
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Who Should Get This
A GPS is great for anyone who often travels to other countries, particularly ones they have never seen before.
The devices can help you do everything from finding your hotel, locating a quality restaurant, or simply helping you get back on track if you get lost. Most are easy to use and set up, and will be incredibly accurate in most places.
If you never travel anywhere new, or already have another way to easily get around, you might not need a dedicated GPS device. Even so, it can serve as a nice backup plan just in case.
Best GPS for International Travel: Our Picks
1. Garmin DriveSmart 61
From arguably the biggest name in the space, the Garmin DriveSmart can offer a great all-around experience to help you navigate your travels.
It comes with a bright, detailed display with a resolution of 1024×600 pixels. At nearly 7 inches in size, the screen is also very easy to see, which helps you keep your eyes on the road.
In addition to looking great, this device has a lot of functionality. Chief among them is the real-time services such as traffic updates and live parking. The UI design is also simple and easy enough for even a brand-new GPS user to utilize without issue.
Pros
- Large screen size and good resolution
- Helpful real-time services
- From a trusted brand
Cons
- The ETA timing could be a little more accurate
2. TomTom Go 620
This device is full of helpful, premium features that make it a great choice for your international travels. It can connect to Wifi directly, which makes updating easy, and can even work hand-in-hand with your phone to display calls and texts.
That helps you keep your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road. The device is accurate and quite fast as well.
The device comes with free lifetime traffic updates to ensure you’ll always be notified of any traffic jams or accidents.
Also, this model comes complete with free world maps to make things easy for travelers. There are also a lot of updates that reflect things like road changes or shifts in the speed limit.
Pros
- Free lifetime world maps
- Great connectivity and smartphone support
- Accurate traffic data
Cons
- Screen size could be larger
3. Garmin eTrex 30x
While an in-car GPS device will work for some travelers, others may want something a little more portable.
The Garmin eTrex 30x is a great choice for those types of individuals. It comes preloaded with a worldwide base map, and you can get more detailed or more specialized maps with ease.
The device has many built-in sensors to make sure it can accurately give you the right locations when you need them.
For a handheld device, it offers decent readability and has a screen size that’s over two inches across. It features almost 4 GB of internal memory to ensure you can keep and store all of the maps you might need during your travels.
This GPS can easily be carried around, but is durable enough to stand up to drops.
Pros
- Incredibly easy to hold and carry around
- Included worldwide base map. The potential to download several more
- Relatively good screen size and detail
Cons
- No rechargeable battery
How to Choose a GPS for International Travel
Durability and Portability
As your GPS device will always travel with you, it needs to be portable. Also, whether the device is mounted on your car or being carried around, there’s always a chance of it dropping.
Make sure it’s durable enough to survive some drops here and there without simply breaking on impact.
Readability and Ease of Use
In order to get the most out of your GPS device, you need to be able to easily read and see the screen. If the font is small or the display is low quality, you could face some serious problems.
In addition to easily being able to read the directions and streets, the device should also be easy to use. The menus and screens should be simple to navigate, and it should always be clear where to go to access certain features.
The Maps Included
While you might think any GPS device can download any map, that isn’t always the case. Some manufacturers will only support maps from certain parts of the world.
Before purchasing a device, make sure you’re able to access or download the maps you need. There’s nothing worse than buying a device, going on a trip, and realizing it doesn’t work there.
Useful Tips and Resources
If you take a GPS with you on the go, you want to be sure that it’s fully charged and that all of the correct maps have been downloaded. Keep it in a safe place when not in use. It is a piece of technology, and if dropped, it might not work as well.
Be sure to also double-check any addresses or landmarks you put into the device to make sure that you’re going in the right direction.
Also, it is a good idea to familiarize yourself with all of your device’s features and functions before heading out on your travels.
For example, some GPS devices can set waypoints to simplify your travel, so be sure you take time to learn that. This video does a great job of explaining such aspects.
Final Words
Traveling internationally becomes a lot easier if you can use a GPS device to rely on for easy and quick navigation. Any of the mentioned GPS devices are great options that can ensure you don’t get lost and that all of your travels go off without a hitch.
Are you aware of any other great GPS devices for international travel? If you are, don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments below.
