There are three options. The first two utilize a smart phone. If you don't have one, you should get one. The second utilizes an "old-fashioned" portable GPS device. Aside from the cost of the hardware (which you likely already have), all of these options can be accomplished for the low, low price of: FREE!
Option 1, Phone: Wifi Map Caching
Using your phone to navigate can get expensive if you are using roaming data. When you're at home, just getting on the network is a perfectly fine option. But when you're out of the country, using data is a really good way to stroke out when you get your next wireless bill. But even when you're out of the country, you can log onto wireless networks without using any mobile data. This option requires you to find a wireless hotspot. This should not pose too much difficulty. The place you're staying should have it or you should not be staying there. If that fails there are usually plenty of places to find either free or very cheap wi-fi even in relatively out of the way places.To use this method, you simply use your map app of choice on your smartphone - Google Maps or whatever. I know this works on Google. Test it out at home with your mobile data off if you're using something else. Make sure you are set up to cache maps (see this: http://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-cache-offline-maps-in-google-maps-7-0/) Simply zoom in on your location. Identify where you want to go. Calculate directions if you feel like it, be sure to view your entire route up close. Once you have done this, the map areas that you have seen on your screen are stored on your phone. You can then see these map segments whether connected to the network or not. Your GPS can stay on and work even absent network access. So, navigate away.
Option 2, Phone: Open Street Map App (OsmAnd)
This is my favorite option. Through an app (I use OsmAnd for android) you can download several maps for free. Once the map is on your phone, you can navigate with it even when not on network since GPS works regardless of network coverage. We did this all over Europe with a phone that was not even CAPABLE of connecting with European networks. No data fees. Totally free app.The one trick here is that you are limited in how many maps you can download to your phone at one time. So, just be sure to download the appropriate maps before or during your trip while connected to wifi. Then you are good to go. This particular app can be set up to provide audio navigation guidance. We found it to work great.
Option 3, Garmin: Open Street Map Download
If you have an old Garmin or some other portable navigation device, you know that buying additional maps of foreign countries can be very expensive. You don't have to do that. You can use Open Street Maps on a Garmin for free (and probably other branded devices as well). You have to jump through some technical hoops to get them onto your device, but it is not too hard. Rather than go through all of that here, let me just point you to a very useful guide on the subject:The key points are: Download Garmin BaseCamp. Download OSM map that you need (see video). Load map into Basecamp (see video). Install the OSM map onto your device (select the map under maps then choose send to device under device). YOU CAN ONLY HAVE ONE "EXTRA" OSM MAP ON YOUR GARMIN AT ANY GIVEN TIME. But just delete the one you don't need, save it on a hard drive, install the new one, and repeat as many times as you like for different destinations. And you may need some extra storage for your Garmin, like an SD card.
There you go. Three perfectly good options (2 and 3 are best in my view) for accurate navigation without paying for maps or data.
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