Ignore what we previously wrote about our Tom Tom navigation device. We now have little regard for the Tom Tom system. The thing is useless and a total waste of money. We lacked travel experience at the start of our overland journey and got mislead into spending money on a useless navigation system. The Tom Tom Go was sold to us as a product that included worldwide maps. What the salesman forgot to add was that this was simply a company dream. The system worked well in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, but when we tried to download the maps for Cambodia and Laos, we found that they were not available. A quick internet search revealed that maps suitable for Tom Tom for most parts of the world, are not available.
Fortunately, we bumped into a fellow traveler in Laos that put us onto the off-line Android App, Maps.Me. This navigation tool is totally free and detailed maps are genuinely available for practically every (if not all) country in the world. Maps are simply downloaded onto your mobile phone and then used off-line. You therefore do not need internet connection whilst using this navigation tool on the road. Use of this product is totally free. We have traveled through more than fifty countries and this navigation tool has served us well. The maps include all the roads, streets, minor tracks in remote areas and hiking paths. The maps also include details of hotels, restaurants, banks, gas stations and many more localities of interest to travelers. One frustrating niggle however is that the localities mentioned above are not always accurate.
Once you have entered your destination, the navigation tool determines the appropriate route and travel distance. The tool automatically adjusts the route, should you take a wrong turn. There are many more features, too many to mention here. Also, note that there are other similar free products available. We would suggest you not spend a cent on a navigation device; search the internet and determine which off-line navigation tool would work best for you: Enjoy the ride.
