Sat navs

[Guest leemina]

Wanting a bit of advice on how you manage to find your way around. I know theres the old faithful of paper map, but hubbys thinking we need a sat nav and says it may be cheaper to get one over here before we arrive in Adelaide in August, what do you all think? We've never been before so will be driving around a lot so need to have an idea of where we're going, haha.

 

Thanks

[jimmyskinner]

Hi we took our tom tom when we went on holiday to Adelaide,i downloaded the Australia map onto it before we went away. I think it was about £40 it covers all Australia and we used it around Sydney and then on the drive to Melbourne and all around Adelaide,hope this helps .

[Guest parko]

hi

 

defo worth getting a tom tom for what they cost now

 

parko

[Riponian]

I agree we did not have one the first few days we were here and all I wanted to do was look at the areas we were driving to to look at rentals and you can't do that if your looking at a map!

 

As for buying one over there or here hard to say as ours from the UK we could not get to work despite having the maps so we ended up buying a car with it built in - extreme but worth it lol.

 

I would definitely advise on having a sat nav makes life easier and less arguments!

[foxychick]

Having a sat nav does make it easier.

 

However, we didn't have one and had to rely on the good old UBD. I think this was a positive thing, as you learn your way around a lot quicker and memorise routes more than you do with reliance on sat navs.

 

I would say get one, but try and use the maps when it is not so urgent to get somewhere, to familiarise yourself with routes and road names, it is an exceptional map book with a lot of detail, cost around $20 if you buy on just 1 year older. Sat Nav, I have seen advertised in Dick Smith for about $150.

[Hazel M]

I would have loved one when we got here too as foxychick says - but I think having to use the UBD helped us to learn where places were much quicker too. Once you've been down the main road a few times you do quite quickly get to remember where certain suburbs are off it, and then if you need to find somewhere particular in a certain suburb, get out the UBD to find it. If I can do it anyone can coz Im generally useless with maps lol!!! Also the way the streets are laid out here in a grid system really helps too - never really got lost.

Hazel.

[Diane]

Having a sat nav does make it easier.

 

However, we didn't have one and had to rely on the good old UBD. I think this was a positive thing, as you learn your way around a lot quicker and memorise routes more than you do with reliance on sat navs.

 

I would say get one, but try and use the maps when it is not so urgent to get somewhere, to familiarise yourself with routes and road names, it is an exceptional map book with a lot of detail, cost around $20 if you buy on just 1 year older. Sat Nav, I have seen advertised in Dick Smith for about $150.

 

I've tried both - the Sat Nav might be good for when you first arrive, but once you know your way round a bit, I find the ways it sends you are more often than not completely the wrong way - or a very long way round anyway! My good old faithful map book has never sent me the wrong way, plus you get to see other places nearby on the map and can choose where you go without a nagging voice telling you to do a U-turn and Go Back all the time (well, except when OH is in the car...!)

 

For instance this weekend I took the kids to a soccer match and they made us take a detour on the way back so we couild drive up a road called Bogan Road that they found nearby! Ah, family fun...

[RockDr]

If you rely on Satnav, you'll still be relying on Satnav in a couple of years time. As far as I'm concerned, far better to use the trusty old mapbook that lives in the car. Adelaide's a grid, so you only have to remember a couple of road names to get you anywhere. Give it a few weeks and you'll be able to get to most parts of the city on your own, using a variety of different routes, just using the mapbook for the last little bit once you're off the main roads.

[Guest Fluterby]

We bought a sat nav when we first arrived, still use it now for some journeys.

 

Id say its a must!

 

David

[Willber]

Yep, get a sat nav then when you have been here for a couple of weeks you get used to the main roads. I can now get to work and back without the sat nav (pat on back)

[TheHarrisonFamily]

We bought one when we first got here.It was a god send.In those early days when you havent a clue where your going. We paid just $99 from Big W...bargain.

We use it on occasions still when we are taking the boys to soccer the other side of the city. It just takes the stress out of the journey. We switch it on as we come off the main road and ....bingo...soccer pitch in view.

I wouldnt have had it any other way and have still found out the roads in time

Donna

[sueoc]

I used one for a short while when i first got here,but found it hard to concentrate on what it was saying,as well as looking out for loon drivers cutting me up,undertaking,overtaking and aggressively tailgating as well as watching out for pedestrians,odd traffic systems ,police cameras,forbidden right turns, u turns,25km roadworks,frequent speed changes etc.Much better to get the old trusty friend Road Atlas out and plan as you go!