{This week: enter to win a gorgeous fleur de lis necklace, details here.}
If you haven't yet heard of TomTom, it's not the male cheerleading version of pom poms. It's a GPS system, or if you want to get fancy, a dedicated portable navigation device (PND). To be exact, TomTom is actually the world's leading provider of location and navigation solutions with more than 45 million people using their solutions daily. If I'm stuck in the middle of the Sahara desert, I'll want the guys 'n gals behind this company on my side {though I'm not really sure what they'll tell me, turn right at the next sand dune?}.
I've used both Google Map directions and a hand-held GPS on multiple road trips down to the US, and I MUCH prefer the hand-held GPS {borrowed from my Dad, thanks}. For navigating the bazillions of interconnecting highways, it's nice to have turn-by-turn directions that can correct with you in real time if you make a wrong turn.
Now There's An App For That... For a fraction of the price of a hand-held GPS, you can download TomTom to your iPhone, eliminating the need to bring an extra device with you on the road. The app's pièce de résistance is its ability to function without a mobile connection or data plan. In other words, maps and routes are stored in your smartphone's memory. Inevitably, this will save you a lot of mobile roaming dough, so you can spend it on doughnuts and other road-side delicacies.
TomTom App Details
- $59.99 usd
- works with iPhone, iTouch & iPad; apparently it's in development for android, and blackberry is up in the air
- comes with the latest and most up-to-date maps, ready to navigate
- make on-the-fly changes to your own map and benefit from free, verified updates made by TomTom users every day--delivered automatically on a weekly basis and on-demand anytime you want
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Other Travel Apps Don't forget to peruse the other 60+ travel apps we've reviewed from travel first aid, to luxury and boutique hotel finders, to border waits, to trip itinerary management. Here are the most recent: