Pocket GPS?

Lots of GPS available but the key thing would be maps.

Where will you be travelling to?
If going to Europe for example, you can buy GPS with pan-europe map which will cover most countries.
If you are going to US the GPs will have whole US map. Maybe from Costco or Walmart or similar.
If Asia..well maps might covers 2-3 neighbouring countries,

It's rare to buy a GPS with a world map so a bit more info about your intended travel?

Of course the other option is to have an unlock iPhone and buy data sim with pay-as-you-go plan in each country you will be travelling to. This will be a cheaper option than data roaming.

Been covered in some post just search down on the first page of the tech forum :)

Yes - get a local simcard or else ....

If you must have the voice guidance and all the bells and whistles get a commercial app like Sygic or CoPilot provided they support your countries.

Nokia have Nokia Drive which supports offline with voice guidance for many countries (not as much as Google) but that means you need buy another phone and then not have all your usual apps etc ...

A tradeoff approach - use a offline free or near free app and just use the map without voice guidance. Eg - I know how to get to the area I want to go or I find out the night before to save hassle. I get to the train station. Then I use this free or near free app to guide me to my destination following the blue arrow to the red balloon. Like many apps they might not have all the POIs so you may add your own. You can save the points with Google Earth and open this up in these free / near free apps. But you won't get voice guidance, you won't get public transportation guidance like which bus / train to get on and what time when they get off and what to interchange to .........

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/copilot-gps-plan-explore-offline/id504677517?mt=8

There is options with downloadble maps and points of interest.

However those are only useful as long as what you search is in their data card and as we know no data card will be 100% complete.

Hence prepaid SIM cards to be used in your unlocked iPhone might still be better. On top of that you can use all other functions, like mail, messengers, internet, etc.

Get it unlocked and go for prepaid sim cards with data packages if you can.

Ive found the Nokia phones with offline maps to,be amazing when traveling abroad. Sure they don't have as many POIs as Google maps but it has never been a big problem for me. In other words, most of the time, the maps finds what Im looking for, and if it doesn't find the place, then Ive always managed to find nearby locations. Nokia maps uses Navtec maps and they are always updating and improving the quality of the maps. In my own area, Ive noticed significant improvements to the maps over the last few years.

I would also expect that apps like coPilot would also not have as many POIs as google.

As Rayonline says, the cons are that you would need to get another phone. It may be annoying carrying two phones, but if you are going to buy a separate GPS unit, then I'd recommend a Nokia- either an old Nokia with OVI maps or a Lumia with Windows Phone 8 - don't get a Windows Phone 7 Lumia.

apps like coPilot would also not have as many POIs as google

True but how POIs do you really need? (ex CoPilot pan-european / Australian map user)

I fully agree with you PhiMeow. Google may have more POI than CoPilot and Nokia Maps, but in my opinion, CoPilot and Nokia Maps have sufficient POIs to make them very feasible alternatives. For me, the offline functionality makes them better alternatives than Google maps. But each to his own...

Google. At least half the time I need to look at the street blocks and add my own points, even well known hostels and the many street names are in Japanese (for Japan). Hence I need to look at blocks and approx put it there matching it with the accom's own map they provide on their website, haha. If you are staying at a largish hotel, going to the main tourist attractions ok maybe ....

If you want some free suggestions to free / near free apps - "Mapswithme" allows country downloads, free version and $5 version which allow you to save points and then refer to them. Or else "Orux" way more powerful if you invest the time also doesn't allow you to download country in one click, you need to download surface areas or tiles that is part of a city like how you download or cache Google Maps with your iPhone.

I have a old Ovi Nokia. If I was going to a place and I won't have a simcard and that country supported by Nokia, I would take Nokia. Maps are beautiful, you can download entire country maps. Can add your own points, not sure if you can import GE but you can use Nokia Maps on the computer and sync them to the Nokia handphone. You can get offline voice guidance too in English or other lang. You just cannot get traffic live updates or public transport assist, haha. Some of the newer Nokia, pedestrian mode doesn't work offline I heard but you can just use Nokia Drive. It's based on a diff map I think that is why ... dunno.

Edited by: Rayonline

Hi, You all shared very nice information about the GPS. Actually I also want to ask some thing about the same topic. In fact I have designed a new transportable Home and I want to install a GPS in it. but Problem is that such homes people hire for going to thin forest or such other places where is nothing by the name of technology. so this is response us in such locations and what sort of GPS we should use.

If you mean a remote area?

Basically get a paid for GPS like a TomTom or Garmin with maybe rural maps installed which might be yet another cost burden.

Is the area not too remote? Then maybe you can install Mapswithme on the phone or tablet and use that b/c it is offline. You can aldo download entire country maps too, provided they contain the areas you want. Ie. maybe not tooo remote. The phone has a GPS chip inside it but slower than real GPS. The tablet not sure maybe an add on. Instead of that you can also use Google Maps in offline mode if you save certain areas but should be enough for a the greater CBD etc equiv land size. But not much good if you are doing many mile travelling. Cos you'll have to continually get more areas.

If you want an internet line too like to get more maps etc .. you will need to be in an area with cellphone coverage or go with satellite internet maybe a dish on the house/vehicle?

Edited by: Rayonline