Hi all,

What would be the best setup (navigation device, external maps etc.) when doing a very long and detailed 4x4 trip in the specifically mentioned countries?

I read so many posts and I couldn't get a clear answer to this question.

If there is a solution for the Iphone (i.e. buying specific maps) which doesn't require a cellular signal that would be a great solution (please specify the most detailed, proven maps for the above countries) but only if it as good and detailed as the maps used by Garmin/Tomtom devices as accuracy comes before cost.

Thank you very much for your time and assistance!

A good source would be Rotweiler's GPS Maps available online froim the internet.

Get tomtom android phone app with live traffic + google maps android.

Get a Garmin because then you have a multitude of maps to choose from. This is because Garmins can read an older un-encrypted map fromat which allows for third parties to make Garmin maps. With other brands you will struggle to find maps for Laos and Cambodia. Buy the Garmin in EU or USA because they are much cheaper there. You do not need a top model, a basic second hand unit is sufficent. I use OSM based maps in south east Asia, they have plenty of off-road tracks and are free. Download from here or here for example.

Google maps are not very good in Laos and Cambodia.

Edited September 3, 201510 yr by NightRider70

Get tomtom android phone app with live traffic + google maps android.

See the first post in this topic. Does the TomTom Android phone app work on the iPhone? Does it work without a mobile Internet connection?

Get tomtom android phone app with live traffic + google maps android.

See the first post in this topic. Does the TomTom Android phone app work on the iPhone? Does it work without a mobile Internet connection?

No and no

Have a look at maps.me for iOS:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/maps.me-offline-map-routing/id510623322?mt=8

The app and maps for anywhere in the world are completely free. You select which maps you want and they download into the app.

Maps are updated frequently, have good detail with POIs, and they are also routable. It may not have all the features of the Garmin Thailand app and does not have traffic, but it does everything you need for navigation. I find it really useful and cost effective when I do trips to countries where I do not want to use Google Maps and run up data roaming costs.

Interestingly, I was in Dubai last week, asked a taxi for a rather obscure address for which he was not entirely familiar, and then I used maps.me to navigate him there. He had an iPhone but didn't want to use Google Maps because of data costs. Before I got out of the taxi, he asked me to make a note of the app so that he could download and use it for such situations.

I think that some posters are not aware that Garmin maps and the native Thailand ESRI maps are different. I wasted a hundred dollars buying the Garmin maps and after trying them for one trip and getting lost twice, took them off my GPS and threw them away. The Garmin maps for Thailand are completely crap. The ESRI maps may have a few errors but not many plus they are more detailed. Even the small roads in my village show.

TomTom Go android app

700thb for 1 year with live traffic.

Why pay for expensive useless Garmin devices.

Google maps is very good too and free

TomTom Go android app

700thb for 1 year with live traffic.

Why pay for expensive useless Garmin devices.

Google maps is very good too and free

Millions of people around the world say different....

TomTom Go android app

700thb for 1 year with live traffic.

Why pay for expensive useless Garmin devices.

Google maps is very good too and free

Does Tomtom have maps for Laos and Cambodia?

Is Google maps good in Cambodia? Is mobile data available all over Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam? Is it free?

Edited September 11, 201510 yr by NightRider70

Tomtom SE Asia does not appear to cover Cambodia, Laos or Vietnam. The free maps.me does have routable maps for all three countries and they are quite good, at least from my experience with them in Cambodia.

I was trying to find the TomTom app for Thailand and all I see is the SE Asia app, which costs 2,228 THB. Seems a bit expensive to me.

Regarding the Garmin app for Thailand, it costs US$39 and comes with free lifetime traffic and map updates about every three months. I have actually used it quite a bit and found the maps and POIs to be quite accurate. Not sure where others here have had problems.

TomTom Go android app

700thb for 1 year with live traffic.

Why pay for expensive useless Garmin devices.

Google maps is very good too and free

Millions of people around the world say different....

It dosent means its true.

If milions eats stones would that means they delicious?

Milions says God exists tho no one saw him [emoji38]

TomTom Go android app

700thb for 1 year with live traffic.

Why pay for expensive useless Garmin devices.

Google maps is very good too and free

Does Tomtom have maps for Laos and Cambodia?

Is Google maps good in Cambodia? Is mobile data available all over Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam? Is it free?

Tomtom all world maps no data needed.

Dont know about cambodia gsm data.

Thats why use both apps

TomTom Go android app

700thb for 1 year with live traffic.

Why pay for expensive useless Garmin devices.

Google maps is very good too and free

Does Tomtom have maps for Laos and Cambodia?

Is Google maps good in Cambodia? Is mobile data available all over Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam? Is it free?

Tomtom all world maps no data needed.

Dont know about cambodia gsm data.

Thats why use both apps

I can't find a worldwide TomTom app. The only one that I see that covers Thailand is the SE Asia one and it costs 2228 baht, and it does not cover Cambodia or Laos..

Where is the worldwide TomTom app and how much does it cost, including all maps?

TomTom Go android app

700thb for 1 year with live traffic.

Why pay for expensive useless Garmin devices.

Google maps is very good too and free

Does Tomtom have maps for Laos and Cambodia?

Is Google maps good in Cambodia? Is mobile data available all over Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam? Is it free?

Tomtom all world maps no data needed.

Dont know about cambodia gsm data.

Thats why use both apps

I can't find a worldwide TomTom app. The only one that I see that covers Thailand is the SE Asia one and it costs 2228 baht, and it does not cover Cambodia or Laos..

Where is the worldwide TomTom app and how much does it cost, including all maps?

its for android only

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tomtom.gplay.navapp&hl=en

its free for i think 70km per month and no live traffic in free app

its gives you choice what maps to download

Edited September 12, 201510 yr by BeefSlapper

TomTom Go android app

700thb for 1 year with live traffic.

Why pay for expensive useless Garmin devices.

Google maps is very good too and free

Does Tomtom have maps for Laos and Cambodia?

Is Google maps good in Cambodia? Is mobile data available all over Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam? Is it free?

Tomtom all world maps no data needed.

Dont know about cambodia gsm data.

Thats why use both apps

Does Tomtom's "world" maps include Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam?

I have been in Cambodia and Laos loads of times and I would not rely on mobile data avaliability to find my way. Google maps are not good in Cambodia anyway.

OK, so you get to use it for free for 70 km/month. I guess that is ok if you just walk to work each day. How much does it cost after that? I read through the link you provided and they provide no clue.

According to their link for traffic service, there is no TomTom traffic service for Thailand. http://uk.support.tomtom.com/app/content/id/8/locale/en_GB

TomTom Go android app

700thb for 1 year with live traffic.

Why pay for expensive useless Garmin devices.

Google maps is very good too and free

Does Tomtom have maps for Laos and Cambodia?

Is Google maps good in Cambodia? Is mobile data available all over Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam? Is it free?

Tomtom all world maps no data needed.

Dont know about cambodia gsm data.

Thats why use both apps

Does Tomtom's "world" maps include Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam?

I have been in Cambodia and Laos loads of times and I would not rely on mobile data avaliability to find my way. Google maps are not good in Cambodia anyway.

No, they do not cover Laos, Cambodia or Vietnam.

Again, you can use the free maps.me app, and it includes decent, routable maps for those and nearly all countries. You choose which maps you wish to download into your phone and no mobile data connection is required.

http://maps.me/en/home

Does Tomtom have maps for Laos and Cambodia?

Is Google maps good in Cambodia? Is mobile data available all over Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam? Is it free?

Tomtom all world maps no data needed.

Dont know about cambodia gsm data.

Thats why use both apps

Does Tomtom's "world" maps include Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam?

I have been in Cambodia and Laos loads of times and I would not rely on mobile data avaliability to find my way. Google maps are not good in Cambodia anyway.

No, they do not cover Laos, Cambodia or Vietnam.

Again, you can use the free maps.me app, and it includes decent, routable maps for those and nearly all countries. You choose which maps you wish to download into your phone and no mobile data connection is required.

http://maps.me/en/home

So then we can agree on that Tomtom is useless in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam for time being.

Maps.me is made from OSM data by the way.

Yes, maps.me uses Open Street Map. Apart from Rottweiler and Google Maps, that is probably all there is for those countries. The OSM POIs may not be as rich as Rottweiler, but it is free and worked fine for me the couple of times I used it in Cambodia.

Tom-tom does not cover Laos, Cambodia or Vietnam, and it also only covers about 30% of the Philippines if anyone was considering using it there.

If you are using iOS, and need Thailand, you would apparently need to buy the Tomtom SE Asia app, and that costs US$69 with no traffic. Garmin Thailand for iOS costs $29 and includes free traffic, so that would be likely be your choice for Thailand if you are using an iPhone.

To sum it up.

Garmin:

Thailand: Garmin, ESRI, OSM various versions, Rottweiler, TravelMaps.

Cambodia: OSM various versions, Rottweiler, TravelMaps.

Laos: OSM various versions, Rottweiler, Laos GPS Map, TravelMaps.

Vietnam: Garmin, OSM various versions, TravelMaps.

Tomtom:

Thailand: Tomtom.

Cambodia: None.

Laos: None.

Vietnam: None.

Maps.me:

Thailand: OSM.

Cambodia: OSM.

Laos: OSM.

Vietnam: OSM.

Edited September 12, 201510 yr by NightRider70

Nice summary, Nightrider. Thanks for that!

How much does google map images help ?

and how much detail does google supply away from the big cities ?

I can see where images if available would be great to have if you want to find the closest house , store etc that would not be on a map

so if you are stuck somewhere you know where to walk for help

car mounted GPS units have very small batteries so will not last long if not powered by the car.

So, I'm looking at buying a Garmin GPS outside of Thailand and buying the Thailand Map....My question is they offer a download or SD Card. If I buy the SD card will I simply remove the USA SD Card and put in the Thailand SD Card or is their more to it??

So, I'm looking at buying a Garmin GPS outside of Thailand and buying the Thailand Map....My question is they offer a download or SD Card. If I buy the SD card will I simply remove the USA SD Card and put in the Thailand SD Card or is their more to it??

Yes, you can buy the more detailed ESRI Thailand map on SD card from EagleGPS. It is as simple as change the SD card.

It is not very hard to find and download a bootleg copy on the internet if you wish to go that way. Then you just copy it to a SD card with your computer. Depending on model, you can also store it on the GPS's internal memory via USB.

You also have free OpenStreetMaps for every inch of the world, no strings attached.

Edited September 15, 201510 yr by NightRider70

So, I'm looking at buying a Garmin GPS outside of Thailand and buying the Thailand Map....My question is they offer a download or SD Card. If I buy the SD card will I simply remove the USA SD Card and put in the Thailand SD Card or is their more to it??

Yes, you can buy the more detailed ESRI Thailand map on SD card from EagleGPS. It is as simple as change the SD card.

It is not very hard to find and download a bootleg copy on the internet if you wish to go that way. Then you just copy it to a SD card with your computer. Depending on model, you can also store it on the GPS's internal memory via USB.

You also have free OpenStreetMaps for every inch of the world, no strings attached.

Thanks for the information. Where I'm currently working I can use Amazon for everything. Openstreetmaps almost seems to be good to be true. You pick your area in grids.

I have just bought a Tomtom Go 610 which I was assured in London, that it worked in Thailand. Having just opened the box, it asks me to choose my country, and Thailand isn't listed. Any advice on what to do? (apart from taking it back!)

I have just bought a Tomtom Go 610 which I was assured in London, that it worked in Thailand. Having just opened the box, it asks me to choose my country, and Thailand isn't listed. Any advice on what to do? (apart from taking it back!)

Buy map on sd

Or find free

http://gpsunderground.com/forum/forum.php

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I use tomtop android phone app and it works well

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