Do I need GPS if renting a car?

[natsprat04]

We are planning a day trip to San Diego to go to Sea World on a Thursday in mid September. We will be driving... should the extra cost of a GPS be worth it for us? or would the driving be simple to SW that it won't be necessary? I have mapped out the directions to SW but don't know how easy it is to follow.

 

[bouncy54]

Depends. We live on the west coast so we're used to the freeway system in CA. Where are you coming from?

I know that we sure wished we had a GPS in our car when we went to WDW. Florida's freeway system was completely foreign to us...different kinds of exit signs than we were used to, toll roads, not enough signs telling you that you're headed in the right direction...etc.

Shoot...even the police officers we asked didn't know how to tell us to get from point A to point B. What a mess!

 

[momshadow]

We are planning a day trip to San Diego to go to Sea World on a Thursday in mid September. We will be driving... should the extra cost of a GPS be worth it for us? or would the driving be simple to SW that it won't be necessary? I have mapped out the directions to SW but don't know how easy it is to follow.

Yes,
Its so worth it! We brought ours from home and it was a life saver! We went to sea world and the san diago zoo. The zoo was great but I cant say less about sea world. Our has restaurants, gas stations and everything else in between.

 

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

When I flew around the country for work, I used the Hertz Neverlost GPS in ALL my rental cars. What a lifesaver. over a year ago, we had to go to Boston from san diego for family business several times and we would have never made it to where we had to go. I ended up buying a Magellan 860 GPS, which is base on the neverlost system. I used it to drive from San Diego to Boston and back. I could program all of my hotels, and it would even find me gas stations!!

To sum up, YES rent one!!

Pirate Translation:
Arrrhhh arrgggghh! Ahoy matey, ye be'a wonder'in what course 'ta take to the shore of Saint Diego? I be a'sayin too ye that a good map that Miss Tinkerbell done enchanted wit her magic be the best chart ye can have in yer dittybag!!
Arrrhhh Arrrggghhh.

 

[simba_one]

DEFINITELY!!! Maybe it's because we're complete foreigners (from the UK) when in the US but GPS was a complete life saver. We somehow did 3 weeks in SoCal in 2004 WITHOUT one but we did virtually the same holiday last year WITH one and it made SUCH a difference. We arrived before places opened as opposed to long past opening when we were using maps.

Getting to SW seems pretty simple to us now that we've done it like 4 times but the first time we did it, we got soooo lost. We could see the park but couldn't get to it. We were asking all manner of people in shops and tour centres and stuff.

So, YES! DEFINITELY rent one. It'll make navigating your way around those roads A LOT easier. And will ensure you don't miss an exit on the freeway too. We did that on MANY an occasion back in 2004.

Have a fantastic trip!

 

[Castaway Kev]

My wife and I went to SW last year, and our rental car had GPS in it (coincidentally). We loved having it. When we wanted to find a place to eat, the unit would pull up a list of restaurants and could tell us how far away they were and in which direction.

The thing to remember when renting a vehicle with GPS is that it is a per day charge. If you are only renting the vehicle for one day, then it's only an extra $10. If you are renting the vehicle for a week, you would be looking at an extra $70.

If you have a multi-day rental, but only want the unit for a day you could rent vehicle 1 for part of the trip then return it and rent vehicle 2 for the second part of the trip. But it may not be worth the hassle to try to beat the system like this.

When in doubt, try it out.

 

[bluegrizzlies1]

If you want to save money an you have verizon wireless they have an app you can buy for your phone gps navigation for 9.99 a month or 2.99 a day.

And Im here to tell you it worked great saved me 10 bucks a day the rental car place wanted.

So if you are there for a week get the verizon one save you a bunch of money.

 

[JennyW]

For me, part of the fun is learning your way around! I've never used a GPS. Maps are much more useful, I think.

 

[blackjackdelta]

I use maps and the GPS, A portable one that I can take everywhere even when I fly. Works well for me.

Jack

 

[Hound 109]

For me, part of the fun is learning your way around! I've never used a GPS. Maps are much more useful, I think.

I agree.

(& the places you've mentioned are all easily found near I 5 - with signs on the freeway.)

 

[zzyzx409]

Put me in the... Yes, it's worthi it column. When on vacation I really don't want to spend time being lost.

My newest car has a GPS in it and I will never buy another car without it. When renting, I feel the same, just get the GPS and don't worry about how ot get from here to there, just enjoy the trip without the worry..

Andy

 

[disykat]

I've never used GPS, but I'm sure it's a great gadget. However, I just came back and found SeaWorld, the Zoo, etc. all very easily on a map I got at the hotel. I had maps, but found the local tourist maps easiest to use.