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Preloading Maps to Use Google Maps Offline

While traveling you never know if you’ll have good internet coverage or if roaming charges will be high. And the car rental company still wants $15 a day for their GPS. What do you do?

You can actually download maps while you are at home and then have them in Google Maps, even when offline. It works! We’ve used this many times.

These maps could be large (400 MB for Ireland, 50 MB for Iceland) but having the maps downloaded will let you search for directions even when you are offline or having connectivity problems while abroad.

Google Maps offline instructions:
  1. Download the Google Maps app
  2. Launch the app and make sure you login with your account
  3. Tap on your profile picture to bring up the menu
  4. Select offline areas
  5. Find the map of the country or area you are planning to visit
  6. Choose your own map
  7. Press download and wait for it to load (may take a while depending on your internet connection)

Once loaded you can simply use Google Maps and get driving directions to destinations in this area with or without a connection. Maps stay active for one year but you can refresh them by re-downloading them and when you no longer need them you can simply delete them.

Hope this helps you navigate and find your way around when traveling. Just be sure that you have a great power bank on hand in case you need to charge your phone on the go.

Happy and safe travels!

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By Nathalie

Avid Traveler and Master Scuba Diver
Sharing stories, photos and insights about the places I’ve visited. Simply sharing my experience and giving travel tips to help others plan their own dream trip and travel independently.

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