Use Google Maps Without Wifi/Cell Service in Ireland
Tuesday, January 24, 2023 | Categories: Ireland Travel Planning;
Travel has gotten quite expensive in 2023 as inflation has hit Ireland; airfare and accommodation rates have increased and car rentals remain high due to COVID. One way you can save on your trip to Ireland is by foregoing adding GPS to the car rental and, if you can, skipping the wifi/cellular package while in Ireland. Mobile phones have increased memory these days to not only hold all of your valuable vacation photos but app data as well, allowing you to download the maps on your phone before going. This can easily save $10 USD per day, based on $10 GPS rental or $10/day for Verizon's coverage abroad
Define Ireland Maps to Download
You'll want to define the area(s) where you will be traveling and download that subset of map(s) to save space however, the entire maps for Ireland take up about 400MB of space which leaves plenty of room for photos. With 128GB on a phone, this is less that 1/10th of your storage.
Step 1: Search for the Google map you want to save offline
Search for the location you want to save offline, like "Dublin, Ireland" for example.
Step 2: Click "Select your own Map"
You can zoom in and out to outline the maps you want to take with you and the size will be displayed after each zoom. It might make sense to create a few downloadable maps. For instance, if you're traveling just the Southern Route, highlighting the Southeast separately from the Southwest will save some memory on your phone vs downloading all of Ireland.
Keep in mind that zooming out doesn't diminish the detail that you will have in your offline maps. Just because you cannot see the smaller roads, they'll still be there.
Step 3: Select "Download"
Once you've defined the location you want, tap Download and it will start downloading the file.
Step 4: Name your offline Map
Name your offline map something clever, like "Dublin Offline" or "Ireland Offline" and voila, you're all set!
And remember, if you get lost, just ask a local for directions and they'll give you a long-winded answer that will confuse you even more. It's the Irish way!