Thank you all for your input and experience using these apps etc. One of the problems for people like me who are "new" to apps / iPhones / androids etc is that advice given can often conflict - so which do you choose without screwing up what little is left of my scrambled brains? I would like to outline my scenario. I know there will be some of you out there who think it's a bit overkill on the hardware etc, but I do believe in the right tool for the job. I am not interested in using / relying on an app from a smart phone to navigate across Europe, apologies for any offence caused to such users. Although reasonably technically competent, I struggle to keep up with the lingo applied to everyday technology, so please be patient with me
The details:-
I am cycling from St Malo to Istanbul using the EV6 - well that's the intention.
I have bought the full set of EV6 maps and also bought an Oregon 600 c/w maps of Europe. I have also downloaded Google maps to my iPhone as well as maps.me and archies maps app - overkill already?
Up to and including Austria, the campsites seem in abundance along the way, so no problem there. I will try using the occasional warm showers host as well as the occasional hostel / B&B for a good scrub up - well I don't want to disappoint the local talent, do I?
In my dreams!!
So, the problem is finding campsites on the hoof, mainly from Romania onwards to Bulgaria and Istanbul. Google show campsites that others don't and vice versa. I have actually found that maps.me has been the best to use whilst being out and about in the Uk, not just for campsites but info in general. When I reach Istanbul, I would like to cycle home via the Balkans and Adriatic coast, but that will depend on my physical well being, not to mention the grey matter. Garmins offering for info, especially campsites leaves a lot to be desired, but they come up trumps on navigating - no doubt.
I have downloaded the POI and BMP for Bulgaria from Archies as a trial run and it has shown up all the campsites on Basecamp. I was impressed!! If I connect my Oregon to my iMac, will all those campsites be retained in the Oregon's memory? If so, then I can safely download all the other 10/15 or so countries that I want. Unlike me, I don't want my Oregon or SD cards with mapping on to be corrupted
I would prefer to arrive at a campsite at the end of the day. Wild camping gives me the willies, what with the thought of wolves, bears, vampires and Count Dracula climbing into the tent, and then there's the werewolves as well. At least on a campsite, there's safety in numbers!!
Then there is the issue of using getting a sim card for every country that you pass through. I have thought of taking an old spare phone with me, just to keep putting these sim cards in, thus leaving my iPhone intact for sending / receiving texts from home. Is this overkill again? I hope this doesn't start another thread here. You may have guessed by now that I'm a bit of a novice at this, but not quite so. I have cycled and camped in Spain and France along more familiar routes and have been able to properly plan my logistics. It's a different story when on the hoof. I know that I cannot plan every day of this trip, but I want to understand how to use all the technology available to me, so that I am not like a rabbit in the headlights when either lost, or it's getting late and the bats are out
I will be away from computer for a few days - just going to get a massive Cross tattooed on my chest as insurance
As the motto goes:- Fail to prepare and prepare to fail.
Any and all help will be welcomed.
Thanks
Doodah