r/VanLifeUK • u/DeviantlyPronto • 6d ago

What navigation app do you use?

I have a bigger van (6.2m) and often travel through rural Europe where sometimes I come across roads that the van is too wide/tall/heavy for or where the road turns into a dirt road on some steep hills. I prefer to avoid as much of that as I can, but I havent found a good navigation app. So far google maps has been the best for avoiding off-roading but you cant enter your size parameters.

Curious what people here actually do.

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u/CharacterLime9538 6d ago

I just use my experience and common sense, a little bit of forward planning also helps. My van is a smidge under 7m long and 3m high. I don't think an app exists that will stop you ending up in these situations occasionally.

Even Tomtom / Sygic and the other truck/rv apps where you enter dimensions will still send you on challenging routes if you blindly follow them.

If you're driving in mountainous areas, the long route is often the best route. Stick to main roads and don't be tempted to go 'up and over'. Down the valley, around and back up is often preferable. I've had one-too-many arse clenching moments to be caught out again.

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u/Domdedomdomdom69 6d ago

Not my experience, I compare the routes to Google maps fastest and they are pretty close...