Miss Lizzy

Hi, my name is Liz.  I have been in Spain for a few months.  I have just got a car and need to find my way around.  I have a sat nav with a new Spain map on it.  The information you put in it, is very different from UK.  I have searched airports for sat nav instructions of how to find them, as they do in Uk for lots of places.  I cannot find any such information.  Please can anyone help me on what I should be putting in the sat nav.  For example I am thinking of using the airport's air park, and I dont know how to find it.  What can you insert into sat nav when there are no street names.  I have found that post codes cover a huge area in Spain.

Greatfully yours

Lizzy

Don't know if this will help you but I have just bought a new Tom Tom Sat Nav, always had Garmin before, had to use it recently to go to an unknown area and couldn't find any post code or road for what I wanted so I just put in the name of what I wanted, in this case it was a newly opened Mercedes Parts Dealer, nothing else, and up came a scroll  (Arrows) down menu which included the dealers directions and the area they were in.

So why not just try / put in.... Say Alicante Airport Car Park, nothing else, and see if it picks up what you want, my Garmin never had this facility and I was surprised the sat nav could even do it this way with no definite post code or road address.

The problem is that the information need is different with each type of sat nav. I have found that on Garmin roads that have been here for 25 years are still not listed but appear to be fields. On my tomtom in my street it only has one number (2) yet I live at a number in the 40's. It will let me  'mark' my destination once I am there although there is no such number in its memory. On tomtom there is a section named Poi (points of interest) which is very useful. When looking for a hotel with the 'correct' address it takes you somewhere else but put in the name of the hotel and it will take you to the front door. Surely all satnavs have airports listed in poi's so that should help. It might also help to update the satnav as over here names change, as an example Alicante airport used to be call El Atet but is now Alicante Elche airport. Best to buy a map and see whats nearby and then ask the satnav to get there.

As always do not solely rely on a satnav as you might find yourself in a river or worse. It is best to use a combination of sat nav, map, computer directions (Via michelin e.g.). Or just enjoy seeing the countryside in Spain and eventually arrive at your destination a little later but have seen parts of the area you did not know existed

Hi Steone, thanks very much for your help.  My sat nav is a Tom Tom and the map is bang up to date, or should be.  I hadn't thought to look in the POI section.  I will use your suggestions and hopefully, eventually I will get to the bottom of it and hopefully will find out how to use the sat nav in Spain.  It's a good idea to get a map and I will do that.  Any help I can get at this stage is greatfully appreciated.  Once again thanks !

Hi baz 1946,

Thanks for your reply, and help!  I will certainly try your suggestion.  My sat nav is a Tom Tom and I am going to take suggestions on board and hopefully get to the bottom of it and soon be confident finding my way about with the help of the Tom Tom.  One again thanks for your help.

Liz