Stumpy - I have a Garmin NUVI that I wouldn't want to be without, especially when traveling. It is small and fits inside a carrying case the size of a pack of cards and is very easy to use. I 've had mine a number of years and couldn't be happier. I bought my DW one this year for Christmas and as much as she is NOT a techy she has actually grown to like it. Good luck with your search.

I bought MrHopeful a Garmin Street----something for Christmas two years ago that we just love. When he bought his new car a few months ago, Chrysler sent us the Garmin NuVi 255 which is also wonderful. We also gave that particular model to my father-in-law and he cannot imagine traveling without one now. From what I hear Garmin is the way to go vs. TomTom or some of the other cheaper brands. Have fun - she will love it.

LOVE OUR NUVI!! The best feature is the "expected arrival time," which is amazingly accurate. It really helps us plan our trips. On our college trip, it was helpful to know if we could make a particular tour on time or not. It's even useful to DH around town when he has business meetings - if it looks like he'll be a little late, he can call ahead to let them know. It's also great to look at the list of nearby restaurants when you're in the middle of nowhere and starving. Be sure to call ahead (the phone numbers are listed, also) to make sure the place is still in business. It helped us out crossing the border into Canada close to Niagara Falls. An electronic highway sign informed us that there was a LONG wait at the bridge we planned to cross, so we plugged in the name of another bridge and found the fastest way to get there. We would have been kind of lost, otherwise. The only thing we've found is that sometimes it will take you on back roads. While that might be theoretically faster, sometimes I'm not in the mood to be on a winding, hilly road through Vermont at midnight! We haven't updated our software yet, so I don't know how hard or expensive that is. We'll never be without one again, though, and we'll probably buy them for our kids when they start driving their own cars. Have fun!

I take it with me when I travel on business as I am an idiot about directions and having a "sense" of where I am. Each year you have to (or should) download their latest update on maps, and although that is pretty expensive ($79), it is worth it to do so, if you travel professionally as I do. I suppose you could get away with not doing that, but then you would be complaining about it "not knowing" things, as others have pointed out. I love it. One tip: After you start your car and the Nuvi lights up, give it a chance to catch signals first, before you enter where you want to go. Once you get moving and then try to enter stuff it never catches up with you. All in all, I thing it's a sound buy. Go for it. Spareribs

LOL, r2farm, we call ours, "Chatty Cathy."