We’d be lost without this offline map app. Literally. My sense of direction is appalling. Since downloading Maps.Me (iOS/Android) we’ve never looked back. While we still reference other mapping sources like Google Maps (iOS/Android) or specific local apps, Maps.Me is our go-to for route planning, discovering cool places and storing details about our own travels.
You can download a city, region or country map while you’re connected to the internet, then use it offline. You can navigate from A to B, the map displaying the distance, time and route via car, walking or bike. A directional arrow makes it really easy to see exactly where you’re headed and navigate with precision. We’ve been amazed at how many obscure hiking or off-road trails are marked. It’s kept us on track when trekking in Tajikistan, off-roading in Oman, hiking in Scotland and more. Finding trails marked on Maps.Me has actually given us the confidence to go out and tackle certain routes, be it hiking or driving, that we otherwise wouldn’t have done.
Other great features include the ability to search for specific things such as camping spots, restaurants, viewpoints, hotels, etc., and view them on the map. We also love the fact that you can drop a pin and mark places on the map (colour co-ordinate and annotate as you wish!). This is great for building up a personalised map and saving recommendations from other travellers.
As Maps.Me is an open source mapping system, you can also add reviews, mark points of interest, accommodation, restaurants, banks, bus stops, etc., to share publicly. Just register with OpenStreetMap to contribute.
The only things we don’t love about it is the fact that you can’t view a satellite or relief map, and it doesn’t give you a choice of routes when navigating – for these options we pull up Google Maps (assuming we’ve remembered to download the offline map in advance!).