TomTom Western Europe, let Jane take the strain.

Advantages: Stress free travelling, comprehensive, clear instructions, cheap
Disadvantages: Some very minor glitches in confusing bends with turns

...I recently reviewed the TomTom one, which we bought with the Western Europe maps, and I have been waiting to put Jane (our name, after the voice) through her paces in rural France. As with all TomTom maps, easy to see, easy to use, easy to understand, and easy to update. Absolutely fantastic, I have no idea how we ever coped without her/it. From getting off the ferry, the map/navigation was spot on, good clear instructions, in plenty of time, and the first time I have ever got through Paris without a hitch. To give you an idea of how good, we bought a local map of where we were going on the Limousin/Perigord borders, that did not have the town we were staying in (I call it a town loosely) as it was so small, no problem for TomTom, straight there, which was welcome after 7 hours of driving. We spent two weeks in the area...

paulhanton 19.08.2007 · Read review
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Review of TomTom Map of Western Europe Maps

Tom Tom ONE XL Europe

Advantages: Large Screen, easy to follow, clear display
Disadvantages: battery life

...The Tom Tom ONE XL Europe is one of the easiest car navigation devices to use. It is mostly self explainatry but if you are unsure how to use it, the manual is very specific and very easy to understand. In my opinion the actual software that is installed on it is excellent. When driving, it is easy to follow all of the instruction that are being said by the automated voice. The one concern with this product is the very short battery life and sometimes, when it has been previously been connected to the computer to install updates, the system gets stuck and freezes. It has to be reset for it to function properly again and then it takes up to ten minutes!! There are many options that you can choose when planning your route so you drive the route that is most suitable for you. Other than the one disadvantage, it is a very good car navigation...

Ike120 28.03.2009 · Read review
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Review of TomTom ONE XL Europe

The Birds of Europe - Lars Jonson

Advantages: Fantastic Drawings, Very Detailed Information On Every Species
Disadvantages: Quite Expensive

...I have had an interest in Wildlife for as long as I can remember and in particular I have always had a passion for Birds. My Garden is full of Bird feeding devices and I have spent many enjoyable hours at my window watching the Birds feeding there. Any serious Birdwatcher will possess a Field Guide and over the years, since my early teens I have always used the Collin's Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe. A couple of years ago I decided that it was time that I updated my reference guide for something a little bit more modern. The book I chose was the Birds of Europe by Lars Jonson. Lars Jonson is a very well known name in the world of Ornithology. Born in Sweden Lars Jonson is best known as a Bird Artist and has won many prestigious awards. He had an exhibit at the National Museum of Natural History in Stockholm when he was...

micksheff 15.01.2007 · Read review
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Review of Birds of Europe - Lars Jonson

TomTom Europe 22

Advantages: It's a TomTom. Easy to use. Does what it's made to do. Good value.
Disadvantages: None.

...I recently purchased the new TomTom Europe 22 from Halfords. I was originally going to buy the V3 of the TomTom Europe as the price is genuinley lower than the new one is. I'll get to that now. I actually, did, buy the V3 model first. When I did and went to set it up in the car I noticed the windscreen suction piece wasn't in the box and to top that, the actual sat nav seemed 2nd hand. Scratches - deep scratches - all over the sat nav. So I boxed it all back up and went back into Halfords. Served by the same person - baring in mind, it's the assistant manager. I told her the situation and that I wasn't pleased. She said, "I must of forgotten to tell you the sat nav I sold you was originally a display model". Which I don't believe as I doubt a display model would have scratches all over it as it's stuck behind glass. She explained to me...

Greeny1980G 08.04.2009 · Read review
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Review of TomTom ONE V4 Europe

Good Intro to the Traditional Sounds of South-Eastern Europe

Advantages: great selection, good variety
Disadvantages: somehow mistitled, mostly traditional stuff

...Rough Guide, best known for their budget travel guides, has been steadily expanding in other areas, and has been responsible for quite a few musical "guides" over the years. This 1998 album, marketed as "Rough Guide to the Music of Eastern Europe", does pretty much exactly what is says on the package: provides quite a wide ranging overview of folk and (occasionally) folk-inspired music of Eastern Europe. This is an album that pretty much started my liking for "world music" coming from my part of the world, and despite its age it remains a good compilation which really does showcase the variety of what's on offer quite well. One thing that this "Rough Guide" album needs is perhaps a better definition of what is considered Eastern Europe: this is a surprisingly woolly category (I always remember somebody commenting than Poland...

magdadh 13.07.2009 · Read review
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Review of Rough Guide To The Music Of Eastern Europe, The - Various Artists

Do NOT take out a policy from Europ Assitance

Advantages: None whatsoever
Disadvantages: Terrible service, massively long claim response time, rude, unhelpful

...Absolutely terrible company. Steer clear from any policy provided by or underwritten by this company at any cost. My partner and I took out a policy underwritten by Europ Assistance this summer to cover our round the world trip. Unfortunately, just after leaving (1 week after) the UK, we had to return as my father was taken into intensive care. 3 weeks after this, we submitted our claim form, supported by exhaustive documentation. 4 months later, and we are no further on - stupid information requests (repeating earlier requests), claim handled by multiple processors, rude staff on the phones etc. After such a long wait and avoidance tactics, we got a solicitor involved. You would think that would have greased the bearings a little. No. They put the solicitor on indefinite hold, hang up on him etc. etc. We're giving it one...

abadr 26.11.2008 · Read review
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Review of Europ Assistance