Listen to Lena

Perfecting the Art of Conversuasion

Navigate Your Life with TomTom #Giveaway

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It’s the one thing my husband and I argue over. The reason my friends roll their eyes. The driving force behind my panic attacks on the road. And the only thing preventing me from hopping in my car and yelling “ROAD TRIP!”

I am hopeless with directions.

Now let me be clear: I can read a map like nobody’s business. I can visualize exactly where I need to be, and even map out how long it will take me to get there. I am steadfast in my planning and execution. But one wrong turn; one missed exit, or one construction detour – and I am completely, positively screwed. That girl you see driving around at 20 km/hr while squinting at the street signs, trying to determine North from South? Yeah, that’s me.

I can’t even joke with others about their driving skills, for fear I will be called out for my lack of directional awareness:

Alas, I have “Buy Me a Navigation System” written all over me. And my husband did: in an über romantic gesture for my 28th birthday, he presented me with my very own TomTom. (I was hoping for the Coach Large Shopper, but I suppose he was only looking out for my best interests. I’m still holding a tiny grudge.)

And since then, we’ve upgraded our TomTom device once or twice, as we love its reliability, ease of use, and most importantly, the ability to get me to my destination in a timely and stress-free manner.

However, traditional navigation products do have their drawbacks: I can’t pre-plan the trip until I jump into the car; I have to fidget with my radio volume to hear directions, and I always have to tuck the device securely away for fear of theft. Thankfully, there are other options: Introducing the TomTom Navigation App.

With the TomTom Navigation App, available for iPhone or Android smartphones, you’ll always have world-class TomTom navigation close at hand. The latest TomTom map is included, and no mobile signal is needed in order to work. A bonus: take advantage of TomTom Traffic, which will help you around traffic jams and road closures to ensure the quickest and safest arrival. Match made in heaven? Oh yeah, and then some!

My good friends at TomTom asked me to test out the service, and I was more than happy to oblige.

Here’s what you need to know:

1. The Navigation App is competitively priced and easy to download.The App sells for $45.99, and when you consider that it can replace one of the navigation devices in your home, with the benefit of being portable and always up-to-date, it’s worth every penny.

2. The maps are colourful, bright and easy to understand. I recently tested the service on a visit to Hamilton, Ontario – and as you can see from the second photo above, the directions are concise and virtually eliminate the possibility of a wrong turn.

3. TomTom Traffic gives you the most accurate, comprehensive and frequent traffic information available. Delivering updates every two minutes, you can get around traffic better than ever. Accident on the 401? Construction up ahead? TomTom Traffic alerts you and can re-route you to an alternative, faster way. And at just $2.99 per month, or $19.99 for the entire year, you can save your sanity while on the road.

4. Data usage for the App is incredibly low. I have a new iPhone and spent the weekend downloading my favourite Apps. As you can see, TomTom (second from the top) used just 24.1 KB of data after a 30-minute round trip, while downloading the Facebook App alone used up 2.2 MB of data. Hence, you can run your navigation every time without fear of overage fees.

Like what you see? Visit TomTom for a complete list of features. And, here’s your chance to WIN!

One lucky reader will win a TomTom Navigation App, available for iPhone or Android smartphones, plus a $100 Gas Card to let you take your own little road trip. To enter, simply fill the form below with your qualifying entries. Good luck everyone!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Reader Interactions

Comments

  7. I would go to P.E.I , because it brings back alot of memories of my family as a child & would love to show my hubby and kids :)

  14. I would love to take a roadtrip to BC – I have never gone further than Calgary – as I just love the beauty of the province!

  15. Save it for our next little league hockey road trip! Both would come in handy! Have you ever tried to find a small town rink in Saskatchewan? Lol

  17. Next summer my husband & I are taking our two little ones all over the east coast of Canada and hitting all the provincial high points while we’re there!

  18. I would LOVE a Tom Tom app!! I travel alot to places I’m unfamiliar with, so it would help prevent me from getting lost all the time!

  26. I would love to go to Halifax. Never been to the East coast. Would love to see where my mom went after England.

  31. Wow thats a great prize . I too suffer from directional imparedness!!! (new word) especially taking a wrong turn Lena we should never drive together we would for sure not make our destination!! LOL

  32. Id love to go to NYC. Id really love to just leave Ontario though. lol Out west, out East. Doesnt matter.

  35. With 2 little ones we don’t go much further than the grocery lately. But if we go any where we cant waste any time being lost!

  36. I’d take a road trip to the east coast – through the Maritimes and down the coast to Florida (assuming I had all the time and money I needed)

  38. i would love to drive out to victoria to see my family. i haven’t seen my sister in 5 years, and she’s never met my youngest 2 children, and my mom has only met my youngest 3 children (ages 3, 5 and 6) once.

  45. I’d take a road trip to Prince George, or Edmonton to see family! and maybe i wouldnt get lost or go right instead of left after we do a little pit stop LOL (so horrible for that, so opposite)

  46. I would go to Ottawa because I have never been and hubby promised me ages ago before life took over and we just never got around to it. I would love to skate on the canal.

  47. I would make a trip to the Maritimes (in summer) – have never been there and have always wanted to go and pig out on the fresh seafood !! I can taste it now – lobster and clams and mussels – oh my :)

  49. Vancouver! Because I have heard really good things about it, but have never been…would love to go :)

  50. If it was anywhere in the world, I’d love to do a road trip across Scotland to see all the castles there.

  52. Lena Lena Lena you are into everything lol. Thank so much for all the opportunities this holiday season.I would keep the gas card and pay forward th gos to someone I know needs one and cant afford it!

  55. I would take a road trip up to Manitoulin Island. I went once as a kid and it was magic. Natural magic. Incidentally, I would need magic to get myself there without a GPS.

  56. I would go to the East Coast, New York, New Jersey and parts north and south of there. Why? I haven’t been back there since 1980. And that time I flew. Now I no longer work so time for a road trip.

  57. I would go to parents for Xmas to be with family but if you ask me in March I would say to Orlando Florida because that is where Disney is! LOL

  58. Road trip all the way to the west coast through Vancouver and Oregon to visit family, plus haven’t seen the west side of Canada

  63. BC because we’ve never been and would love to travel from Toronto there to see everything along the way!

  69. Well I have given this a lot of thought in the past as my kids are getting older and in a few years I may be on my own so I have always wanted to drive down the California coast (maybe a detour into vegas lol ) and then on to Arizona to see the grand canyon then one to new mexico to got o roswell as I think it would be fun to visit with all the alien lol etc. I guess it would be a very ambitious road trip but one I think would be great

  73. Nashville I really want to go to nashville so want to go to the Grand Ole opry. I am horrible at directions so so bad

  78. I would take a road trip through the Rockies and out to Vancouver and then down the coastline to Los Angeles.

  79. I would take a road trip all across canada,because my son has never been out of the province so that would be a new experince for him,

  86. I actually just took a road trip down the west coast of the states with my husband! It was beautiful and we had an amazing time – I’d do it again in a second! :) Thanks for the giveaway!

  89. Sundre, Alberta. not that far, but it’s where my family is from and haven’t seen my cousins, aunts, uncles, etc in way too long

  97. I would love to drive through Nova Scotia with my dh just for fun. We haven’t gone there yet.

  104. I would travel from Newfoundland to Vancover. I have always wanted to go across Canada and visit every province.

  109. i would love to go across Canada. I have only been to Alberta and would like to explore the rest of Canada.

  112. Ever since i’ve been with my significant other we have always wanted to roadtrip to the west coast. 7years + we still haven’t gone, one day ;)

  117. I would go to the Cabot trail in Nova Scotia. I have heard that it is a must visit and have wanted to go there for a long time. I have never traveled out east.

  127. Just drove back to Ottawa from Calgary with my son with a borrowed GPS system. It was a lifesaver. Could really use one.

  128. along the coast of BC, From vancouver, sunshine coast all the wya up to alaska border! for fishing of course!

  150. If I could take a road trip anywhere, it would be to Finland so that I can see the Northern Lights.

  152. to Saskatchewan to visit my girlfriend and her family..if my own toddlers could stand being in the car for more than a few hours.

  166. I would love to road trip from AB to NB to visit family. I’ve never seen the rest of Canada, I don’t count airports.

  167. I would love to go from to the East Coast and then travel all the way to the west coast. Living in Manitoba I would love to see the beautiful countryside from one coast to the other.

  168. I would take a road trip to British Columbia because I’d like to see how beautiful it is for myself.

  174. My daughter and I had the road trip of a lifetime when we drove from Ottawa, Ontario to Victoria, BC. We would love to do that road trip again!

  176. I love to travel south into the states (I am Canadian) so I would love to drive to Kansas someday… and really see the “midwest” of the states.

  178. I would love to drive out to Vancouver Island and explore there. I have only flown out to visit family and I think it would be great to actually drive and discover all the towns around there. So beautiful out there!

  179. I would love to drive from the Midwest US to California travelling on the old Route 66 because my grandfather did that road trip and he always used to say it was one of the best times in his life.

  184. I would love this to navigate to DisneyWorld! On a professional level – as a supply educator it would be nice not to get lost!!!

  186. I would go through the Maritimes to see the family homestead, visit my parents, and show my partner where I come from.

  192. i would love to take a road trip to the east coast. i always tend to travel west and haven’t been further east than ontario – Canada is so beautiful and i would love to discover each province

  193. I would go to Nova Scotia , It’s where my hubby was born and I think my children would love to see it .

  195. to pei because its not too far and I used to go there every summer as a kid. I would love to bring my own kids there someday.

  200. my husband and I have always talked about doing to trip across the US checking out all the diner’s drive-in’s and dives! what a yummy adventure that would be!

  201. I’d love to take a road trip to Disneyland because we want to escape from all the snow and freezing cold weather temperatures.

  204. I’d really like to take a road trip to a ski resort in Windsor.
    I haven’t been skiing in a long time.

  207. I would go to Ottawa and visit friends. I have not been in years and have only seen a handful of friends during their visits to Toronto.