Our campervans don't include a built-in GPS unit. If you're used to a dedicated sat-nav, that's worth knowing before you travel — but your phone can do the same job, and often better: it's always up to date and it knows live traffic. Here's how to set it up.
Turn your phone into the van's sat-nav
- Download your maps offline before you leave. This is the one that matters for a camper trip. Signal drops out in the mountains, national parks and along the coast — exactly where you'll be heading — and offline maps keep guiding you with no connection at all.
- Bring a phone mount and a charging cable. Every Indie campervan has 12V and/or USB sockets up front, so your phone can navigate all day without running flat. See what sockets are available in the campervan.
Apps we recommend
Waze — the best choice for live traffic, road closures, hazards and speed warnings, so you can keep the van on the smoothest route. Get it here: Waze for Android · Waze for iOS.
Maps.me — a dedicated offline map. Once you've downloaded the region, it works with no signal at all, which makes it a genuine lifesaver in remote spots. Get it here: Maps.me for Android · Maps.me for iOS.
Prefer to keep it simple? Google Maps also lets you download areas for offline use — handy if it's already your everyday map. For more trip-planning apps, see our camping apps guide.
Driving a larger motorhome?
Standard car navigation doesn't account for a vehicle's height or weight. If you're in one of our larger models, keep an eye on posted height and weight limits at bridges, tunnels and narrow lanes rather than following the app blindly — it's the single most common way a big van ends up somewhere it shouldn't.