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@fredtc
I have just returned from a 5 day trip to Belgium where I used a GPS app on my iPhone called NavFree (Benelux). This worked perfectly without needing for my internet to be turned on, and always showed me exactly where I was. It worked better in the countryside, but also in the cities, if a little slower.
The route option does select the fastest route to where you want to go, but it you fancy changing that route when you spot a nice road you want to go down it will recalculate your route quickly. It was lovely to not have to carry a map, and to have it all on your phone. Furthermore it have places of interest saved in it (if you want to look for a nearby hotel or rail station) and didn't run down my battery noticeably. So long as I charged every evening I was fine.
It may have been that where I was, North Belgium, is so flat that the GPS worked perfectly, but still, even when it didn't (such as when I was on a train) I still had the maps which was good enough.
It didn't have any cycling features (obviously) but it was great just for directions and exploring.
TLDR: If you're going abroad (or even in the UK) and don't want to unfold maps all the time and can't afford to have your internet turned on abroad, then download NavFree for the country you're going to.