Likely, the Apple users will not like my comment, but I have ditched the Garmin GPS and a laptop and now travel only with my trusty Nokia quad band E71. It has free offline world maps (and free updates for life) for 180 countries and and about 200 cities; this includes voice navigation for driving and screen directions for walking. The only place that I have found lacking, map wise, is Japan; however, I have Google maps loaded to cover these issues. The E71 is available for about $180 from Amazon. Other more expensive Nokia phones include free Lonely Planet and Michelin guides.

Regards, Bill