[Don Plumley]

Paul - you asked specifically about Hand-held GPS units. The streetpilot is an outstanding unit and will provide a moving map and turn by turn directions on a large color LCD screen that you can look at whilst driving.

My handheld (a Garmin Legend) does all the "trip computer" stuff you might need. It comes with a general basemap of all major US roads. I presume units sold in Europe would come with a European basemap. Using this, you can set waypoints and end points for estimated time of arrival calculations based on average speed and direction.

You can also buy a CD-ROMs with a detailed road map (or a topo map if you are into hiking or biking) that you can download into the unit. Using your desktop computer, you can program in routes for directions. The streepilot is much easier to set destinations when you are in the car.

Here's the general difference - I got mine (handheld) for hiking, biking, I use it in airplanes to see where I am, and for fun in the car. I did not get it for in-car navigation. For in-car navigation I'd get a streetpilot like Jack and Henk mentioned. The streetpilot will likely come with the European roadmap that you need, where it is an additional $100 or so for the handhelds. And as I mentioned before, either device can be switched between US and Metric units.

Have fun!