I just tried this, and it looks like it defaulted to Google maps. I’m guilty of having that set as my default at the moment, is that why?

Absolutely true. I have a paid VPN service that hardly gets used, but I call home with Wireguard multiple times a day (usually not for the encryption, though). Most basic home routers include a VPN feature as well, and it doesn’t require much technical ability to configure beyond a quick web search for the router model and what the hell DDNS means.

This is the reason to use a VPN. Not to protect your identity, or to watch region-locked content, but to remove the need to blindly trust developers to always use best practice, and/or blindly trust the strangers that you share public networks with.