How to specify directory for apt-get to save the packages

Question

is there any way to specify the destination directory for each download in apt -get command to save all the downloaded packages in a custom directory instead of archive directory for offline use.

If yes then how to use this custom directory to reinstall application ?

Solution

From the apt-get manpage:

   /var/cache/apt/archives/
       Storage area for retrieved package files. Configuration Item:
       Dir::Cache::Archives.

You can specify it like this:

$ sudo apt-get -o Dir::Cache::Archives=/tmp install wget

Note that this will fail unless that directory has a partial sub-directory