Hi all -

Wanted to share with everyone a great planning tool: Google Earth. You download this program (it's free) and it enables you to zoom in on any place in the world via their satellite system. Granted, some places don't show as much detail while others are incredibly detailed. If you zoom in on Versailles, France, you can see that their satellite photo (probably taken in summer) even shows the long, long line of people waiting to get inside!

I've used Google Earth for many months now. It helped me decide which Paris apartment to select. One apartment looked fabulous on-line (great photos, great features), but when I entered its address into Google Earth, I could see that it fronted a major 6-lane thoroughfare. The apartment we eventually selected was due to its features (obviously), but also becuase I could see via Google Earth that there green space all around it and it was only 2 blocks from the Luxumbourg Gardens. Fantastique!

Added bonus: you can even see your house on this thing! Have fun!

I couldn't agree more - especially for apt. rentals.

<<...you can even see your house on this thing!>>

But only if you live in or near a metropolitan area...

hmmm.. I always thought that was sort of an interesting toy but not of much practical use as you can't see any real detail at all (IMO). Wouldn't looking on a map as to where a hotel is located in a city tell you important things such as whether it is near major highways, etc.? I just look at a city map.

I look at both things..a map and Google Earth when visiting cities. Sometimes, with the scale thing if you look at two different maps distance seem a bit different...I try to check what I want on Google, not always work, sometimes they mistake the adresses, but it's funny to see the real thing

I've used both (maps and Google Earth) and both are good. In Google's favor, though, it automatically calculates driving distances, directions, and time by entering your beginning and ending addresses. It beats having to pull out several different maps, esp. if you're looking at travelling from one country to another.

Also, as someone else indicated, distances on maps sometimes seem shorter or longer than they are in real life. The actual satellite photo IMO gives a more realistic "distance" between points. You can actually imagine yourself walking those blocks.

Anyhoo....it's a hoot.

I definitely do it for all hotels I plan to book, US or international.

However, I also try not to spend too much time, as it takes the "surprise" part of a trip. Instead of "Wow, this area is so nice!", sometimes I feel "Oh, just like what I had expected" with too much research.

It's a great resource - especially when you combine it with walking tour routes, transportation hubs and the power of some of the new mapping websites to overlay road names over aerial views.

Here's a perfect example from last spring's trip to Venice: My wife was stunned when we got off of the vaporetto at the Zattere stop and I was able to lead us right to the Ca'San Trovaso - hey, I'd seen the labyrinth from above & remembered where the "cheese" was in the maze! ;-)

There is one caveat - the age of some of the images can be more than a little suspect - I work with GIS applications at work and unless you pony up for the latest geo-referenced satellite imagery ($$), it can be substantially different on the ground when you arrive (not likely to happen in old town centers or historic zones). I think New Orleans would be the classic example of then vs. now.

Up until 2 weeks ago most of Edinburgh was a blur

Hi N,

Glad you discovered GE.

Thanks for posting.

I have found it very useful (when they have good satellite images) for:

Will I have to go up and down hills?

Is a road along the river or on the ridge above the river?

The map shows a complicated cloverleaf, what does the road actually look like?

etc.


GE doesn't show my house. It's hidden by trees.

There's another way you can use Google and you don't need the "Earth" version.

Simply type in the complete address of a location in the Google search box and instead of hitting "return" or "Search" hit MAPS

After you get there you can click on Satellite or Hybrid to enhance the details in the aerial view.

You can also trace a driving route by using "From Here to There" feature.

Yes, map.google.com uses the same Satellite database as Google Earth.

Not only can it show houses, I can even see the two cars I used to have.

Sorry, it should be maps.google.com, but you'll get there without the "s" as well.

Google is usually a best first choice, but it seems to have less coverage in detail than local.live.com which covers most everyplace in medium detail.

Use the full features of all of these things! Turn the mountains into 3D and tip the angle so you look forward or even up to them. Don't use the clunky screen controls, but find the keyboard ones so you can seemlessly swoop around like a bird. You can perch on, say, the 21st floor of a realistic 3d building to see if it's view of a volcano is obscured by another bldg, for instance. Turn on partial map and info things to overlay on satellite. Not all accurate or detailed yet, but pretty amazing

mark