jpie

I noticed on a posting of mine that folks seemed to think the mileage estimates I gave were not correct, so I am curious what websites folks use for trip planning for driving distances. I used to use mapquest but since they don't have a full trip planning feature anymore, I decided to try randmcnally.com. But then folks here thought my mileages were off.......so do you all use just do point to point distances on mapquest or do you have any other sites that allow you to do a full 5+ trip planning for driving distance?

Thanks!

jenifer

I often look at www.mapquest.com www.mapblast.com and www.freetrip.com

They do not always give the same distances, and definitely not the same travel times.

djkbooks

Microsoft Streets & Trips is well worth the price of the software. It's faster, for one thing. And, it has many more features that the free online sites. I cannot imagine planning a driving trip or visit anywhere without it.

Once the latest version has been around for a while, you'll see it with generous rebates and/or at low prices.

OaktownTraveler

jpie:

I use AAA.

Happy Planning,
Oaktown Traveler

HowardR

I've found www.freetrip.com to be fairly accurate in its distances.

roothy123

Trust me, I've used most of these and the best I've found in terms of accuracy and "can't go wrong directions" is randmcnally.com. It's free, but you have to register. I've heard tons of complaints about mapquest and that type of service, but NOT ONCE have I gotten bad directions from randmcnally. I also have Streets and Trips, and it's wonderful for detailed maps, and also for finding hotels and other places close to a particular destination. However, I still give the nod to Rand for accuracy. The times (and sometimes miles) seem to be a little more than other software, but in most cases I think that's more close to reality. They are also a tiny bit overkill on mapping every single part of the road (ie they tell you "go to end of exit ramp - 0.2 mile") but maybe that's why they seem to be more accurate in time and mileage than the others! In any case, they give you very detailed instructions, which is really necessary for a geography-impaired person like me!

GoTravel

I use a professional GIS mapping software. Accurate to within feet. Can't think of the name of it since it is on my laptop and said laptop is at my office.

GoTravel

Found it.

It is DeLorme (www.DeLorme.com). They lead the industry in digital mapping and GIS.

You will not find a better or more accurate road atlas out there. They lead the industry.

utahtea

I use a combination about 90% Microsoft Streets and 10% of my own experience. We keep records & logs of each trip. When traveling I've found that the time & mileage of Microsfot Streets and Trips is right on the money! What I like about the software is I can plug in the different speeds for the different kinds of roads, ie: Interstates, highways, arterial roads, & streets. We have a motorhome and drive between 60 - 65 on the interestates, but cars can go the 70 or 75 MPH. Not to mention that it's a lot faster and easier to use than online trip planners.

Utahtea

djkbooks

I would add that with a purchased software program (and I've tried them all) such as Microsoft Street & Trips, you can save your trips, then add, modify, and edit. Then, you can print all sorts of terrific maps, along with driving directions.

I am no fan (quite the opposite) of Microsoft, but this particular program has improved enormously with each new release. I've found "construction" along the way (which you can update online), for example, and times for enduring same, quite accurate. And, for determining whether it is potentially "faster" to select an alternate route.

Again, I cannot imagine planning a driving trip now without it.

It is especially useful for places we re-visit.

As an example, we weekend in NYC several times a year. I add bus route annotations (color coded with routes along one way streets with arrows and the exact bus stops) with each successive trip.

Especially useful is "show information" for the addresses and phone numbers of hotels, restaurants, etc. Not to mention location of nearby ATM's.

Other nifty features include being able to set times (calculates arrival time based upon designated departure time - or departure time based upon your intended arrival time), overnights, planned stops (lunch, breaks). And, you can find nearby hotels/restaurants easily if you want to break up the trip or find a "better" place (than a highway food court) to dine along the way.

Again, I am loathe to recommend a Microsoft product, but this is one excellent resource to have for planning a driving trip, or even a visit to any destination.

SharonNRayMc

jpie, Great question! I'm going to try some of these other sites myself!

- Sharon