Good Sam Trip Planner software

I also have the same problem with waypoints created in the GS Trip Planner not being imported into the Rand McNally GPS. I called Rand McNally and they couldn't solve my problem. They are researching and will call me back. Has anybody found a solution to the problem?

And this is just one of the reasons I have not nor will not use a planner or GPS for my trips to guide me over long distances. May use them to find local info and points of interest. I will us a GPS once I get to a town/point of interest to get exactly where I want to go in the local area. This has worked for me for over 50 years. Our up coming 2 month trip is not done on a planner nor GPS. Half the trip is over very familiar roads and half is new territory. With that said we all are different in our way of doing things. Have a safe trip.

wyocowboy00 wrote:
I think the Rand-McNally has a height warning built into it's software and will route around low bridges, etc. I'm not sure, but I don't remember the GS trip planner doing that.

GS Trip Planner has that too. It took me around a low underpass in Pierre, SD on one of the trips we used it to plan.

It also has switches to keep you off toll roads and Interstates if you don't want one of those. The problem is that it assumes all national parks are "toll roads" because they charge an entrance fee. So, you can't stay off toll roads and take direct routes into or through a national park on the same route.

I most strongly urge anyone to take a couple steps in route planning.

1) Make sure you know the route YOU want to take, not the softway. The highways you want to use.

2) I advocate printing out the route from what ever planner you use, and work with your co-pilot/ partner/ DW so that he or she can help you when on the road.

3) Program the GPS the night before a trip, verify it actually follows the route you want to take. Save the trip.

4) ALWAYS use "Quickest Route" setting on the GPS, NEVER use "Shortest Distance".

5) Don't blindly follow the GPS, it if wants to send you somewhere you were not planning - pull over, stop and look at a map.

6) I recommend turning off/ muting the voice on a GPS. The distances the voice gives you for turns are too short for an RV. You will not be able to slow down, change lanes, etc. Make sure your co-pilot knows how to work the GPS, and to give you amble notice of turns, lane changes, etc. Learn if your GPS has options to customize how soon you get such warnings.

I think the Rand-McNally has a height warning built into it's software and will route around low bridges, etc. I'm not sure, but I don't remember the GS trip planner doing that.

PawPaw_n_Gram wrote:
The route you save isn't actually a route. It is a set of stops. Different routing algorithms can make two different programs show different roads to get from point A to point B.

I haven't worked with the GS Planner, but I add extra waypoints at intersections, towns, etc to get my Rand & Garmin GPS units to use the route I want.

Exactly. Trip planning, either on a GPS itself or on a computer/tablet, is just a series of waypoints. Every device then has its own logic for connecting the waypoints. Use more waypoints to assure you go the exact route you want. In the Garmin world, their BaseCamp software calls these "shaping points" where you don't actually stop.

For instance, to go around big cities to avoid heavy rush hour traffic, I usually have to use several "shaping points."

The route you save isn't actually a route. It is a set of stops. Different routing algorithms can make two different programs show different roads to get from point A to point B.

I haven't worked with the GS Planner, but I add extra waypoints at intersections, towns, etc to get my Rand & Garmin GPS units to use the route I want.