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Samanthahhi's avatar
Samanthahhi
Explorer
Jun 16, 2014

Trip Planning Software - Not Sure About MS Street & Trips

I like planning my trips using Google Maps as I know that I want to drive 6 hours a day on certain parts of the trip and 4 hours a day on another. I can just enter my start and stop points, see how many hours it will take and figure out where i need to stop each day along the way.

I bought MS S&T as I thought it might be good to research and lay out POI's along the way, but I am running into some issues and maybe MS S&T's just can't do what I want and maybe you all know of other software out there that can.

I like that I have the software on my laptop. It worries be to have something I can only access with Internet connection as that was an epic fail last summer. I am not going to bring a printer, that's just silly. I do have my Garmin GPS that we used last summer along with knowing the general route as laid out via Google Maps.

In MS S&T, I am trying to do basically the same thing by setting my start time at 10am and stop time at 4pm so that it figures out basically 6 hours. However, I am finding this to not be precise.

Also, it keeps a running tab on miles for the whole trip rather than for each segment.

I keep thinking I am fighting against the general process of the mapping system and if I could just wrap my head around it, it will do as I need it to.

Any advice or am I just using the wrong software?
Roads and Routes
  • Golden_HVAC's avatar
    Golden_HVAC
    Explorer
    Jun 16, 2014
    Hi,

    I was using DeLorme Topo program, and you are able to make a plan fairly quickly. Then if you want to add places to see along the way, you can put in "Insert Via" and also "Insert Stop" where ever you wanted to. You can also have it calculate the elevation changes over the distance, and then use a GPS receiver to pick up the GPS signal, and use the 15" laptop as a GPS screen! What a advantage that can be!

    You can re-organize the stops and via's, but the computer will set them up automatically when you fist put them in. Sometimes you will need to change the via points and stops, and that is possible.

    Having the whole map on a 15" screen on a laptop is very handy.

    DeLorme.com

    I have version 4.0 but I think that version 10 or 11 is out now. The whole program is fairly low cost, considering you can use the receiver as a GPS for about $125 or so. You can buy it directly from DeLorme or your local Best Buy or other computer software store.

    Fred.
  • dalenoel's avatar
    dalenoel
    Explorer II
    Jun 16, 2014
    I use the same software, S&T, and do the same as you. I also track in a spreadsheet the distance S&T gives me to each destination then calc the change in distance for miles traveled that day.

    This gives me an additional spot to put the campground, phone, sights at that location, total cost, and many other things that can be listed once researched and shown.

    PM and I can send it.

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