GPS, Atlas, Mapquest and More....

I plan using an atlas, Sreets and Trips, and the Trailer Life or Woodalls directory, now combined as Good Sams directory. Also a huge stack of travel (road trip) books, regional tourist guides, state visitors guides, etc. These help define where I am making the trip and why. Seldom do I start off "um, I'm doing this road trip but don't know where or why I am going."

While I may plan the whole trip in a sketchy way up front to work out the time, issues like where to stay, what to visit get worked out day by day. "Where I am going to stay tonight" gets decided around noon, possibilities checked out with phone calls if parks are likely busy, or just winging it if crowds are not a problem.

Not sure I understand the dog park part of the question, as those are sort of a feature of urban life, you don't just find them anywhere. Most campgrounds allow pets on leashes, most RV parks do also and might even have an off leash exercise area.

Attractions? What interests me I usually find as I go. If it is a major tourist destination, it will be in the atlas or tourist guide, and will have been included in the overall plan. Otherwise, something attracts my attention, I stop and check it out. Adjust the day's end according to the time used.

On the rare occasions that I plan a trip, Usually just head in a particular direction, I will use mapquest, world or I have the undertow software "Plan and Go" then modify it to what I want. I always use the GPS to keep track of where I am. I will also sometimes use the Garmin to route the trip and modify it as needed. I find the GPS greatest use is to find a particular point.
Don't rely totally on the GPS though, mine once told my granddaughter and i to turn right on a bridge over the Mississippi at St.Louis.

sdianel wrote:
I use www.mapquest.com and or www.googlemaps.com
Then, I locate my stops based on your miles per day.
Look up campgrounds on www.woodalls.com and pick a couple with the amenities I'm looking for near the stop. (sort results by distance). You can also search for amenities like pet friendly.
Look up those 2 on www.rvparkreviews.com to make final choice.
Once I get the address, I program the Rand McNally GPS. Once you program the GPS you should double check the route. I use the Rand McNally Walmart Atlas. Get a new one every year. Well worth it. It lists all the Walmarts and whether they have fuel (Murphy USA). I do not trust the GPS solely. Make sure the GPS is set for fastest route, not shortest route. Shortest route will usually take you on back roads. Fastest will take you on interstate or US hwys.

I detest Interstates so I always select shortest and limit them on my preferences. Just my choice, I like to see the world, not a concrete ribbon. To each his own.

As suggested early, Streets & Trips, with GPS. Have a stand alone GPS as well, with the destination put into it as a backup.

Assuming you are traveling alone, even if not, get yourself one of those swiveling passenger side trays to hold the laptop. Use this as the primary navigation GPS with your intended route, as per YOUR preferences, put into it.

The Streets & Trips is a whole lot nicer than a stand alone GPS in that it shows all of the roads around you, just like paper, & you can overide your route if you choose & still see where you are in relation to the original intentions.

Since I am full-time and in no hurry to get any place. I like to take the "Red" roads (red on paper maps). That is US roads not Interstate highways. But not in the cities. Waypoints can be used to bypass (take interstate roads around) cities

Couple of things about GPS:

1) If you don't already own one, you might get one that is RV Specific. I have the TomTom 1605 RV and it's great. I also own the Garmin RV unit but had trouble with it leading me under low bridges on some test runs that I did.

2) When you enter the details about your destination into the GPS, use the places ZIP CODE and put that info in first!

3) Keep your GPS up to date. Plug it into your computer at least once a month, to check for updates, firmware and software. My TomTom has a feature called "MapShare" where people put in current road conditions - closures and such, once the info is verified by TomTom, they release an update - this happens at least once a week on TomTom!

4) Get a paper map and learn how to read it. Never depend 100% on any GPS! Trust, but verify!

Have fun,

WoodGlue

2milesup wrote:

Newbienac wrote:
2milesup ---since ya'll are the only ones I know who has the answers, I have to ask what seems Ike rediculous questions I guess: If I get off the main highways (where speed limits are 65-70) and ask for secondary roads, arent they the ones that take me through towns and one lane roads?? You're right, I don't Want no back-woods scary movie roadways LMBO...

So if I wand secondary roadways and not highways, what am I looking for??

Thanks everyone,
Newbienac

I wish I had more answers, Beth. Selecting between fastest and shortest routes pretty much takes up the depth of my abilities with GPS. If there's a way to eliminate interstate highways from the route a GPS chooses, I'd like to find out how to do it too.

In settings under avoidance, you can specify things to avoid. One is freeways, another is toll routes, etc

Newbienac wrote:
2milesup ---since ya'll are the only ones I know who has the answers, I have to ask what seems Ike rediculous questions I guess: If I get off the main highways (where speed limits are 65-70) and ask for secondary roads, arent they the ones that take me through towns and one lane roads?? You're right, I don't Want no back-woods scary movie roadways LMBO...

So if I wand secondary roadways and not highways, what am I looking for??

Thanks everyone,
Newbienac

I wish I had more answers, Beth. Selecting between fastest and shortest routes pretty much takes up the depth of my abilities with GPS. If there's a way to eliminate interstate highways from the route a GPS chooses, I'd like to find out how to do it too.

Deb and Ed M wrote:
Deb here: I use a 3-pronged approach:

1. A new atlas - large print. I'm partial to the Rand McNally spiral-bound books. I look at it to get a "feel" for where I'm going; might make a note or two about places where I'm switching expressways

2. I have MS Streets and Trips - but there are other (free) mapping tools like Google Earth. I print maps at street-level for specific places I'm going, like RV parks

3. Then I plug in the address I'm heading to (or simply the city) into my Garmin Nuvi. I like having it because it gives me plenty of warning for lane changes, etc; plus it tells me where things like truck stops, restaurants, etc are. Once at a destination (like an RV park) save it to "favorites" - then, if you're sightseeing and get lost, you can at least find your way "home".

X-2!!!

And did routes like US 90 from San Antonio to Van Horn Tx, via Del Rio Tx (457 desolate miles & no Cell Phone Service most of that route), and US 62 from from El Paso Tx up US 62 to Carlsbad Caverns (145 miles and only one restaurant and 0 gas stations). And coming back down US 62 to El Paso, the GPS did not lead me into Mexico by mistake. Took me right to the addresses I had typed in!

The Garmin did just fine and did not take us off on any long horn cattle paths. I will admit that we had taken along the latest FMCA Road Atlas Travel Guide, but did not need to refer to it.

Oh, the maps on my Garmin are out of date, being from 2011. In fact my Garmin is obsolete and there are some new roads that are not on it. When it shows me out in a cow pasture and I am on new pavement, I just keep going and do't panic. Could up date the maps for $49 but I.m cheap. Some common sense is required when using a GPS, like don't pull onto a unmarked cattle trail, or unmarked logging road from the main road you are on if it wants you to!!! We have the both here in the western region of NYS where I live.

Oh. love planning trips on Microsoft Streets and Trips. It makes life so much easier. I know how many miles I am going to do in a day, and what campground to call before I get there to make a reservation at the end of the day. And it even tells me what restaurants are in a given radius of were I am at. I think Streets and Trips is the Cats Meow!!!! I can even modify the routing it gives me if I want to see something in particular that might be a bit our of the way.

No State or US hiway is going to get you into trouble. The worst would be getting sent down a major surface street in a city. Taking a town or county road can put you in a place you don't want to be sometimes.
Go to Wal mart and buy a Rand-McNally Atlas. Sit down at your computer and pull up mapquest or google maps match the two up.

IMHO you need a paper map to properly orient your self, use the GPS for fine tuning. If the B in the box wants you to do something that doesn't make sense, pull out the map.

I e mail the tourist department of each state I want to visit. Most of them will mail you a state map for free.