Route Planning Question

[the_e-man]

Hi All,

I'd like to find a better way to plan my driving routes. The maps feature on smart phones like iPhone are optimized for the fastest route. That often isn't a good route when you are in an RV. In too many cases, it will lead you down narrow or winding roads that just aren't safe or comfortable.

I tried the Good Sam Trip Planner. It has an option to avoid highways. What I'd like to see is an option to show the easiest route - even if it takes a little longer. In many cases, that might mean using highways or interstate rather than smaller roads.

What do you recommend for finding the best RV driving route?

Thanks.

[valhalla360]

ferndaleflyer wrote:
Ok. Today I came to Baltimore. While still in NC I saw a friends son going up I 85 also I waved as I passed and he fell in behind, followed me onto I 495, then Rt 50 then MD Rt 3. His GPS had taken him this way but since he was going to upstate NJ he should have stayed on I 95. I got him pointed in the right direction but his travel time increased 2 + hours. A look at a map would have prevented this mistake.

I'm confused...he followed you but it's the GPS' fault?

I suspect, once he started following you, the GPS tried to update his route based on his new location.

[ferndaleflyer]

Ok. Today I came to Baltimore. While still in NC I saw a friends son going up I 85 also I waved as I passed and he fell in behind, followed me onto I 495, then Rt 50 then MD Rt 3. His GPS had taken him this way but since he was going to upstate NJ he should have stayed on I 95. I got him pointed in the right direction but his travel time increased 2 + hours. A look at a map would have prevented this mistake.

[mdcamping]

I use the Garmin for building out trips. I still use AAA maps with yellow highlighted routes as backups. google maps if I'm still not sure. And if I have to I'll post online for travel help.


Mike

[Homeless_by_Cho]

I use Street Atlas 13 and it works great. Mine is set up to avoid told roads.

LeRoy

[Matt_Colie]

I am with both Gizmo's Mom and Valhalla here. What you also have to know is that at one time of my life my name tag had Navigator under the name.
Having paper maps (I still call charts) onboard is essential. When things stop working, all the paper needs to work as intended is that paper, a light source (so you can read it) and a Brain. I do realize that the last is asking a lot of some. If can't work one of those, stick to the blue roads where your cell phone has a good connection.
Like Gizmo's Mon, I am still using one of the old great planners. Mine is a 2015 copy of Street Atlas. It can also be a terrific enroute navigator with no requirement for outside support. All that takes is a GPS puck to make a laptop a tracking GPS with a big screen.
As to planning, I can complete the arrangement of a three week excursion before departure and as the navigator can modify the plan enroute, it is always correct even to the locations for breaks and fuel stops not to mention the location for your EOD - Whatever it is. That can be a Walmart, rest area or a Boondockers Welcome. The planning software is not preferential to anything except what you tell it.
Matt

[austinjenna]

RV Trip wizard for me

[valhalla360]

ferndaleflyer wrote:
And for those that have never been where there is “no service” I suppose the answers above are fine. For me I’ll still use paper. I probably drive recreationally more than most and am also older than most. I am also technically challenged.

Google Maps allows you to download areas for offline use. I do it often when traveling internationally when I may not have cell coverage. If you check online, you can find coverage maps for your cell provider but it's usually pretty obvious when you get far from civilization and major roads, there's a good chance you won't have coverage.

I've actually had GM ask if I want to download the route for offline use. I haven't confirmed but I suspect if a substantial part of the route has minimal cell coverage, it tries to think ahead.

If you really are away from cell coverage a lot, there are full blown offline mapping apps where other than periodic updates, they are intended to operate away from the internet.

[Lantley]

I prefer Garmin RV GPS with google maps as a back up.
Between the 2 of them I generally get it right

[rr2254545]

Garmin RV unit it the way to go I am not a semi truck -

[ferndaleflyer]

And for those that have never been where there is “no service” I suppose the answers above are fine. For me I’ll still use paper. I probably drive recreationally more than most and am also older than most. I am also technically challenged.

[MarkTwain]

the e-man wrote:
Hi All,

I'd like to find a better way to plan my driving routes. The maps feature on smart phones like iPhone are optimized for the fastest route. That often isn't a good route when you are in an RV. In too many cases, it will lead you down narrow or winding roads that just aren't safe or comfortable.

I tried the Good Sam Trip Planner. It has an option to avoid highways. What I'd like to see is an option to show the easiest route - even if it takes a little longer. In many cases, that might mean using highways or interstate rather than smaller roads.

What do you recommend for finding the best RV driving route?

Thanks.

I use GARMIN.

[GizmosMom]

I still use my Microsoft Streets and Trips planner. It is the 2011 version. I like it because it does allow me to plan traveling the slowest speeds which averages out daily to about 50 mph. I can also tell it that I do not want to travel on Interstates.

There is no longer any MS support for this program I know many of us were upset when they stopped offering it. It has many features that I still use. I just have to go to Google Maps and make sure the roads I plan on driving are still intact!

I also use RV Parky

[valhalla360]

paulj wrote:
The big advantage of paper maps is that they give the-big-picture, better so than phone or standalone gps units. State level maps are also good at highlighting major routes, with limited information on minor roads or "scenic" ones.

For big picture, usually pull it up on the laptop.

As you say even detailed paper maps typically have very limited info on minor roads.

If it looks iffy, I'll jump into street view and see what it's really like.

[paulj]

The big advantage of paper maps is that they give the-big-picture, better so than phone or standalone gps units. State level maps are also good at highlighting major routes, with limited information on minor roads or "scenic" ones.

Years ago for bike ride from Mpls to Chicago, I had to order county level maps from Wisconsin to get info on minor low traffic roads.

And later for an Alaska trip, I made heavy use of detailed guide books. And in the lower 48 I also used AAA books and maps.

Still I have been surprised by paper maps. One straight route in southern Oregon turned out to be heavily washboarded gravel. And in the mid 2000s there was a big news story about a couple lost in the Oregon coast mountains after Thanksgiving. There was a lot of speculation about them using Mapquest, but it turned out they'd used a paper map, where the route was marked aa paved but scenic (BLM and FS).

Sometimes the only clue on paper maps that a route is mountainous is the color of National Forests.

We have a lot more information available to us now than a couple of decades ago.