Software for holiday planning
To cheer myself up in this horrible weather and making some loose plans for May holiday on the continent.Any sugestions for some software I can use to put on campsites routes etc.Thanks.
Comments
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We just use the calendar function on the iPad. You can have as many calendars as you want in different colours, and hide those you don't want to see. This allows different options to be considered and notes on things to visit to be entered for proposed dates.
It has the added advantage that at the end of the exercise it is all there in your diary. As far as routes are concerned I usually utilise google maps for initial planning to check distances are OK and best routes.0 -
I have and off line application called Map Explorer, it is a bit like the now defunct MS Autoroute. It came with a sat nav application I bought from
Map Factor and runs on Windows. I host it on my desk top. If you didn't want to spend money Google Maps, like Steve says, is probably the best bet.peedee
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I still use MSAutoroute for distances and routes. It also lets me save the maps as an image files so that I can add them to my website. I also use the ACSI DVD to locate sites in areas of likely stopover or longer stays as well as the Club's European guides.
I have the ACSI app on my iPad but don't really like it much. I save every thing in an Excell spreadsheet, this also allows me to have several worksheets with different options just a click away and it dosen't rely on me being connected to the internet. All
pretty old tech but it works for me.David
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Like others I use a variety of ways to both plan trips and use when travelling. I tend to use Google maps first, to look at distances etc, as you can move the planed route easily to look at alternatives. When I have an idea of the route I use ViaMichelin which works very well and gives the all important toll costs which can make quite a difference to the total cost. It also gives you alternatives based on the criteria that you set and you can also look up the location of filling stations which I use in conjunction with the French fuel websites to locate the cheaper supermarkets etc close to my route. I have also found that the ACSI site is quite good for the initial planning and I always carry a Europe and country specific maps. Like DK I have started to use excel as it makes it easier to send info to travelling companions.
I have the viamichelin app on my ipad along with the NaviMi maps of whatever country we are visiting so I can plan while offline if I want to.
Finally despite my car having a ridiculously expensive sat nav I still carry my old Tom Tom which has major routes of europe only so not likely to route you down a 'blind alley' and I can put in the campsite POIs from Archies Campings.
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Oh dear, you all make me feel old. I use felt tipped pens on Michelin paper maps.
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Oh dear, you all make me feel old. I use felt tipped pens on Michelin paper maps.
Eurotraveller
Even you have a fairly painless route to modernisation. Buy the latest Michelin Atlas with the plastic pages and chinagraph pencil or a wipe clean pen and there you are as modern as most
David
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My helper
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I use a spreadsheet. A column of dates, then columns of links to web-sites etc lined up against the dates. GPX files in the next column, and rough costings if I'm feeling brave enough.
For mapping I use the free Garmin software because it can download routres on to my Satnav (a motorbike one - excellent, but stupidly expensive as its waterproof and shockproof.) Others use TYRE which is based on google maps and can download routes to some
old TomToms - they blocked that facitilty years ago for some reason.0 -
Oh dear, you all make me feel old. I use felt tipped pens on Michelin paper maps.
OH doesn't even do that
with him its off the ferry turn right, from then on its usually me that picks where to go and he just
does as he's bidSounds like us TG
I'm the one who does most of the planning (which often changes once we're in France anyway due to weather
and/or mood at the time!). Once in France we do look at maps together (sometimes) but truth be known, I'm the one more interested in planning, researching etc.0 -
ACSI app. plus ViaMichelin app. plus Meteo France app. for me.
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Planning:
We use the viamichelin website maps as you can select that we are towing a caravan which gives a good indication of the journey times.
We also use the Google street view to get an appreciation of off motorway roads to double check any tight corners or built up areas to avoid.
For the journeys:
We use a Tom Tom with the live traffic to have an understanding of live time remainning (no longer have the kids asking how much further and they have to do the math to allow for our average speed not being 70mph which is the TomTom default). It also gives
us a heads up of traffic delays ahead of us so you can decide to go clockwise or anti around Nantes for example.I also painstakingly mark out the route on a Michelin Map with the plastic covered pages so that my co-pilot believes she is in charge of all things to do with navigation
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Get the ACSI Europe app for your tablet/mobile phone. All the sites, with a filter facility , and routes from one site to another - brilliant!
Do you happen to know if the App, which I have, will run out when my current ACSI subscription does? Just being lazy but someone might know.
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A fellow traveller recommended Maps.me app for our iPad which we find invaluable, along with other resources such as Michelin route planner. There's a real-time locator arrow which shows where you are en-route, so far better than a map book for us. Maps.me
allows you to download country-by-country (delete when trip finished), put in pins for where to stay, places to visit or whatever, zoom in and out. I also prepare documents on the PC of likely sites to stay (we never have a set itinerary these days in Europe),
things to see and do in the area (Trip Advisor useful for this). The CC continental handbooks, ACSI brochure as well UK Campsite are great for sharing reviews of where to stay.0 -
Get the ACSI Europe app for your tablet/mobile phone. All the sites, with a filter facility , and routes from one site to another - brilliant!
Do you happen to know if the App, which I have, will run out when my current ACSI subscription does? Just being lazy but someone might know.
I renewed my membership at the end of December, but when I went onto the app I had to renew that as well, it cost £2.72.
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Morning everyone I have just found this link and at first glance it seems quite Good, we go to France with our van once a year if we can so looking where to go this year I came across this
http//.en.camping-streetview.com/
It is like google street maps for campsites a guy has put a GoPro webcam on his helmet of his push bike and he rides rounds the sites loads to view. It my change your mind when booking enjoy
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Get the ACSI Europe app for your tablet/mobile phone. All the sites, with a filter facility , and routes from one site to another - brilliant!
Do you happen to know if the App, which I have, will run out when my current ACSI subscription does? Just being lazy but someone might know.
I renewed my membership at the end of December, but when I went onto the app I had to renew that as well, it cost £2.72.
Write your comments here...I purchased the acsi dvd and then installed it to our laptop and it worked ok and you don't need inter connection and it does not run out
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Morning everyone I have just found this link and at first glance it seems quite Good, we go to France with our van once a year if we can so looking where to go this year I came across this
http://en.camping-streetview.com
It is like google street maps for campsites a guy has put a GoPro webcam on his helmet of his push bike and he rides rounds the sites loads to view. It my change your mind when booking enjoy
Interesting site, thank you.
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Mnay thanks for that mass of information which I will work through. The furthest we go abroad is the IOW and I still get lost going to Portsmouth. If we got as far as Germany and the wife got caught trying to grope a ilegal it would start an international
event. As for Tablets, I only eat such things and I still use a mobile radio transceiver. I think I will go back to AutoRout. Many thanks all.0 -
Mnay thanks for that mass of information which I will work through. The furthest we go abroad is the IOW and I still get lost going to Portsmouth. If we got as far as Germany and the wife got caught trying to grope a ilegal it would start an international
event. As for Tablets, I only eat such things and I still use a mobile radio transceiver. I think I will go back to AutoRout. Many thanks all....The caravan club journey planner is what i use between sites,
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I use a spreadsheet. A column of dates, then columns of links to web-sites etc lined up against the dates. GPX files in the next column, and rough costings if I'm feeling brave enough.
For mapping I use the free Garmin software because it can download routres on to my Satnav (a motorbike one - excellent, but stupidly expensive as its waterproof and shockproof.) Others use TYRE which is based on google maps and can download routes to some old TomToms - they blocked that facitilty years ago for some reason.
The spreadsheet sound a little bit what I do Alan, but I do have rather a detailed budgeting section as part of the spreadsheet.
David
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