Journey Trackers
Comments
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Yes, David, I think if I had a caravan I would book ahead, at least in the U.K. for peace of mind. When I started motorhoming I did book ahead as my first couple of trips were in the U.K. I then ventured abroad and booked ahead (as I had done previously with hotels) but quickly realised that it wasn't necessary (outside of July/Aug) and I was dismayed to be passing by attractive and interesting villages and towns where I would like to have stopped just in order to get to the pre-booked site. I have pre-booked abroad a couple of times in order to attend special events; at Agincourt for the 600th anniversary of the battle and at Pau for the classic motorcycle grand prix. If I toured in U.K. I probably would [have to] pre-book. 75% of my enjoyment of the motorhome is the freedom to wander at will.
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Have you looked at this?
http://adventures.garmin.com/en-US/
Garmin GPS devices can be set to record your track. They can then be uploaded to the FREE Garmin Basecamp program, which you install on your PC/Laptop.
Use Basecamp to create an adventure and share.
I also use it to plan journeys, since all satnavs will at some point choose a crazy 'detour'. You can check the route beforehand and take out the 'pretty diversions', download it into the satnav, then you know exactly where you're going and what route you'll take.
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Unfortunately, when we 'go across the channel' it's always July and August, so we tend to book everything these days, especially important in Italy (Tuscany), IMHO. Some of the pitches in Italy are small so I usually write/email and ask for a very large pitch. That way you tend to get a medium sized pitch, by our reckoning, and can just about manage.
David
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Au contraire, my sons and their significant others often fly out to join me for whatever holiday time they have wherever I fetch up. I tend to be aware of where I am without internet or satellite assistance.
I've been travelling in summertime frequently and extensively throughout Europe except in winter and August (when I go as far as the bottom of my garden to harvest the runner beans) either with my 27' sailing boat, my 63 yr old motorbike and a tent, or my m/home ever since they went to Uni, 25 years ago.
I never cease to exasperate them with my adventures, and benefit from being free from any grandchildren (or elderly parents R.I.P).
(Long may it last).
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That is how we tour Spriddler, very little planning required we just go for it.
The only records I have kept since buying our current van are the number of nights away and site location - this is so we know which areas we have covered and can aim for pastures new. We never aim to revisit an area as we feel life is to short for that.
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David, Can we test you?
What did you eat on June 1st 2000
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I used Polarsteps to record a recent outward trip to Spain. You can view it >here,< it also includes a link to a video of our January ascent to the Somport Tunnel for anyone who wants to know what it is really like to drive this Pyrenean pass. One thing I did discover is it works best with the GPS on rather than rely on the phone signal to plot your whereabouts. I left my phone plugged in to a power source so I did not have to worry about flat batteries and I also left it logged on to Polarsteps for closer realtime feedback. I found it is not very data hungry so no worry on costs of data transmission especially with using "Three's" home call service. It does apear to store data on the phone for later transmission if there is no phone signal and it sends a reduced qualaity photo over the phone but once you hook up to WiFi it automatically updates the quality of the picture recorded to that taken.
I also used it to record the return journey.
peedee
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I also could not find any help information but it is pretty intuitive, at least I found it so. I suggest you do as I did, take an old trip and plot that out, it will give you a pretty good feel for it. When on a trip way marks appear on your route on the map as you go along. You can convert any of these to a "step" by touching it and then giving it a name if one is not already generated by your position. You can then add text and photos. You can also add your own "steps" and position these on the map.
I'll happily answer any question you have if I can.
The Somport Tunnel is not everyones favourite route, there is absolutely no problem with the Spanish side, its only the French side which has the narrow sections and even then most have good visiblity to see what is oncoming. I also have a video of the descent, Think I would give it a miss in either direction towing a large caravan though.
peedee
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Thanks for that PD, great pics & superb clarity, the Polarsteps folk don't ruin it by downgrading the clarity. Good job you did there
. You'll become the 'go to' Polarsteps guy.0 -
Another tour completed, this time of Normandie and Brittany.
peedee
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Peedee - only just seen this post but would like to thank you for drawing my attention to it. App now downloaded to my iPhone and am really looking forward to using it - it has so much potential and I just love new technology!
Just wish such things had been around 20+ years ago when we spent over two years exploring the Med in our yacht - what a lovely record of our travels that would have been!
Thanks again
Richard
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As you can see from my comments on this thread, I have been using PolarSteps to record our journeys for over a year now. After my recent trip I decided to order a printed log of it. I am so impressed with the results received in the post today, I thought I would flag up this extra facility you can have with this App.
I thoroughly recommend this App as a method of keeping a log of trips and if you want a hard copy, the resultant quality printed book of your notes and photographs can be stunning and a great momento..
peedee
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I'm with Grumblewagon on this. Where I go is nobody else's business and I'd I wouldn't want anybody keeping track of me, least of all the burglar who may hack into my account to see that I'm far away enough from home to carry out a break-in at his convenience.
For the same reason I don't post holiday photographs via the internet while I am away from home.
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slightly off topic but I've been doing this with GPS devices for mountain hikes for years, I think I got one of my Garmin GPS in 2003. Before the trip you create a route, well waypoints on online OS/Harvey maps then upload to the GPS device. But afterwards you can download the actual 'track' from the GPS and see my actual path, also put it on a 3D map. I have literally hundreds of these down the years.
This was the time we had to cut short our route due to very bad weather, - in August!
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That is your choice Lutz. Even if they could hack into my Polarsteps account my trips never start and finish from home. My family already know where that is. It is such a small risk and I have nothing worth being burgled for. It is of little concern to me and in any case there are more obvious ways of spotting my house is unoccupied.
I only use it for major trips.
peedee
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Fair enough, Peedee, but it all seems a bit too much like Big Brother to me. When I was travelling as a student back in the 60's I'd send the family a postcard every three weeks or so from some far flung place in the world to let them know where I was and that I was still alive and that seemed to keep them happy enough. Not infrequently the postcard even arrived after I was already back.
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