Looking for trip planning software

[happy2bgran]

Looking for trip planning software. Considering RVTripWizard. Does anyone have experience with it? Can 2 people log in on 2 different computers at the same time? (assuming a single subscription)

[LJowdy]

Sorry but no information on the software you're considering.

This is the software I use, Robot Check

[motorhomeguy]

Another vote for DeLorme Street Atlas... Routes can be adjusted/changed, I never travel without checking it first and establishing my route. The GPS in the coach, in my opinion, is slightly better than a paper road map.

[Dr. Q]

For Trip Planning, I use roadtrippers.com It is free to use, online. To a lesser degree, I use Good Sams trip software, but found it much more difficult to change routing, after the fact.

I use something entirely different for GPS; Copilot for it's offline capability on an iPad, as well as its RV routing capabilities.

[MSHappyCampers]

Welcome to IRV2! We're sure glad you joined the gang!

I've been looking at RV Trip Wizard. Haven't tried it yet but it looks good!

Keep her between the ditches!

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!

[DrDaveMA]

Originally Posted by motorhomeguy

Another vote for DeLorme Street Atlas... Routes can be adjusted/changed, I never travel without checking it first and establishing my route. The GPS in the coach, in my opinion, is slightly better than a paper road map.

X2 on Street Atlas. I have a 15" laptop I place on the dash that runs VMSpc on the left and Street Atlas on the right. Nice large display, I attach it with a Velcro strap so it can't bounce off the dash. I downloaded the files for the truck stops and National/State parks so they appear on the screen. I plan my route and can alter it as necessary along the way.

[SpaceNorman]

We use multiple tools when it comes to trip planning.

We rely primarily on Google Maps for primary "big picture" routing - and our dashboard mounted Garmin GPS for "close in" routing. Said another way - we use Google Maps to plan our route - and our Garmin GPS to help us stay on course as we're driving.

We use both the Allstays (primary) and RV Parky (secondary) for identifying campgrounds, overnight spots (i.e., Walmarts, etc.), dump stations, etc. ... which we subsequently research via the campground's website, Google searches, etc. to decide where we want to stay.

Virtually any sort of input (i.e., "word of mouth" recommendations, any articles (newspaper, magazine, internet wanderings...) we happen to stumble across, etc.) can influence our choice of routes, destinations and points of interest along the way.

When we're planning a trip - we piece together our plan using information gleaned from the resources I've mentioned. Our plan is usually something that gets put together over time and that get's revised over and over again as new information (campground availability, plans to visit friends, etc.) gets researched and finalized. As the plan comes together - I use Microsoft's OneNote application to capture the plan. Let me talk about little bit about OneNote.

OneNote lets me pull together an "itinerary" - complete with all the support documentation (i.e., copies of reservation confirmations, information regarding places we intend to stop along the way (i.e., names, addresses, website URLs, etc.), high level budget data regarding anticipated fuel needs, campground costs, etc.) in an easy to read format that I put out on our "cloud storage" location (in our case "OneDrive") ... that we can both access and update from any internet connection device (i.e., laptops, iPad and/or cell phones).

Being that I work my day gig from the road - I do some due diligence regarding cellular coverage in the locations we plan to stay at - and capture that info in case I'm ever questioned by my employer about that. I also need to provide my employer with a "calendar" showing my planned locations and daily work status. So all this info gets put into OneNote as well.

The screen shot below shows my OneNote Itinerary for our Florida Trip earlier this year. The page containing my "calendar" is visible in this screen shot - with the list of all the other pages (with content as described) can be seen on the right hand side. You can create a "page" to contain whatever you feel is appropriate - and then put whatever data you care to on the page. Simple text, screen shots, URLs, spreadsheets and data from virtually any source can be put on a page quickly and easily. I capture anything I think might be important to me. It's an incredibly flexible application - and if you're a Microsoft Office user - it's something you already own.

I love the fact that I can create the OneNote file over time using my laptop (big screen, full keyboard and mouse, etc.) and then have instant access to everything in it from our cell phones and iPad. Having this sort of information at our fingertips has proven to be helpful time and time again. Being able to pull up a copy of the Campground confirmation document on my cell phone while checking in is pretty sweet!

[lnanne]

+1 on OneNote! I use it for soooo many things. Haven't tried the calendar planning thing though so thanks for the example!

We use many tools everyone has mentioned and have used Microsoft Streets and Trips (which we really liked but isn't supported any more). But I think consolidating all the sources into OneNote so it's at your fingertips and organized the way you want is the best. I love being able to take screen clippings as well as convert it to text when needed.

[SpaceNorman]

Originally Posted by lnanne

....Haven't tried the calendar planning thing though so thanks for the example!

Just for the record ... the calendar displayed is something that I created in Excel. Each day is made up of 3 rows - one for the Day # at the top, one for my "work status" at the bottom, and the large "center" row that shows location/campground. I simply "print" the calendar page from Excel into OneNote.

[Victory Blue]

Originally Posted by happy2bgran

Looking for trip planning software. Considering RVTripWizard. Does anyone have experience with it? Can 2 people log in on 2 different computers at the same time? (assuming a single subscription)

We use RV Trip Wizard to find campgrounds along our route and RV Park Reviews to decide which campground we want to stay in. Generally we are looking for campgrounds that are rated highly on RV Park Reviews and then visit a campground's website (which can be done right from the RV Park Reviews listing) to decide if it's a campground we want stay at.

Once we choose a campground we add it to a route we build in RV Trip Wizard. RV Trip Wizard allows travel distances (minimum, desired maximum and absolute maximum) and then puts distance rings on the map centered around the starting location. RV Trip Wizard is not a GPS app and won't take you where you want to go but it is good for planning since, unlike most GPS units, it knows where all the campgrounds are. If you want it will calculate and keep expenses like fuel and campground costs so it's possible to get an overview of your total costs for a trip.

Two different people can use the same login on two computers or iPads at the same time. My wife and I do that so we are always looking at the same information as we plan a trip. Trips are saved online so you do need a connection to the Internet to use the app.

There is a lot more to RV Trip Wizard than my simple explanation.

[TwoCorners]

Another vote for RV Trip Wizard. I've planed several long trips with it and find it easy to use and very accurate. I also use RV Park Reviews alongside.

[Rotis]

We are on our third year of using RV Trip Wizard. After using most of the other trip planners out there RV Trip Wizard works the best for us.

[Ron_H]

Originally Posted by Dr. Q

For Trip Planning, I use roadtrippers.com It is free to use, online. To a lesser degree, I use Good Sams trip software, but found it much more difficult to change routing, after the fact.

I use something entirely different for GPS; Copilot for it's offline capability on an iPad, as well as its RV routing capabilities.

A word of warning....

Based upon the above post I figured I would check out "roadtripper.com" so I registered there yesterday.

Soon after registering I received a welcome email, as might be expected. But since then, all within the past 24 hr. I have received four additional emails from them advertising their product.

Roadtripper is interesting in some aspects but certainly won't be used by me as I refuse to use websites that deluge you with spam as soon as they get your email address. Now I have to look at how to stop the flow.

[Santa_Claus]

I used to use Streets and Trips extensively and really miss the trip-planning features (over and above the route-planning). It let me schedule things like "stop by" time and "leave by" and stay for X nights, and I'd be left with not just a comprehensive route with multiple stops but a detailed itinerary. Drag a route and the changes ripple throughout; for instance, I decide to detour a hundred miles and add a 3 hour stop to see a sight, that results on a new overnight location and all subsequent arrivals and departures slip as well. I have not found another site or program that has this functionality. Anybody know of something similar? I do it all manually in Excel now.