The ultimate trip planning and GPS combination

[jbrosecity]

I thought I would make a general post to the forum on the ultimate trip planning and GPS combination we put together today. I had asked on a different thread asking what software or apps people use and got mostly useless replies. People mentioned useful mapping sites like roadtrippers which I was already familiar with and which is excellent for researching scenic things to do when traveling from point A to B. But there all you get is a fixed route with no GPS capability.

I was looking for something which allows you to map a route using something like Google maps on a full sized computer screen, dragging the suggested routes to take scenic back roads and byways and avoid major highways much of the time, across 8 or more waypoints, and then be able to input that route into some sort of GPS app which then autocorrects as you travel, and talks you through the twists and turns each step of the way. You would think this would be easy to find... it is not.

Today we found it, finally. Here's what we did:

1) Map a route using Google maps with 8 waypoints, dragging the route to include various back roads for pleasure cruising rather than direct route travel
2) Copy the final URL from the browser address bar into GPS Visualizer
GPS Visualizer: Convert GPS files to plain text or GPX
Set output format at the top to GPX Format, then paste the google maps URL into "URL of file on the web" and click "Convert"
4) Save the converted GPX file to your harddrive
5) Now load the app from inRoute Route Planner onto the iPad
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/inro...er/id703796787
6) Run inRoute and browse to the saved GPX file.

Voila... now, we head off down the road and the iPad shows the mapped route and talks us through each and every turn and autocorrects if we get off the pre-planned route.

I hope others will benefit from this.

There is also a way to import the GPX file into Garmin but it is not nearly as convenient or well designed as inRoute for the iPad.
　

[BandJCarm]

i don't have iAnything.

Interesting that iStuff uses Google products! LOL

But this IS interesting!

[doc73]

I used the use a similar idea for my Garmin GPS and Android phone. It worked ok but the problem was if you went off route Garmin would ignore the planned route and just go back to its idea of a route. Tried Furkot for a while as well but the interface was not the greatest... Just ended up getting an RV GPS and preplan a route to compare the two.

[Bama Rambler]

That's great! Thanks for finding and posting this. I've been looking for something like it and really appreciate you doing the leg work that you have.

I see that InRoute has an app for Android as well. I'll definitely be checking it out.

[wnelsonfl]

I use Garmin RV GPS works great

[camaraderie]

How do you plan to clear low bridges, restricted tunnels and other roads with no RV's advised if google is your source map? I use google in conjunction with my Garmin RV model and google WILL put a larger RV in places it doesn't belong.

[jkoenig24]

I have over a half dozen GPS stand-alone units or Apps. My experience is that NONE are even close to being "ideal". A couple of summers ago, FOUR different units were UNABLE to get me to a well established RV park. They got me close BUT, I finally had to call the park and get the directions for the last mile. Do NOT bet anything important on any GPS unit / program, ESPECIALLY if you have a LARGE RV that won't fit on all "regular" roads.

[Travler]

Have done okay using the Good Sam trip planning and importing into the Rand MCnalley GPS. They can tell you about low bridges and you can drag and drop to a road or place you want to go. It has it's issues but the best I have used so far.

[jbrosecity]

Yes, we have had a Garmin truck/RV GPS as well and it was particularly useful when we were driving a 43 Class A, 12'9" high. Not too necessary driving a Class C now that is only 11'4. But of course it is ONLY a GPS and does absolutely nothing for choosing interesting backroads. I guess I should have added that we sometimes tow a car hauler trailer with my MGB sportscar on board. I am always looking for backroad tours to drive in the MG. Garmin, nor any GPS is of any use in that regard... it will get us to a destination but NOT on our choice of roads. Only a good online mapping tool like Google or Yahoo maps will allow you drill down far enough to chose some small winding scenic county roads. But then someone has to be watching the directions the whole time and looking for road signs. We gave that nonsense up years ago when we got our first GPS unit.

Good Sam trip planning imported into the Rand McNalley GPS sounds like it might have potential if that's the GPS you have, I don't know. But it cannot be much better than importing a google maps GPX file into the iPad. That works just awesome. If I am on questionably small roads fo an RV I might let my Truck Garmin run as well just to keep an eye on overheads, but of course if I am driving my MG which was my main reason for coming up with this whole deal, well the only thing we are concerned with there is unpaved roads. To that end we did get an atlas which shows which roads are unpaved and we check it against the mapped route before starting out.

Interesting to hear that inRoute has an app for Android as well. That should about cover it for most drivers, then. I'll remember to tell my Android user friends about that as well.

[Travler]

The Rand McNally has a feature that lets you look at things that are close to you or your route that may be of interest. You can add them to your route. I have used this many times to see what is interesting close to where are staying. Just found 3 different locations that were close by today. I like this feature very much. It has found many locations that made the trip interesting.

[jbrosecity]

The Rand McNally approach showing interesting sights along the route sounds excellent... but FWIW, Roadtrippers.com does the same thing. So I input my trip into RT first and then investigate suggested stops that might be interesting for us, grab their locations and then input them into my google maps itinerary before I take the final URL and convert it to a GPX file on GPS Visualizer... and THAT is what we put into inRoute to get the dynamic GPS route.

[jbrosecity]

Bama Rambler - did you find inRoute for Android? I don't see it listed on
inRoute

[jbrosecity]

this goes for anyone lese with an android... let us know if either of these apps work for android like inRoute does for iphone:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...efree&hl=en_US

https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...droid&hl=en_US