Trip Planning and GPS

[thiel]

Originally Posted by FL Crackers

I'm quite surprised with the several mentions of the Garmin RV760, but no mention of the BaseCamp mapping software that accompanies it. I've used BaseCamp (and MapSource before that) for years. You not only plan your route (in RV mode if you wish) but you can build an actual itinerary complete with travel times and distance. I've found no limit to the number of waypoints you can include in a route and I like that you can paste web addresses into the file that include points of interest along your route. I just have to remember to switch out of RV mode sometimes. BaceCamp and Garmin are rather conservative in RV mode. They won't take you up the Blueridge Parkway unless you plan your route in auto "Driving" mode.

Does basecamp work on a mac?

[Mollysdad]

Originally Posted by thiel

Does basecamp work on a mac?

Yes. There's a Mac version. The early versions got one star due to crashes. The latest version requires IOS 10.10 (I don't have, I have Mavericks, 10.9.5)

http://www8.garmin.com/support/downl...ls.jsp?id=4449
You decide.
I love my Garmin GPS, but it does have some quirks, like it doesn't route you into a left turn into your destination, or why it tells you exit, then enter the same road??? Or why the voice puts the emphasis on the wrong syllable all the time.

[Adventure.AS]

Originally Posted by thiel

Does basecamp work on a mac?

I use and recommend Road Trip Planner. The software will export a GPX file that can be imported into your Garmin GPS using their Mac app Garmin POI Loader. As well I use POI-Factory to create other POIs (e.g. truck stops, campsites, rest areas etc.) for uploading the GPS.

[A W Warn]

I use the Garman 760 RV also, really like it. I've also downloaded Base Camp software, but I do not find it very helpful (though I admit I have not looked at in almost a year). We use it in combination with Google maps on our smartphones.

I have problems remembering the correct voice commands for the variety of voice functions on the Garmin RV760. And, the computer has problems understanding me. It does not adapt well when I say the command slightly incorrect. I speak southern English. The voice recognition does not understand my drawl very well. We have a failure to communicate, sometimes. An example: I told it to find a campground near Cherokee, NC and the resulting routes tried to take me to Jeep Cherokee dealers.

We usually use it for point to point travel during a single day. We hardly ever make a reservations while traveling, so we can change our destination or stay longer if we want too. When we were on a 6 week trip last summer we used it almost daily to find nearby campgrounds at the end of each day.

Seeing a few trailers loose their air conditioners to low bridges and tunnels is the main reason I decided to get the Garmin RV. If I deviate from the selected route I get an audible warning when I approach a low structure.

Prior to using the Garmin RV I got on a dead end road by mistake, where there was no good place to turn around at the end. Now that both vehicles' specs are entered into the Garmin RV I get an audible warning if I turn onto a road that has any obstacle. It also warns me if there is difficulty getting into a campground approach from one direction or another, directing me to the better.

[rmkrum]

Plan route in general using the Navigon (Garmin) app on the cell phone and the KOA website planner, if we are staying at KOAs.

Head out on route, stop at the first Cracker Barrel Old Country Store sign we see. Get their store map. Eat a nice meal, walk doggies, use bathroom, browse store, etc.

Continue the rest of the trip going from one Cracker Barrel to the next until we hit destination. Find the KOA for the night if needed via Navigon on the cell phone.

Works for us...

And yes, AllStays and the other mentioned apps are on the phone as well, just in case.

I typically put together a three-ring binder with trip plan printouts with contact numbers, reservations, and blank paper for log sheets as well.

N.B. "Good grief, how did I find time for 2,372 posts (so far)"

[FL Crackers]

Originally Posted by rmkrum

Plan route in general using the Navigon (Garmin) app on the cell phone and the KOA website planner, if we are staying at KOAs.

Head out on route, stop at the first Cracker Barrel Old Country Store sign we see. Get their store map. Eat a nice meal, walk doggies, use bathroom, browse store, etc.

Continue the rest of the trip going from one Cracker Barrel to the next until we hit destination. Find the KOA for the night if needed via Navigon on the cell phone.

Works for us...

And yes, AllStays and the other mentioned apps are on the phone as well, just in case.

I typically put together a three-ring binder with trip plan printouts with contact numbers, reservations, and blank paper for log sheets as well.

N.B. "Good grief, how did I find time for 2,372 posts (so far)"

I resemble MOST of this post except for the fact that I'm paranoid about just hitting the road without reserations. (Maybe next year) I use AllStays a lot (to identify spots on a route) and I Google every state's state parks for camping suggestions along our intended route. Once I identify a park or a campground that is an appropriate distance or drive time from my previous stop, I plug it into Basecamp and update the itinerary. I also use POI Factory along my intended route to spot sites I might want to visit.

It really is a FUN process (IMO) to plan a trip, start to finish. I know my miles, travel times and overnight stays, so I can estimate my budget and get the most out of my travels. I also end up "pre-paying" much of my trip expenses through the reseration process and estimate my gas expense based on my dismal mpg averages. And yes, I assemble a three-ring binder with all our stops and include some anticipate high/low temperatures, POIs to visit at each stop and ideas for day-trips at each stop.

[Mollysdad]

My best vacations were those with NO planning.
"Where do you want to go today?"
Planning leads to feeling obligated to drive when I don't feel like it.
Seeing as I drove alone, I often didn't get reservations because I didn't want to pull over and call. Sometimes this led to me driving through campgrounds at 10pm, but I was never stranded.

I do like GPS, but only to keep me on track.

[FL Crackers]

I'm hoping that we can become brave and do what you do. Being from Florida, our trips are very long getting anywhere. We'll come around, I hope.

[hapsam]

You can download "Offline maps" to Google Maps so you can still navigate where you have no cell phone service. You can also download map Apps that pre-store the map and can work without cell service such as MapsMe and HereWeGo.

[gypsydad]

Well, a lot has changed since this post was started...we now have a new F250 with our new 28'FC. So, we are inclined to use our Ford navigation system and not use the Garmin anymore. It works pretty well, even though getting use to the voice commands to program is not straight forward to us, but overall we are pleased with but one navigation screen now. Any suggestions on trip planning for RV travels on this system?

[Woosch]

First of all, congrats on you're upcoming retirement!
I am at the point where I don't trust the GPS once I leave the highway. Just some old fashioned "follow the signs" seems to serve us better. I will say that I used Garmin products when I was a SAR volunteer but the program in our tow vehicle isn't something I have come to rely on.
We made a 7000+ mile last summer/fall. I started using the Goodsam site for trip planning. I would figure how far we would travel per day and find places to stay that night. We really liked the option where they have unusual things to see along your route and would try and coincide a lunch stop with these places. As an example we saw the "Jolly Green Giant" statue in Minnesota. Kind of a silly thing but we got some great reactions from people when we shared pictures. Another example is the RV Museum which we would have completely passed if not for the app. I did use RV Park reviews to use for reviews when Goodsam didn't provide enough information.
Enjoy retirement. No regrets here.

[TexAirS]

We have just finished 6 months on the East Coast from AR to SC to ME to KY and back to TX. 24 states. We used both our Android (Auto) and Garmin systems and found both to be accurate most of the times. But when they were not right, well, we ended on dead ends, 3 ton bridges and having locals stop us and helping to back up. Nice guys.

The Garmin would tell us to turn on Middle Ave which was also Hwy 4 which was more visible on the sign. No way to change the default. Sometimes we thought the Garmin was sponsored by BIG OIL by trying to take the long route.

What helped the most was writing down the route, turns and related towns for the next day and having the copilot keep track. And eventually, texting the route to the copilot's phone from Google Maps. And when we had differences between the phone and GPS, we would follow the phone's route.

We have a then new Drivesmart 60 with voice commands and a dash sand bag. And will put it into overdrive when we hit the other 24 states out west. Less cell towers.

We tried some of the mapping software. We finally mapped the East Coast with Excel and Google maps. Put where you want to go and stay in Excel and use Maps to figure out how to get there. We currently have over 100 things to see next summer.

Put the hard work in now to figure where you want to relax next summer. I probably have 20 hours into next year's basic route. And that's just routing. Almost time to start trimming down and the reservation phase.

John