Route Planning Software

Hello ATS! Would anyone here happen to be aware of a good PC based Route Planning Software program that is updated? Microsoft has discontinued both Streets & Trips and MapPoint. Both of those are great and have everything I need, however new streets are popping up everyday. I have looked and although there are a few options the prices are ridiculous! I have used the app Road Warrior as well, but it does not have a PC version available. Neither does it show you a total price for the gas you would use during your route, and you cannot upload an Excel file, loaded with addresses, into the app. I would like to plan multiple routes in advance, with multiple destination along each route, and the ability to optimize the fastest/shortest route based on current location and time of departure.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance

Go old fashioned and buy some road maps or an atlas! In fact, many states will send you maps and tourist info for free if you contact their tourism departments.

Or, have you checked out AAA? They're pretty adept at planning stuff out.

originally posted by: cmdrkeenkid
Go old fashioned and buy some road maps or an atlas!

Totally concur. Paper maps help you appreciate and plan your journey. By all means use a GPS, but contextualise your journey with a road map.

I highly recommend Delorme Street Atlas USA. I have the 2009 version with a earthmate gps that plugs into the usb.

Once you get used to it, it is an awesome piece of software. It puts google maps to shame in my opinion.
You can calculate multiple thing in your trip, that you can't do on phones.

I particularly like the radar search function that searches within a path for things on your route. Calculates stops, gas costs and locations to fill up before empty.

It also doesn't do the stupid things goog maps does, like re-route you out of you way to hit toll roads and shopping malls. It has voice nav and all the bells and whistles too.

The fact that it's on a laptop makes calculations blazingly fast, and if you can get a wifi signal to it, it downloads in real time a ton of info, like hotel numbers etc.

It is available on the internet, if you know where to look, but you will need the gps rcvr for real time tracking and some other features, but they are pretty cheap. That software may actually come with the unit, I can't remember.

Highly recommended.