Are you planning a hiking trip in the Lake District, but don't feel
like lugging an ancient atlas around to map out the easiest way to get
there? Or are you plotting a Sunday afternoon jaunt and just want to be
sure that there's a good pub near Duxford? Or do you need to brush up
your French skills before a romantic weekend in Paris? Or do you just
need to find the mileage between Liverpool and Cardiff before a business
trip?
If any or all of the above scenarios sound familiar, you should
explore travel-mapping software. It can help turn trip planning into a
pleasurable experience as your travel tactics unfold with a simple mouse
click--quite a distance from the days when wrinkled maps took over the
kitchen table.
Finding Your Way from A to B
The many varieties of mapping software offer a wide range of choices and
extras that will allow you to immerse yourself in your trip before you
even leave the house. But it's best to know the basics before you begin
to delve into different products. Here's a quick primer to help.
Trip-planning Software: Trip-planning software covers
city-to-city roadway directions. These solutions tailor a cross-country
or cross-continent journey to the quickest or preferred route.
Trip-planning packages don't pinpoint a particular street address, but
can pack in a lot of different information that makes travelling both
fun and efficient, including listings of hotels, campgrounds and other
attractions, as well as standard route directions and overview maps.
Some programs provide multiple-day trip planning, which allows you to
enter in the amount of miles you wish to travel per day between two
distant points. Microsoft's
Autoroute 2002 combines route planning with street-level
detail for many cities across Europe.
Street-level Software: More detailed than trip-planning
software, street-level programs function as a routing tool so the user
can easily locate the best course to a specific address. For example, if
you are going to Manchester for the first time, street-level software is
the perfect travelling companion, as most packages offer seamless street
maps of an entire city in finely rendered detail, inserting everything
from landmarks to fast-food restaurants. With different zoom levels
(usually up to 14) and multiple route options, these software packages
can navigate even the trickiest urban jungle.
AA MileMaster Plus 2002 provides amazing detail on mainland
Britain and includes a postcode finder, distance and cost calculators
and the ability to customise maps. More basic interactive map options
include the Ordnance Survey
Interactive Atlas of Great Britain and the
AA StreetMaster London.
Enjoying your
Holiday: Guides and Languages
Travel & Leisure Guides: Traditional guide book publishers have
realised that a good travel guide can, on occasion, be as useful, or
even more useful, on CD-ROM. From the AA comes
Where to Stay in Britain & Ireland and
Where to Eat in Britain & Ireland--invaluable when planning a
weekend away or family holiday. Virtual tours such as
Paris: Promenades & History can also be useful for
trip-planning.
Language Skills: Whether you're looking to brush up your
conversational
French, learn
Japanese from the ground up, or swot up for your GCSE in
Spanish, there's software that can help you learn the lingo. Browse
language software or read Halfvalue.co.uk's
language learning software buying guide.
Driving Skills
Route planning software won't get you very far if you haven't passed
your driving test--and the theory exam that goes with it. One of the
best ways to prepare for the test is using a driving test software
package, which usually includes multiple tests, hints and explainations,
and up-to-date coverage of driving law. Read Halfvalue.co.uk's list of
driving test software and be ready to put yourself in the driving
seat. Read Halfvalue.co.uk's list Browse driving test software. Try
AA Pass First Time 2002 or
Driving Test Success 2001/2002.
How to Choose
What Type of Trip? Are you a serious hiker? You should consider
software that contains topographical maps as well as street maps. Are
you looking for the biggest ball of twine between your origin and
destination? Be sure and check that the solution software you purchase
contains roadside attractions to go along with basic directions.
What Kind of Hardware? Before making your travel software
decision, check for hardware compatibility. Who needs useless software
cluttering the shelf? A GPS (Global Positioning System), for example,
isn't going to be helpful unless you have a laptop (or handheld or
palm-sized device) to connect with while actually on the road.
Cost? Because of the abundance of travel software programs,
you'll have plenty of leeway as far as cost goes and you can match your
budget against the functionality you require. A program that compares
competing curry restaurants in Bradford, for example, will be pricier
than one that gives basic grey maps and directions. Generally,
trip-planning programs will cost less than street-level software.
Going places? Take a look at
Travel & Leisure guides software.
Got the travel bug? There's more to explore in
Travel & Holiday books.
Time for a holiday? Visit Halfvalue.co.uk's
Travel Shop.
lowest
price in
Textbooks,
Electronics, Books, Music, DVDs & more
Find
travel guides at great prices in our
Time
for a holiday? Visit Halfvalue.co.uk's