Using RV Trip Wizard

[DAM fun times]

I am trying to learn how to use rv trip wizard. I have most things figured out, however how do I follow the route, fuel stops Camp spots without internet connection. Do I have to use my iphone, can I use an ipad.
Do you guys use trip wizard and how do you use it on the road.
Thanks for your reply.

[tortise]

I am trying to learn how to use rv trip wizard. I have most things figured out, however how do I follow the route, fuel stops Camp spots without internet connection. Do I have to use my iphone, can I use an ipad.
Do you guys use trip wizard and how do you use it on the road.
Thanks for your reply.

We mostly use it for Trip planning. It will run on an IPad and connect to the internet via our truck WiFi. I do print out turn by turn directions as well as a trip summary to use as backup. Normally will use a GPS either vehicle based or a stand alone to navigate between sites. Use the printout and a map as a guide when. I need or want to follow a specific route ie the Blue Ridge Parkway or. TheNatchez Trace. I find it awkward to force a gps to choose a specific desired route, they’re better a avoiding routes. Used good Sam in a similar way in the past, Trip Wizard seems better for planning, reviewing sites.
Hope that is helpful
Dave


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[sande005]

I use it primarily for trip planning. Without internet, it is not usable on the road, unless, of course, you can get it connected to the Internet somehow. It does not have the ability to show your current location. I have played with exporting the routes to Garmin's BaseCamp, and then exporting that to my GPS. Pretty convoluted series of steps, that requires several redos to get it figured out. And then you end up with essentially waypoints, and in between the Garmin routes however it wants to.
That was the beauty of the old Microsoft "Streets and Trips" - it did both, if you had a GPS module hooked to your laptop.

[ramcneal]

It's actually possible to have rvtripwizard export the route to a format that can be imported into Google maps. Then you can load the maps on your phone and get turn by turn routing.

[Jims94vmx]

It's actually possible to have rvtripwizard export the route to a format that can be imported into Google maps. Then you can load the maps on your phone and get turn by turn routing.

Just beware, Google Maps will possibly change route. Happened to me twice.

[Running on MT]

RV Trip Wizard is a great tool to have in your toolbox, but its routing engine is garbage and its inability to easily interface with GPS is rather annoying. Great for a VERY rough estimate of drive times, but you cannot rely on it solely for directions. I have had it try to take me LONG distances out of my way for no reason (try to drive straight through Roswell, NM on Rte 380 for instance).

You must use a combination of Google Maps (or Waze) AND an RV GPS for proper and safe routes.

Mike

Sent from my LG-H932 using Tapatalk

[ramcneal]

Just beware, Google Maps will possibly change route. Happened to me twice.

Thanks for the information. We're on our first long trip and so I'm learning the tools. I hadn't attempted to use the rvtripwizard to Google maps on an actual trip yet. I only verified that it could be done. I'm thinking about getting a Garmin RV unit. I know that it takes the size of the vehicle into account. I just hope it also takes into account things like California's speed limit for vehicles towing trailers or my preferred max speed of 64MPH instead of 75.

[sande005]

Thanks for the information. We're on our first long trip and so I'm learning the tools. I hadn't attempted to use the rvtripwizard to Google maps on an actual trip yet. I only verified that it could be done. I'm thinking about getting a Garmin RV unit. I know that it takes the size of the vehicle into account. I just hope it also takes into account things like California's speed limit for vehicles towing trailers or my preferred max speed of 64MPH instead of 75.

I've used RVTW for trips from Minn to Philadelphia, Minn. to Delaware, Minn. to the Black Hills, and a trip we had to cancel part way into it for Minn. to Prince Edward Island. I also used it to re-plan a trip we took to the Gulf Coast using the old Microsoft Streets and Trips - which it replicated almost exactly. It was pretty good in giving estimated driving times, after I fudged it a bit to account for breaks, etc. (I assume an average speed of 50 to do that). I do wish it had the option to build in breaks (15 min every 2 hrs, etc.)

I've got a slightly older (~4 yrs) Garmin, which is my primary tool while on the road. Before that, the old Garmin Dezl that was for RV's. On major roads it works well, and does show reduced speed limits. But, it does not magically adjust your destination arrival time based on actual limits or your preferred speed. Many a time has a 6 hr trip turned into a 7 or 8 hr trip, even after accounting for breaks from driving. RVTrip Wizard is better. So I use that to plan my stopping point, and then just figure I'll get there someday. The Garmin is pretty good at routing for RV's but not perfect. There can be a lot of warning messages when off the highway about suitability unknown, even on roads clearly used by the trucks. On non-major roads, it can take some strange paths to get you to "truck routes". It will route you around obstacles (low bridges, etc), but it is almost impossible to find out ahead of time why you need to go out of your hoped for way. Again, RVTW has an edge on that, although I don't fully trust it to know all the potential obstacles, yet.

Case in point about the Garmin: Took Hwy 101 up the CA coast. It tried to route me off, on a 150 mile detour. Warnings about a major obstacle started dozens of miles before, getting more and more insistent that I was going to crash and die (well, not in those words - but very, very naggy). Since there were tour buses coming the other way, I ignored it, but was pretty on edge that I might be getting into a situation where it would be impossible to turn around. Turned out to be a tunnel, where over on the shoulder the height was 11'6" (I'm 12'). But if I stayed in the lane, all was fine. On the plus side, it is great for early notification about what lane to get in long before I need to take an exit. I would never try to tow through Chicago without it.

So, I use all the tools (including paper maps!) - but each has its own strengths and weaknesses. Never count on just one tool to be the complete solution.

[JColeman]

If you run your phone as a mobile hotspot you can connect your tablet to it. We run RV Trip Wizard on the tablet and Waze on the phone, The d/l maps on trip wizard will cover areas that Waze will not work in and Waze gives info that RVTW does not.

RVTW is very good for planning when used with Google Earth for satellite views of gas stops and potential RV parks.

[D2Reid]

Lots of planning tools available. All of them have little issues that you have to be aware of. Two of the most common problems are closed roads, and not making a simple connection that reroutes you way out of the way. Sometimes the reroutes are fun, sometimes not.

MS Streets and Trips has been my base planner since 2010, to bad it was discontinued. But it was stand alone software that you bought one time and used forever, it didn't follow the MS long term strategy of making you pay monthly for it's use.

I use Garmins Base Camp software to set up my motorcycle rides. It's route finding algorithm will sometimes get hung up wanting to go one particular way (thats wrong) and it won't give it up until you start all over. I have learned to put in waypoints and then when I am closer hit go-to on the GPS, short routes it does pretty good with but will occasional try to take me down a closed road.

My Garmin Dezl got stolen so I replaced it with a cheaper Garmin Nuvi, routing functions are the same, it just doesn't have the fancy stuff that I wasn't using much anyway. My son gives me a hard time because he says it's so basic and outdated. It doesn't even have wifi connection to get traffic info and the maps have to updated manually. But it does work when there is no cell or internet connection.

Google maps is pretty good when you have cell/internet connection. Shows traffic and will reroute you through backstreets when traffic is at a stand still on the freeways, sometimes it's a good thing and sometimes it's not. I tend not to use this function when pulling the Momentum, some of those streets are very narrow will low trees. But it now connects to the screen in my truck and is pretty easy to use when in town.

I set the Garmin Nuvi GPS and Google Maps to the same place. As long as they agree things work pretty well, but when they start to argue like an old married couple I kind of tune them out and read the road signs.

Truck Master Fuel Stops, an internet based service, does a good job of listing truck stops on the interstates. They also have a routing function that you can use in non-interstate routes. Does a fair job.

Google Earth is a good tool, I use it to look at campgrounds and truck stops to see how accessible they are for the big Mo.

We always have a Rand McNally Atlas at hand, sometimes old school works best. Ditto with the free state maps at the rest stops/welcome centers.

But the best planning tool I have is a little bit of common sense. I use these tools help me decide the best routes, but I have learned that none of them are perfect. If you travel enough you will eventually be someplace you really don't want to be. Just slow down, take your time, and don't be afraid to call the police to help direct traffic.