Im currently trying to plan a trip on google maps and im going to throw this laptop out the window,i dont know if its because im dunce but ive tried in vain to plan a route and the system is just shit,can alter the route,it wont except the route,it will/wont allow me to edit and much more .What are seasoned guys doing to broadly plan a route online?a system that can then transfer onto a gps/phone. Ive also tried AA and some other Trip-planner,Thank you for you much appreciated help.

Ok, gasket blown Brian. So what is the specific problem/question?

I use Google to plan, alongside base camp and maps.me. Google has it’s challenges but I find it pretty good overall if you know the limitations and work round them.

Are you using layers to break down the route into smaller chunks (max 10 layers)?
Are you asking it to use roads which are currently closed (eg in the alps)?



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Cheers for the reply man,appreciate it,i have to admit im not great with Tech so that is part of the problem,ive always used old school maps and never used or even owned a Sat Nav,long story short im leaving Ireland next April for Vladivostok via Stans etc so i need to get to grips with Sat Nav.At the minute all im trying to do is get the whole route up on Google maps,just to plan etc,i only figured out this morning it can only do so many "layers" i had a box of cigarettes to cope with that defeat,then i done a first leg to allow for layers,Ireland-Romania.Then i tried pulling the route in directions to suit my interests,Rhine valley etc,that was fine until the route went bananas and wouldn't conform to any alterations (reverting back to original route) then i sent an abusive review to Google and had another Box of Cigarettes and sulked for a while since then i went on a bender and blew a fortune on various medicinal remedies to help me cope with my failure as a human being Could i ask one question,if i went off and bought a Garmin Montana or the likes would i be better of just planning the whole route on the GPS instead?Cheers again.Ive also just considered driving off into the sunset with Maps.Me on my smart phone and wing it

One of the wrinkles with Google maps is that if you amend a layer, say by adding a new waypoint, it tends to revert to its preferred route, rather than where you have dragged it to. There does not seem to be a way round that.

I’d therefore recommend creating your maps a week at a time. One layer for all your waypoints (start and end points, points of interest etc) and then 7 more, one for each day’s riding. That way you keep things short and don’t get the frustration of google ‘correcting’ your choice (or if it does it is easy to fix).

Easiest thing is to then export the saved routes to maps.me by exporting the route as a .kml file and loading it into maps.me. You can follow this as a trail, but not a route (with active directions).

You could get a Garmin (i have a montana 610). This is great once you get your head round it and allows you to get full route guidance. However it takes a lot of time to get your head round (if you think the Brexit border issue is a challenge wait ‘til you look at Base Camp). So if you are already blowing a gasket i suspect not the option for you!


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That makes sense man cheers,il re start the whole set up and try and be as patient as i can be,give it a few trail runs,im going to have to buy this Montana device any way so i might as well get hands on.....cant live in the stone age forever,youve been very helpful,thanks for taking the time out to help me out,happy Brexiting neighbor

This might be worth a watch Brian.

https://youtu.be/VMv0yK7XCrY


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I always use OpenRouteService https://maps.openrouteservice.org/ with Google Maps. You can then download these routes to any device that uses OSM (BaseCamp, Garmin, Android etc.).

Planning the route is part of the trip - make it a positive experience...

Forget the detailed route planning, its just mental mastubation in my experience or for guys that never actually travel. Sure you can use Google to get an estimation on times and distance, but don't go nuts trying to plan to a finite level. Things happen, stuff changes, new friends, you route will change, guaranteed.

Highlight the major points of interest or locations you want to hit on Google Maps or MapsMe etc and deal with the details of hitting those points on a daily basis when you are traveling.

Brian, For years and years I did route planning for bicycle rides using ridewithgps. It has a free account available. Really good route planning and you can export to GPX and KML. It's really a simple interface and doesn't do crazy things like recalculate on you and mess things up.

http://ridewithgps.com/

No IT expert at all, in fact quite the opposite but I have always found Motogoloco simple and easy to use, can make and alter routes export to both Garmin and Tom tom, it might be a bit simplistic for your needs but it will calm you down, failing that have

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but it's looking like you're putting far too much trust and reliance in tech and auto-navigation.

I gave up on route planning programs and apps years ago. It's too much work and too much bloody faffing around. And a lot of the time it lets you down just when you need it the most. It leaves you following a screen like a Zombie. Disconnected !!

Where's the adventure in that ??

It's too rigid and removes you from what you're actually doing. And what if your Sat Nav is lost or broken ? You'll be properly lost then.

I use a Sat Nav (Montana) and I love it. But as part of system. I wont leave the house without a paper map to go with it. And often I turn it off because it takes me on stupid routes and has no common sense. It can't think !! YOU CAN !!

I use the paper map to jot all the places and routes I want to see. I get people I meet on the road to draw and squiggle their recommendations on it too.

Then I lay my map out and update my Sat Nav every day or two to go to the places I want to see. It's something to do of an evening and you can set your routes and destinations based on how you feel or the weather etc.

Stay connected to your trip and stay flexible. Following a Sat Nav like a delivery driver will diminish your trip, not add to it.

And if it's making you tear your hair out now, then imagine how you will feel when your Sat Nav has a meltdown on the road. (which it will)

I remember riding around Rio looking for hotels. Pissing around looking at the mini computer on my dash to find me one or to route to places in guidebooks.

It took my 'Nav'less' companion to point out that I'd ridden past five nice hostels because I was too busy with the Sat Nav than actually just using my eyes and common sense.

__________________
Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

If you like paper, use it.

Binned my last Satnag in 2012 and reverted to an OS file on my tablet that I can use like a map and the navigation function in my phone. My idiot cards and where the sun is get me within thirty miles of the hotel and the phone finishes the day with an address (and I still ignore it when it picks roads I don't fancy).

If you can't work it now, think how much fun it'll be when the Internet connection involves string and baked bean tins.

The only thing satnag has done that you should be aware of is reduce the amount and quality of signposts. You need the road number, next town and a big town in the right direction to be sure.

Google maps is OK for getting rough distances so you aren't planning 25 hour days, but it's designed for people who need to find a dry cleaners not travel across a continent. Use for one day at a time and it's fine.

Andy

Hey, suddenly people are speaking my language!

Whatever you end up with for software, hardware, or advance planning (and plotting and routing and scheming), don't forget time-honored techniques like hiring a taxi driver to find lodging at any given price point, or asking the pizza delivery guys on the 125s with the giant insulated boxes for directions to absolutely anything, anywhere. That'll be more fun--and often more reliable--than anything you can find on a screen.

We now return you to your regularly-scheduled programming.

Slave to the sat nav is not the way to go. Ok, no-one likes the 'I haven't the faintest idea where I am' feeling you get when riding through a complicated or featureless new area and sat navs can be a way of stopping that but as others have said it's very easy then to follow it like an electronic tour leader.

When they first came out there was a kind of techno geek rush to dump all the previous methods. Why would you need anything more than a small machine that can tell you exactly where you are to within a few feet and guide you faultlessly to your destination? And a bit of camp fire route programming with an early model Garmin got me across some trackless parts of the Sahara. Except half way across when it couldn't find the next waypoint for a minute or two I started getting very worried.

That taught me that like the old advice to never ask a question you don't already know the answer to, to never use a sat nav to navigate a route I can't do by another method. Even the most basic back-up plan (ask the locals, memorise the waypoints, draw the day map on your mudguard with felt tip) is better than having the screen go blank when the charging lead breaks.

Teenagers on motorcycles are the best for this. They will take you anywhere for a few bucks and a laugh.

Pay only on arrival though obviously. Or maybe a dollar up front for fuel.

__________________
Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.