Roadtripper and other apps
Discussion
I mentioned in a previous thread I’m looking at doing route 66 in 2027 with a friend.
I’m looking for an app that not only allows a point by point bespoke road navigation but ultimately also allows points of interest( and notes, we both like photography)but hotels, restaurants and general to dos.
It’s something I also need the friend to add details to ( would be great if you can see last 20 added items so we can see what we both have added) and a clear over site of the whole trip turning different icons on and off accordingly.
Before jump to the road trippers yearly fee, any alternatives that give this kind of thing that I can consider?
I’m looking for an app that not only allows a point by point bespoke road navigation but ultimately also allows points of interest( and notes, we both like photography)but hotels, restaurants and general to dos.
It’s something I also need the friend to add details to ( would be great if you can see last 20 added items so we can see what we both have added) and a clear over site of the whole trip turning different icons on and off accordingly.
Before jump to the road trippers yearly fee, any alternatives that give this kind of thing that I can consider?
Route 66 Navigation.
https://www.route66navigation.com/
Was perfect for us. All downloadable and the support email response was incredibly quick. Combine this with Apple Maps for when you go off on detours and you are golden.
I also created a written booklet so the wife could follow should it all go wrong. Happy to send you a copy if needed… has all the turns from Chicago to Albuquerque and a bit more further down. Feel free to drop me a message.
Don’t forget EZ 66 https://www.routetripusa.co.uk/route-66-guides-ez6...
https://www.route66navigation.com/
Was perfect for us. All downloadable and the support email response was incredibly quick. Combine this with Apple Maps for when you go off on detours and you are golden.
I also created a written booklet so the wife could follow should it all go wrong. Happy to send you a copy if needed… has all the turns from Chicago to Albuquerque and a bit more further down. Feel free to drop me a message.
Don’t forget EZ 66 https://www.routetripusa.co.uk/route-66-guides-ez6...
I really miss Microsoft's Autoroute. It was offline but allowed really granular control over the route, multiple days, stop-overs etc. There really is nothing like it now, even with the plethora of online tools we have. Google, Apple & Bing maps all very limited, Waze is terrible for planning but ok live. There are plenty of hiking/biking planners, but sadly for cars little of any use that I've found.
We've done Route 66 twice over the last 2 years and used the EZ guide and the step by step guide was brilliant apart from the inconsistent language. I looked at all the Apps that were available at the time and none of them seemed to go to the level of detail we wanted but I know that the App Mattyn1 used was probably better than most based on his assessment so can't recommend anything beyond that.
The one thing I would recommend to anyone planning on doing it is to really understand the time and distance involved in actually doing Route 66 as opposed to jumping on I55/I44/I40/I15 and stopping off at a few places along the way. On top of that there is more that one Route 66 as the roads changed as towns and cities expanded over the years and that in itself can get very confusing since some states (Illinois) very kindly provide multiple historical signposts for for each one and that sometimes contradicts the guide you are following.
Another example is the route splits after Santa Rosa NM again due to historical differences, to either Santa Fe or straight on to Albuquerque and that can mean the difference of 2 days if you choose the former and stay overnight (which you will because it's worth it and I highly recommend eating at The Shed, good food and not expensive).
We set out to follow the actual route wherever we could avoiding the freeways as much as possible even if that meant driving on the old road that ran parallel to the freeway for 20 or more miles. The first time we did it in 2024 we made the mistake of underestimating the time it would take to do some sections especially in between St Louis and Oklahoma and ended up in the car for 12 hours on one day because of the number of stops we made along the way the way. It got to the point where we were rushing it and that clearly wasn't the point of the trip which is why we went back and did it again last year over a longer period of time and saw so much more at a much better pace.
If you're starting in Chicago from E Adams St, plan to leave as early as possible once the sun's up as it can get very busy downtown. We started off at 6:00 am on a Sunday so we could get loads of pictures and not too many people about but it still took us an hour to get out of the city limits with a few stops along the way for pictures.
The only other thing I'd add here is that if you're going all the way to LA and intending finishing at Santa Monica Pier do that early in the morning as well. Trying to get through LA during the day can take hours especially if there are roadworks. We gave up after a couple of hours trying to get past the 101 and went to our hotel to crash for the rest of the day, got up early the next morning and finished it off at 7:00am with not many people about and took loads of pictures. We then went and had breakfast at Mel's Drive in on the corner of Olympic and Lincoln which incidentally is where Route 66 officially ends. If you ask nicely they will give you a nice signed certificate to commemorate your completion of the route which we thought was a really nice touch.
Let me know if you have any questions.
The one thing I would recommend to anyone planning on doing it is to really understand the time and distance involved in actually doing Route 66 as opposed to jumping on I55/I44/I40/I15 and stopping off at a few places along the way. On top of that there is more that one Route 66 as the roads changed as towns and cities expanded over the years and that in itself can get very confusing since some states (Illinois) very kindly provide multiple historical signposts for for each one and that sometimes contradicts the guide you are following.
Another example is the route splits after Santa Rosa NM again due to historical differences, to either Santa Fe or straight on to Albuquerque and that can mean the difference of 2 days if you choose the former and stay overnight (which you will because it's worth it and I highly recommend eating at The Shed, good food and not expensive).
We set out to follow the actual route wherever we could avoiding the freeways as much as possible even if that meant driving on the old road that ran parallel to the freeway for 20 or more miles. The first time we did it in 2024 we made the mistake of underestimating the time it would take to do some sections especially in between St Louis and Oklahoma and ended up in the car for 12 hours on one day because of the number of stops we made along the way the way. It got to the point where we were rushing it and that clearly wasn't the point of the trip which is why we went back and did it again last year over a longer period of time and saw so much more at a much better pace.
If you're starting in Chicago from E Adams St, plan to leave as early as possible once the sun's up as it can get very busy downtown. We started off at 6:00 am on a Sunday so we could get loads of pictures and not too many people about but it still took us an hour to get out of the city limits with a few stops along the way for pictures.
The only other thing I'd add here is that if you're going all the way to LA and intending finishing at Santa Monica Pier do that early in the morning as well. Trying to get through LA during the day can take hours especially if there are roadworks. We gave up after a couple of hours trying to get past the 101 and went to our hotel to crash for the rest of the day, got up early the next morning and finished it off at 7:00am with not many people about and took loads of pictures. We then went and had breakfast at Mel's Drive in on the corner of Olympic and Lincoln which incidentally is where Route 66 officially ends. If you ask nicely they will give you a nice signed certificate to commemorate your completion of the route which we thought was a really nice touch.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Edited by Voodoo Blue on Wednesday 14th January 11:46
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