AAA TripTik-- What do you think?

I know that this subject sounds like an advertisement and in deference to the RTA Forum Moderators --- this really is not SPAM.

My day started early in the wee hours with a reporter calling to ask for a comment about the new trip planning program being offered by AAA. Since I was a) not yet awake and b) unaware of what she was asking about I am sure I sounded something less than saavy.

Now, I have had some time to run our trip routing trials and have found the new free version of the well-known AAA program to be very interesting. It has some very cool features and I would love to know what you think.

There are some access problems -- AAA is a membership club that is organized into a series of local clubs and each have their own entry page. Using the club that services Nevada we were able to access the free version of TripTik relatively easy -- but we noticed that AAA southern California and other clubs around the USA are not providing those links. If you want to test it, I have pre-loaded the required zip code info and the application should open if you use this link.

I would like some feedback here about what you think of this new tool!

Thanks,

Mark

Not bad -- nice to have the multiple way points.. but I'm not so sure about the mapping engine

Laid in roughly a trip I'm planning for this summer perhaps. One of the legs is from Sacramento, CA to Vya, NV and on to Seattle area. It routed me to Reno NV and then up 147 and some other routes which I think are at least 100 miles of dirt/ gravel roads as the "fastest" route. Not sure that's true compared to 395... So.. a bug in the mapping engine or data base?

Also, this also estimated the "trip tick" would print out as 93 pages (!!). It would be nice to be able to reduce this page print out a bit.... (And I haven't played with the options to see if I can reduce this... but then, most folks going to an internet mapping site won't do more than hit the "PRINT" button, either...)

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Originally Posted by Larrison

Also, this also estimated the "trip tick" would print out as 93 pages (!!). It would be nice to be able to reduce this page print out a bit.... (And I haven't played with the options to see if I can reduce this... but then, most folks going to an internet mapping site won't do more than hit the "PRINT" button, either...)

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Yeah, that would be quite surprising -- try the overview map version -- it is much more reasonable and still useful. I like that the e-mail version is a .pdf file.

Weird about that routing on dirt roads -- I am still testing it too.

Thanks for the results thus far.

Mark

If this is the case, this was introduced when I was working at AAA Arizona back over a year ago. It has some merits, the travel info tab allowing you to locate gas stations, average prices for gas, lodging, etc on the trip-tik is very helpful. I've used it a few times, but also always opted for the trip-tik ordered and mailed from the office for the printed version. I think it would be a great tool for research on a route. All-in-all, as a geo-nut, I say that this program is one of the better I've seen out there. I'm still partial to MS Streets & Trips, Google Earth, maps.live.com, and maps.google.com (in that order), but the Internet Trip-Tik system is one of my favorites.

-Brad

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Originally Posted by Arizona Brad

If this is the case, this was introduced when I was working at AAA Arizona back over a year ago.

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Actually the original Internet version was made available to AAA members online in late 2004. What is different about this version is that anyone (member or not) can now use the service. This new version was released this morning about 8:00 am EST.

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All-in-all, as a geo-nut, I say that this program is one of the better I've seen out there. I'm still partial to MS Streets & Trips, Google Earth, maps.live.com, and maps.google.com (in that order), but the Internet Trip-Tik system is one of my favorites.

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Good to know. Have you tested the other programs that RTA has rated here? I would love to know what you think of them as well.

Mark

When my wife and I married in 1993, she had been a member of AAA for many years, and had the basic service which included trip routing. We used the service a couple of times, after I upgraded to the Gold Plus or whatever the top service is. After checking I discovered AAA would not tow her vehicle to a garage or location of her choice, should she break down.

The Trip Routing service was the old fashioned, go into the office or call them and they sent out the maps. Our first trip was from Springfield, MO to L.A., CA and their service left quite a bit to be desired. Since I had travelled extensively for many years working for the Government I had made this trip many times, but it made her feel better to get the trip routing done by AAA. The problems we encountered with that and one subsequent trip routing service from AAA was they only showed businesses, motels, etc. that were AAA members. The unfortunate part was that most businesses marked their services up enough so as to give the AAA discount and still had us paying the same or more than we could find elsewhere. Another problem was that some of the motels they recommended we would not stay in under any circumstances, our pickup was cleaner.

Since I have tried MapQuest, Yahoo Trip Planner, and several other online services since the computer generation rocketed into place. I prefer Google, and Rand McNally in the event that I do need one of the services. I did try the AAA Trip Tik about six months ago for a short excursion we were planning away from the area we were in. As usual AAA Trip Tik performed as the old AAA Trip routing had so many years ago, so there is no link in my favorites to any AAA site.

I cancelled the AAA service in 2002 when we bought our Fiver and a 3/4 Ton Diesel pickup and discovered they would not even tow our pickup in should we break down, because it was over the maximum GVW rating for them to provide service. I think at the time, even with the Gold Plus service (or whatever it was called, cost us 140 bucks a year), any vehicle with a GVWR over 8000 lbs was not covered. I went to GoodSam Road Service and for about 40 to 50 bucks a year less they will not only tow in our now, new one ton truck, they will also tow both trailers we pull in and if the garage or dealer cannot get us back on the road that day, will tow our trailers to an RV park for us to get set up to wait for the truck. More service, and so far better service for less money. I like that kind of deal.

Personally I prefer the WalMart version of the atlas which I believe is made by Rand McNally. I usually look up our route, write down the major highways we will be using, and put it away until we move to another location in our now full time RV'ing life.

Sorry AAA lost my vote some time ago, and my experience with AAA Trip Tik on line did nothing to reinstate it.

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Originally Posted by BlazingSaddles0745

I went to GoodSam Road Service and for about 40 to 50 bucks a year less they will not only tow in our now, new one ton truck, they will also tow both trailers we pull in and if the garage or dealer cannot get us back on the road that day, will tow our trailers to an RV park for us to get set up to wait for the truck.

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When we hit the road in 1994, we opted for the company that Good Sam eventually purchased for towing and they are truly awesome. I have a "habit" of going places in a RV that no RV should ever find itself and, as a result, have required emergency intervention services (and a talented tow truck operator) a number of times. I have nothing but praise for that service.

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Personally I prefer the WalMart version of the atlas which I believe is made by Rand McNally.

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The atlas I prefer is the Motor Carrier Atlas produced by Rand McNally because of its heft and the listing of most of the low overpasses -- pretty important for you too I would bet.

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Sorry AAA lost my vote some time ago, and my experience with AAA Trip Tik on line did nothing to reinstate it.

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I have been an AAA member since the late 1960's and never really liked the TripTik product for all of the reasons you mentioned. However, you might want to check out the newest web-based version that we are addressing here -- it really does have some interesting data -- and it has shifted away from some of the commercialization of the old format -- (not completely, of course, ) but it is my business to check these programs every 3-4 months and this version is quite different than the Internet version of 2005-2006.

Thanks for your ideas and input.

Mark

I just tried Yahoo! Trip Planner for the first time, and in my opinion, not very good at all. The program is difficult to use and get a route for, however, it is good (from what I can see) in building an itinerary for visiting places and getting information on attractions, etc. If I was just planning a trip somewhere and was flying there, I might use Yahoo! Trip Planner to plan everything about the trip from the moment I got there. A road trip, eh, not so much. Then again, it could also just be my style for conducting road trips calls for an open itinerary.

With Rand McNally, again this is the first time I've used their service... and I must say I am impressed. I did my usual route (a trip that I would actually take), Tempe, AZ to Wenatchee, WA. I like how it offered two different variations on the same route - One going via Flagstaff/Kingman/Las Vegas to I-15 for the Tempe-Wenatchee leg, and the other via Flagstaff/Page/So. Utah to I-15 for a return trip. I'm not sure why it would route me through Vegas when heading north, and through Page when heading south... but anyway. The maps that are presented are clear and easy to read.

I've used Mapquest before, and will never use Mapquest again. My IT side has so much discontent with AOL that knowing AOL owns Mapquest brings a bad taste to my mouth in the first place, but in the past I have had too many problems with address location. I did try it out just to see, and it would appear they have made a lot of improvements. The map quality is clearer and better. And, I used the same start/end points as I did with RM, and I received directions via Page. With my bias against AOL aside, I would still say there are better services than mapquest, but it is good for most users.

TravMatrix is a new one for me. I again used my home address in Tempe routing to Wenatchee, WA, and waited for the route to appear. I nearly gaged when I saw the map: a basic outline map matrix. Not only that, but for some strange reason, their system routed me via the longest route possible: I-10 to I-5 north then back over the Cascades. I've done this route, and like it, but the fact that the other mapping systems chose the shortest route by miles and time, and this one has me going through LA has me concerned about the routing criteria. The only thing I liked here is the services list available for certain exits. I might return to here just for some of that information alone, but other services offer similar information.

Plan-Your-Trip to me was sad- their database not having more information makes it fairly useless unless you're traveling just within the confines of, say, the Pacific Northwest. Although I visit this area as frequently as possible, I would still opt for another service.

If I were to rank the services, my criteria would be primarily is how well they function as a navigational aid, and then on how well they help plan a trip.

My advice to anyone creating a tool like the ones above is first, make it function like a good digital map. Having information on services available at exit points is for me a very good feature to include. Attraction information is also important to have available.

I'll try these services out a bit more over time and see how they compare to each other when actually preparing a trip.

-Brad

Sorry to hear your AAA Experience was less than favorable, but to be honest, the question was less about how you feel about AAA the organization, and more how you liked the Internet Trip-Tik. As far as your experience, I formerly worked with AAA Arizona as part of the mid-management team for Automotive Services, and found a few things where, for other RTA visitors information, the record needs to be set straight.

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Originally Posted by BlazingSaddles0745

After checking I discovered AAA would not tow her vehicle to a garage or location of her choice, should she break down.

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This would actually be incorrect. National policy is based on mileage. Should you break down, you have the authority to choose where your vehicle goes as long as it does not violate AAA policy (so places like Auto-Sales yards, side of the road, etc. is not an acceptable destination, but Joe,s Garage is). The only time where this is changed is if you have only the basic coverage but are in the middle of nowhere. You can opt to go wherever you go, if you pay the club's over mileage rate, but if you want it kept free, you would have to go back to the contractors station or their shop-of-choice.

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I cancelled the AAA service in 2002 when we bought our Fiver and a 3/4 Ton Diesel pickup and discovered they would not even tow our pickup in should we break down, because it was over the maximum GVW rating for them to provide service. I think at the time, even with the Gold Plus service (or whatever it was called, cost us 140 bucks a year), any vehicle with a GVWR over 8000 lbs was not covered.

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This would be correct, due to the size of the equipment needed to tow such a behemoth. Good call on switching to Good Sam, as they have the contracts in place to cover such large vehicles. Size and weight limitations do vary between AAA clubs, and some of them I personally don't agree with, but having worked in the field, I understand the costs involved in sending the larger wreckers out for a $140/yr membership. The cost of the membership gets eaten up within the first 5 minutes of the call.

Not trying to be an advocate for AAA here, because they do have their problems, but just making sure that correct information is relayed. Thanks for sharing your experience though.

-Brad

Brad,,

Thanks for your comments and analysis. It helps to remember that creating a useful planning tool is very much like defining and transforming a three-dimensional reality into a 2D or 1D version. All of the planning tools you looked at (and RTA has rated) have taken their best read on what makes a planning tool useful and tried to recreate that vision. Very similar approach to the seven blind men trying to describe an elephant....

The Yahoo Planner started out as a way of sharing the experience of a roadtrip (as told by non-professional writers and travelers) and taking that data and making a trip planner -- logistically that is probably the most difficult to achieve -- RTA's trip planning tool was in development for several years, based on upon a similar premise and we never did get it working to our satisfaction.

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Originally Posted by Arizona Brad

A road trip, eh, not so much. Then again, it could also just be my style for conducting road trips calls for an open itinerary.

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Rand McNally:

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and I must say I am impressed. I did my usual route (a trip that I would actually take), Tempe, AZ to Wenatchee, WA. I like how it offered two different variations on the same route - One going via Flagstaff/Kingman/Las Vegas to I-15 for the Tempe-Wenatchee leg, and the other via Flagstaff/Page/So. Utah to I-15 for a return trip.

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Your test returned a better result than the one we ran -- good to see the differences.

TravMatix: You may not have known, but this program was created to only address Interstate highways -- which is probably why it returned the results you saw. For interstate highways, it has the best database out there.

Plan-Your-Trip: This program was developed only for the Pacific Northwest and some of the southern provinces. Again, this program was never intended to be the answer to trip planning all over North America.

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Although I visit this area as frequently as possible, I would still opt for another service.

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Hmmm, so even in this narrow geographic area, you found the data to be inferior to another service?

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If I were to rank the services, my criteria would be primarily is how well they function as a navigational aid, and then on how well they help plan a trip.

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Well, here is the crux of the elephant paradigm -- none of these programs set out to be Google Maps -- they all include an element of online mapping -- but their real reason for existing is provide info for trips -- much like the mission of RTA --

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My advice to anyone creating a tool like the ones above is first, make it function like a good digital map. Having information on services available at exit points is for me a very good feature to include. Attraction information is also important to have available.

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I wish it were really that easy -- but good points.

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I'll try these services out a bit more over time and see how they compare to each other when actually preparing a trip.

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I look forward to your continuing analysis of these programs.

Mark

Well, I can't say that it opened effortlessly for me. I am a member of AAA, and have used their trip planning software in the past. Now it may be for this reason, and assuming that past sessions have left cookies behind, that the link takes me to an error page announcing that my session has expired. I can get from there to a new session easily enough, but it automatically takes me to the Arizona AAA home page (another indication that cookies are involved) from which I can link to the Internet TripTik page via the Maps and Directions menu. So I can launch the software easily enough, but it's a lot easier for me to do it from my preset (member's) bookmark. So I guess I'm not a lot of help on that score.

Now, they have, as Mark noted, added quite a few bells and whistles since the last time I used this program, and I have had a chance to test a few things. As a mapping routine, I have always thought - and still do - that this leaves a lot to be desired. I tested the 'Make a Map' function by giving it my home address, and it missed the location by a good block. I suppose you could find your way here from there, but you shouldn't have to. Similarly, I tested the 'Plan a Trip' function by setting out to reproduce a trip I took a couple of years ago to the Outer Banks, which included both Interstate and two lane travel. I gave it as many major cities as I could remember from the trip, and it did a good job of getting the basic route right, with a decided preference for Interstates, however. When I tried to get it to follow other highways, I would have to explicitly a number of towns along the way and re-map repeatedly. The 'rubber band' feature MS Streets and Trips is much easier and more intuitive to use.

This brings us to a couple of other annoying aspects to this tool. Every time I asked for a map, the initial result was an error message saying that they were experiencing some technical difficulties, and to please try again. When I clicked on "OK" the map appeared. but this should not be required. A second 'feature' that required more work than it should have was rearranging the list of cities to visit. If you add a city, it appears at the end of the list. If you are trying to add that city to the middle of your itinerary, say in order to force the program to route you down certain roads, you have to move it up the list by clicking on the up arrow to the right of the city. But doing this once moves the city (and its up arrow) up the list, so that you have to repeatedly move the cursor and click in order to 'walk' the city to its appropriate spot in the list.

So, my next test was to try out what I have found useful about AAA planing tools in the past, and that is the wealth of information available about attractions along the way. AAA is one of the few trip planning resources that points out the smaller, quieter venues available. These, for my purposes, include the smaller museums and historical societies, as well as quirky attractions like the little known Mississippi Petrified Forest. I must say that it is great to have such information, including hours of operation and admission fees, included with the map. But even this has its limitations. In large measure, I'm sure, due to the very quantity of data, the icons which indicate that information on possible attractions is available do not show up until the scale of the map is so small (zoomed in) that anything farther than two miles from the center of the map simply is not displayed. Thus you can't just have the software work out a route for you and then 'walk' down that route looking for off-the-wall sights. You either have to know about them beforehand or be searching a very small area, such as around an overnight stop,

To be honest, I still like being a member of AAA, and I usually get a paper TripTik for my major RoadTrips, but this software just isn't up to the same standards as others that I use.

AZBuck

Being the rookie that we are planning our first road trip across America, Triptik is actually the best Trip Planner Ive actually looked at, we've been using Mapquest and TripAdvisor together to get the info Triptik gave us in one with the location of the nearest hotels, gas stations, attractions and other AAA budget stores along the way, the only positive i found that Mapquest had was aerial shots of the areas we were going thru, which in a way took away the essense of surprise but i guess thats the reservist in me... still i loved Triptik nonetheless. I'll be talking to hubby about signing up with AAA before we leave. Thanks for the update..

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Originally Posted by airetos

We've been using Mapquest and TripAdvisor together to get the info Triptik gave us in one with the location of the nearest hotels, gas stations, attractions and other AAA budget stores along the way,

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Thanks for the feedback. AAA has had many years to develop that database and so they certainly have a leg up. You might find the database used by TravMatix to be useful for travel along the interstates (I would give TravMatix a slight edge over AAA for interstate highway exit information).

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the only positive i found that Mapquest had was aerial shots of the areas we were going thru,

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You might really enjoy Google Earth or even the Google Maps -- the hybrid option is quite good -- application helpful -- as a general rule we find the data more consistent and updated more often on the Google Maps database.

Thanks again,

Mark

I've also had good results with the new maps.live.com service from Microsoft. They also have some very neat features availble for many metro areas including Birds Eye View (a low altitude multi-directional arial photograph at an angle), street level view, 3D view and others. I typically switch back and forth between Google and Windows Live Maps, mainly using Windows Live for Birds Eye View and Google for Sat Images.

-Brad

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Originally Posted by Arizona Brad

I typically switch back and forth between Google and Windows Live Maps, mainly using Windows Live for Birds Eye View and Google for Sat Images.

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Brad, I wasn't aware of this service until your post -- so thanks -- what I like about this application is that one can move the direction of the map with the mouse (in addition to the manual zoom) so that it is easier to find the exact place one is looking for. It is also the easiest program I have found for adding pushpins and other user-generated tabs.

Mark

I appreciated Brad taking the time to review all the programs so I decided to do it, too.

AAA Triptik: Wow! I had last tried their program a couple years ago and it was horrid. I had no idea they had done such a nice upgrade. It is easy to use and understand, and gives you the opportunity to print out a nice triptik to take with you in booklet form. The route I tested, Hoquiam to Chicago, would have used 28 sheets of paper to create the triptik. However, if you don't want that much detail, you have the option of doing an overview map with basic directions that would only take 2 sheets of paper. Whichever print option you choose, both were nicely laid out, easy to understand, etc. I especially liked how you could zoom in a bit and get gas stations, hotels/motels, campgrounds, events, attractions, and more along your entire route. This part could take a bit of time to find out about because you can only see them if you zoom in. But it's still a wonderful feature for finding out what to do/see and where to stay/eat along the way. And I especially appreciate that you can turn off things that you don't care about. Example: I only cared about campgrounds and attractions so that's all that showed up on my map. I really love this program. And you can add these places to your route so you can get specific directions directly to them if you'd like. Very cool. It's the only online mapping program I've seen yet to rival what MS S&T can do. I'm sure I'll be using it a lot.

Yahoo! Trip Planner: I didn't like this at all. Clunky, hard to figure out, and really only gave limited information. I suppose the fact that you can share your trip with others, get feedback from others, etc. are nice features. I didn't take the time to work with all of that. But it really seemed limited in what it could do and I got frustrated with trying to figure it out. It wasn't very intuitive. Like AAA's program, it does allow you to zoom in and see what to see/do and where to stay/eat along the way. But it was more difficult to use this feature than AAA's program, imho. But it is a nice feature. And, like AAA, you can add those places to your route so you can get specific directions to them. It also has something called "bookmarklet" that allows you to bring in stuff from other URL's to add to your map. I didn't play with this too much but I can see how it would be a handy feature. To sum up, it has some nice features but it's just too clunky, imho. However, if you want to share trip information with others, it might be worth it to play around with it more to learn it's features.

Rand-McNally: Nice, basic routing software. I didn't see where you could find out things to see/do along the way. I believe this might be a feature that you get if you join their Explorer program for about $35/year. Since that's an important feature for me, I doubt that I would use this website much. And, since other programs offer that for free, I can't see paying for it. But if you just want basic directions, it's a good one. I did like how you could choose 2 options to route, either shortest route or shortest time to drive. Sometimes they're not the same so that's a nice feature.

Mapquest: Mapquest is also a nice, basic routing software. Not very exciting but it does the job. You can find out things to see/do/etc along the way but it's clunky. You have to add the destination to the map to find it and then choose what you want to find out more about from a drop-down menu. This would take a long time to do if you simply want to find out about any fun things along your route, especially if it's a long route. So I would continue to use this program when I just want a quick route but not for real intensive trip-planning.

TravMatrix: What a cool program! I tried this a few years ago and didn't like it but it's very improved. I really like how it shows you what is at exits along your route. I think it would be worth using just for that. I don't see where you can find fun stuff along the way (too bad!) but it would be handy to print out and take with you so that you know what is at all the exits on your route. I'm not the type of traveler that is normally concerned about when the next restaurant or gas station is. But I can see where it could be handy information to have. For my next long roadtrip, I will definitely print out the information and bring it along for those just-in-case situations where I might need to know just what's up ahead. Oh, and if you travel with pets, it has a V-symbol next to exits where there is a veterinarian. That could be extremely helpful information. I also like how it highlights rest areas along your route. That's handy to know ahead of time! Oh, and you can email the route to others so, if you're traveling with someone else, you can email them the information for their review. That's a nice feature.

Plan-Your-Trip: I agree with Brad. This site is somewhat helpful for travel in the Pacific NW only. But even for this area, the information is limited. And the maps are poor. I wouldn't bother with it.

I hope this information is helpful. I'm really impressed with the choices out there. I know I'll be using the AAA website a lot. I really had fun using that program. And I think I might poke around more at the Yahoo! website to see if I can figure it out better and if the "sharing with others" and "bookmarklet" features have enough merit to take the time to figure out how to use the website. If/when I do that, I'll write more about it.

Judy, Brad, Buck, BlazingSaddle, Larrison & airetos,

Thanks for these thoughtful analyses. I know that some of the program designers will be viewing these reports.

Mark

Hi Mark,
I believe the Thanks belongs to you in this case, had you not posted that helpful little tidbit I would most probably have gotten RSI flipping btw two website's... hehehe.


Ive since had a look at Google Maps and had quite a bit of fun, literally my husband cood not get me off it.. lol. We're in the process of looking at Apt's in SF and it was excellent to see the aerial shots of these area's - saved us some time of driving around and seeing which areas looked good or not. Much appreciated!!

God bless your journeys and Be safe out there.
Ria xoxo

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Originally Posted by airetos

I would most probably have gotten RSI flipping btw two website's... hehehe....

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Thanks for that -- I needed a little touch of humor this morning!

Mark

Aye. I really liked the ease to add pushpins, but there is also the option to share a map by creating a unique hyperlink. I'm not 100% sure if it will allow pushpins to go along, but I have confirmed that you can specify a view, create the URL, and it will open up the map to that view when clicked. Very useful when trying to show someone else something!

Brad

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Originally Posted by Arizona Brad

Very useful when trying to show someone else something!

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Brad, can you provide a link to one such map that you have created using this tool?

Thanks,

Mark

RTA test link

What you should see: Pushpin for I am Here, and one of the University of Phoenix Online buildings (the one I'm in), from a east-west birds-eye view.

Brad

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Originally Posted by Arizona Brad

What you should see: Pushpin for I am Here,

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OK, thanks for sharing that.

mark

In person, at AAA seems to be a better experience.

Hi

We are planning a 23 days road trip to and from Sam Fransisco, not sure where to start realy, but we came accross Trip Tik. We speant a day planning a route, but then realised to save, you have to become a member, which we cannot do, as we live in the UK.
On this webiste though, it says its a free service, so are we doing something wrong??

Janice