Trip Planning, not routing
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Hi folks:
I've been an enthusiastic user of MRA for several years. I think that as a routing tool it does everything that I need extremely well. The interface is simple, powerful and intuitive, at least for me. I saw that additional talent is being added to help develop the next version of the Routing App / website, so I thought I would comment now. To clarify, I export my MRA routes to a Garmin Zumo XT, so I have not used the navigation app.
I generally spend a lot more time researching and planning a trip than I do actual routing. I'm trying to avoid a specific discussion of POI's or Favorites, as I'm not focusing on implementation. Also, my case may not be typical, as my wife and I are retired, and most of our motorcycle trips are 1 to 5 weeks duration.
At this time I'm planning two trips, one in the UK and one here in the US. My planning process generally has the same work flow, and requires at least one external application, in my case I use Trello. It's a project planning and collaboration tool, based on a task board with lists.
I first look for several alternative destinations in each area, identifying lodging, food and attractions in that area. For each potential stop, I make note of location, hours of operation, cost, and other factors that would influence my decision. On a two week trip last year through Canada and the eastern US, I probably had 50 potential stops in my Trello board that turned into 10 routing points. It's always the same criteria, reasonable lodging with a friendly pub within walking distance.
I do think this kind of info could be incorporated into a MRA feature, such as POI. It would require a big change to the function, as a lot text and hyperlinks would need to be stored. I find that I seldom use the included POI feature, as a map becomes quickly cluttered with POI icons. I generally use Google Maps instead to identify businesses in the area. A dynamic link in the Google Map overlay would also be useful, but that's a different discussion.
If I find a wonderful location, I'd always like to go back that place, making it a 'Favorite'. But I would still like to keep the info that I collected in the planning process, such as hours of operation, etc.
Thanks for building such a great application, and I truly admire the close communication you maintain with your customers. It's not easy, I know!
