Maps were not made just to show the way, but also to appreciate distances and the technologies we have developed so far allow us to calculate distances in miles, air miles, nautical miles and kilometers. Travel distances are essential particularly for trip or vacation planning, thus you know how to appreciate the fuel costs as well as the the need for hotel reservations in case the journey extends on two or more days. The Internet is the richest resource for travel distances and calculators even if AAA and Rand McNally still remain the largest map companies in the United States with very good presences online too. Google and MapQuest are other major players in the online map competition.
Google applications are really great for calculating travel distances, and it seems like they’ve kept their promise to dominate the web with the free services they offer to all searchers. For access to the Google Maps page you need to have a regular free Google account; once you enter the points of origin and destination, the distance measurement tools will give you accurate and highly comprehensive data. Thus, besides the travel distances you can also click other links in the menu that include gas prices, great sights to visit and weather forecast.
For the calculation of travel distances, Google is so far the most user-friendly program, but MapQuest should not be ignored either. The positive reviews come from to the fast way of accessing the information: you just write the place of origin, the destination point and press enter. The screen will display not only a map and the travel distances, but indications for how to move around are available too. For the moment, MapQuest is preparing the release of yet another complex program that would compete with the giant Google on an equal foot; this will most certainly imply an adaptation of the tools to be more user friendly.
The meaning of short and long travel distances has been altered with the existence of alternative transportation means. The travel distances between LA and NY appear shorter by plane but longer by train or car. In fact, the relative part in the equation is not distance as such, but the way we feel it in relation with time. We now tend to say: how long does it take to get to location X and not how far is location X? For car travelers, distances are then appreciated in terms of costs too: gas, food, lodging, they all mean money. Hence, good trip planning means calculating travel distances too.
One place you might want to calculate the distance to is Jamaica if so then be sure to try visiting Jamaica Travel Help..
