Route Planning Software

Technically, I guess this is not a software program, instead it's the website that many of us here use and is based on Michelin's European car/road trip route planning software.
http://www.viamichelin.com/

Doesn't cover train travel.

ViaMichelin used to be good, but they have been suffering from understaffing and the fact its company is in crisis. Its online maps haven't been updated in a while.

TomTom has a route planning website as well.

Google Maps isn't quite there yet but has improved a lot.

dougy,

Take a look see at Tripit. There are other trip making programs too. but you can join for free and try and see how well you like it. I only did some faux trips to Paris. I didnt use it as a route planner as in from city to city but just to see how the interface and planning part works. To me for what it does, its okay, but in my opinion and how I'm wired, its short and i have let them know full well whats i find is lacking and what can be improved. Im not sure how long they will take to do any changes, if any, since they may have a different idea/vision on where to take the software.

So far I've been using googlemaps (googlemaps engine-GME) to make my maps and for use as planning within the city or maybe day trips outside of the city. Mostly what i use it for is to plot out attractions (museums/food/shops/to do) and then use that info to find a "central" place to plant roots to minimize my bouncing around the city to do all the things i have made a list.

what i like about GME is that i can print "PDFs" of them and use them offline. As of now, googlemaps will allow you to "save" several maps for "offline" use but like any other app, they have a tendency to change horses in mid stream without any notice. So you may find yourself up a creek on the next update. That is one reason i learned the hard way and is why i will always have PDFs on my desktop. Offline or online, i can access them 24/7/365 when "I" need it, not what some app developer feels like it. if i remember correctly and the last time i used Tripit, you can create "offline" files for use too. But its been about 6 months now and i havent used it since then.

good luck and happy trails.

I figure out what cities we want to visit, and kick those cities into Mapquest and/or Googlemaps.com.

They're a wealth of knowledge on easiest routes to get from point A to point B, distances and driving times.

I also will magnify Googlemaps two or three "+", and the many hotels and B&B's will pop up. It's easy from their little icons to click onto their direct hotel websites and shop for accommodations.

Rome2Rio Rocks!

The last one got bundled with a malware - http://soft2secure.com/knowledgebase/anyprotect
Be carefull when you install anything