LEISURE - TRAVEL - 15.06.2010

Have a nice trip!

Plan your route

For a car trip, it’s best to have an online route planner such as Mappy (http://en.mappy.com) or Google Maps (http://maps.google.co.uk) to chart your route. Also check out ViaMichelin (http://www.viamichelin.co.uk) and TomTom (http://routes.tomtom.com) - every route planner has their strengths and weaknesses.

• Short or fast. Only Mappy and ViaMichelin allow you to choose between the shortest and the fastest route.

• Route options. Mappy offers an option for avoiding tolls, whilst Google Maps lets you avoid toll roads and motorways. ViaMichelin has various options such as Avoid tolls, Favour motorways, Avoid congestion charge zones or Car/Caravan. The latter does not adapt the route (e.g. by avoiding mountain passes), but the estimated time. You can also select a sightseeing route (via the Michelin Selection). TomTom doesn’t have any such options.

• Stops. Suppose you wish to make a stopover in a particular town during your trip. TomTom is the only service which doesn’t enable you to set stops. At ViaMichelin it’s child’s play, you can add stops by right-clicking on the map and the route is adapted. Mappy offers the same option - just “drag” the route using the mouse - but it’s slower. Google Maps is the fastest and most flexible service when it comes to adding stops.

• Hotels. Mappy can show hotels along the route, but this quickly becomes too much of a good thing. ViaMichelin’s Michelin Selection is more limited. Google Maps and TomTom don’t have a hotels option.

• Directions. They are clearest and most detailed at Mappy and ViaMichelin.

• Traffic information. ViaMichelin (on the large map), Google Maps (click on the Traffic button) and TomTom provide real-time traffic information. In this respect, TomTom scores best. Still, when planning your trip in advance this is little use.

Conclusion. ViaMichelin obtains the best score overall.

Toll rates

Many countries have toll motorways. For a good overview, check out About Driving Abroad (http://www.aboutdrivingabroad.co.uk/driving-using-toll-booths.html), a site where you can also find lots of other useful information and tips for driving abroad. Mappy and ViaMichelin calculate the motorway toll charges automatically, as well as the fuel costs. Tip. Up-to-date fuel prices (in euros) for all European countries can be found on the EU’s Energy Portal (http://www.energy.eu/#prices) or (in pounds) at AA Ireland (http://www.aaireland.ie/petrolprices/).

Problems?

Embassies. If you run into problems underway or at your destination, it’s best to contact the local embassy. So before leaving, write down the contact details. You can find it via EmbassyWorld.com (http://www.embassyworld.com), even though this is a very badly organised site. Embassy Consulates (http://www.embassyconsulates.com) is better, but it’s best to check out the Foreign Office website (http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/find-an-embassy/).

Hospitals. Finally, it’s also a good idea to draw up a list of local hospitals along your route. Good addresses are Hospitals Worldwide (http://www.hospitalsworldwide.com) and World Hospital Directory (http://www.hospital-directory.info).