Travel Distances

Even if travel distances were the first concern of map makers the technologies we now have available allow us to calculate distances in miles, nautical and air miles or kilometers.

Travel distances are essential particularly for trip or vacation planning, thus one can 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 although the traditional map systems provided by AAA and Rand McNally continue to stay in business. Moreover, the competition is made tighter with the services offered by Google Maps and MapQuest.

Google calculators for travel distances dominate the web, particularly since together with this free service you are offered a whole range of options. A Google account is all you need to get access to Google Maps; after the entrance of the points of origin and destination, the distance measurement tools show all the distance specifics with utmost accuracy. Moreover, other than the travel distances you can also access other links in the menu that include gas prices, great sights to visit and weather forecast.

Program analysts point out that so far Google has come up with the most user-friendly type of program for the calculation of travel distances. The positive reviews come from to the fast way of accessing the information: you just write the place of origin, arrival point and press enter. You will be provided not only with a map and the travel distances, but indications for how to move around are available too. For the moment, MapQuest is preparing the launch of a more comprehensive program that would bring equal chances of popularity with the Google giant; 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 mobile element in the equation is not distance as such, but our perception of it in terms of time. We now tend to say: how long does it take to get to location X instead of how far is location X? For car travelers, distances are then appreciated in terms of costs too: gas, food, lodging, they all have to be covered out of the personal pocket. Hence, good trip planning means calculating travel distances too.