Travel

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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 access 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. This online service is also widely used thanks to the fast way of accessing the information: you just write the place of origin, the destination point and press enter. You will be provided not only with a map and the travel distances, but directions are available too. For the moment, MapQuest is preparing the launch of a more comprehensive 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 distance between Los Angeles and New York would thus be long by car or train, but short by plane. In fact, the variable 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 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, make sure to calculate the travel distances well and include them in the overall planning for your trip.

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