Road side guides

adept99 · May 1, 2016

Has anyone used "The Next Exit" or similar guides. Recommendations please.

Garmin's "Points of Interest" is not exactly what I'm looking for. We have a truckers atlas on board, but that has proved either lacking or difficult to use.

Looking for something to find fuel, food, etc on the road in front of us, not 20 miles off to the side or 200 yards behind the last exit..

Thanks

Dennis M · May 1, 2016

We've used "The Next Exit" for years. Only real negative is it gets out of date quickly. It does give you a general idea of what is there though. If you see a half dozen fast food spots you can figure there is pretty much anything there.

Pat & Pete · May 1, 2016

We use http://www.gasbuddy.com/ for fuel . Generally , you'll see places to eat close to the stations . As for other points of interest , Google is your friend .

I'll add that all the above info is free , but for the cost of your internet connection and a couple minutes time .

Nuke-E · May 1, 2016

The newer versions of Google Maps have a button to "search along route" as well. If you're navigating and need frozen custard, it'll give you options along with the time/distance added to the route. It's about the most up-to-date resource you'll find, though when I'm looking for hole-in-the-wall or truly local food joints, I end up over at roadfood.com. I still use GasBuddy, but Google Maps will also show gas prices.

For trip planning, I like http://roadtrippers.com/ -- it's a much better tool for looking for things worth seeing or doing, including events like festivals or concerts. When you plan a trip, you can include dates at certain waypoints so it can show you what's going on as you pass through.

trailertraveler · May 1, 2016

The "Next Exit" is a very useful resource. However, it only covers the interstate highways and can be out of date the day after it is printed. If you use a computer map program like Delorm or others, you can add numerous POI data sets from the Discovery Owners Forum and the POI Factory which are updated fairly frequently. If you add a GPS puck to your computer, you can use it real time for in route navigation. However, many computer's displays are not that good in the bright light of a vehicle cab. Many of the POI data sets from the Discovery Owners Forum and the POI Factory are available in formats compatible with the popular GPS brands/models and will add many POIs to what will be displayed along your route.