Streets & Trips Highway Construction update now available

Sorry for the delay on this one. The free update for highway construction is once again available!

Microsoft Streets & Trips seminar this weekend at the LA Fairplex

Are you going to be around LA county this weekend.  Come to the California RV Show (Oct 11-20).

I’ll be there on Saturday (12th) and Sunday (13th) doing seminars on Microsoft Streets & Trips.

If you are new to S&T and want see a demo and pick up some tips or just want to stop by to hello. I’d love to meet you and answer any questions that you might have.

Hope to see you
there!

–Larry

Update available – America’s Scenic Highways and Byways Map for S&T 2013

The Update is here – S&T 2013 Americas Byways map file updated to include the Avenue of the Giants (Calif) and The Beartooth Scenic Hwy (MT & WY). Download it free today from Laptop GPS World.

Special thanks to Richard in South Carolina, SteveJonesMO and BoyWonder who made this file possible.

Aug update of POI Megafile available for free download

What’s new in the August Update?
· America’s Scenic Highways and Byways collection (NEW)
· Coast to Coast Good Neighbor (updated)
· Cracker Barrel (updated)
· Escapees Days End (updated)
· Fairgrounds (updated)
· Harbor Freight Tools (updated)
· In-n-Out Burgers (updated)
· Ride to Eat (updated)
· Truck Stop Guide for S&T (updated)

More info and download link here: http://msstreets.com/poimegafile/

Solution: ‘mfc100.dll file is missing’ error

Happy Friday!

My friend Karen was seeing a ‘mfc100.dll file is missing’ error message after she installed Streets & Trips and tried to launch it. If you find yourself in that situation here is how Karen solved it:

1. Install the Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 Redistributable Package. You do not need to uninstall/reinstall S&T for this.
2. After it is installed – try launching S&T again.

This isn’t very common but I thought it might help someone else!

Free Map of America’s Scenic Highways/Byways

In case you missed it…There was an interesting discussion on the LaptopGPSWorld.com forum about a map of America’s Scenic Byways made for Streets & Trips.

Head over to the forum to download the file for S&T 2013 users:
http://www.laptopgpsworld.com/5107-americas-scenic-highways-byways-microsoft-streets-trips#post45621

Warning: These routes are not all RV-friendly. Please verify the route before taking a trip in your Class A.

No Bridge? No Problem! Use ‘Avoid Area’

The Friday heading into Memorial Day weekend is a typically heavy-traffic day, meaning congestion and slowdowns.  The big news around Western Washington this week is an I-5 bridge collapsed (video).

There is a nifty little feature in Streets & Trips called ‘avoid area’ that was designed for these types of blockages.  Here is how it works:

How to create an Avoid Area

1. Create a route as you normally would
2. Pan and zoom the map into the area you would like to avoid (bridge out, low overpass, busy downtown center etc).
3. Right-click and drag a rectangle over the desired area
4. Right-click in the rectangle and choose ‘avoid area’ from the menu which appears

Streets & Trips will not route you through the resulting pale yellow box.  (Note: the avoid area rectangle must encompass a Hwy exit or a cross-street intersection for this to work).

Safe travels and enjoy your long weekend!

If you don’t have Streets & Trips 2013 yet, now is the time to get it!  It looks like many retailers have it on sale just in time for planning summer travels!  Staples, Amazon, the Microsoft store, Office Depot, and Fry’s all have it listed for less than $20!

VW Beetle 5th Wheel – I want one!!

This 1970s video has been making the rounds this week.  I wish someone would drive one of these to the next Rally.

Tips for Traveling with Fido

I know there are plenty of you that take your pet with you on your roadtrips.  I saw this infographic  which has some great advice on how to travel safely with your pet.

http://thumbnails.visually.netdna-cdn.com/roadtripping-with-fido-how-to-safely-travel-with-your-pet_5029196631c6a.png

Look into the World of Recreational Vehicles (infographic)

Here are some fun RV info graphics from here.  Click on images below to enlarge.

Free Download – Long overdue Resorts of Distinction update

Dutchie from LaptopGPSWorld.com loves the POI Megafile but wondered if the POI collection for the Resorts of Distinction could be updated.  I’ve updated it and improved it by adding more information per location.

You can pick up the updated R.o.D. collection from here or download the current version of the POI Megafile.

Geeks on Tour use Streets & Trips on Windows 8 Surface Pro Tablet

Have you ever wished for some computer training geared towards travelers?Geeks on Tour can help you out.

Full-time RVers themselves, the Geeks offer loads tutorials, newsletters and training articles much of which are free!  Sign up for their free newsletter to get started.

In their latest newsletter they described how they used S&T on their new Windows 8 Surface Pro tablet.

Read more here: http://geeksontour.tv/2013/03/ms-streets-and-trips-to-plan-your-travels

81 Cool things you can do with Streets & Trips that you don’t know about

I love it when I have the opportunity to show someone something they can do with S&T that they never realized.  I’ve met folks that wish S&T could do this or that and sometimes I get to say “it can already do that!”.

Marvin who runs the LaptopGPSWorld.com forum has been assembling a list of Tips & Tricks for Microsoft Streets & Trips (and AutoRoute/MapPoint) on his blog.

With 81 tips so far surely there is something in the list that you don’t already know.

Check it out here: 81 Tips & Tricks

Should I Care about Ethanol Additives in Fuel?

I recently watched a podcast that featured a discussion with energy expert Daniel Simmons of the Institute for Energy Research. The discussion focuses on the use of ethanol in gasoline and how this might effect power tools and engines.

I found it so informative that I wanted to not only share the video link but point out that the POI Megafile has a collection of gas stations that sell ‘Ethanol-Free’ gas called “Pure-Gas“. There are 6480 stations in the collection throughout the US and Canada.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdWCErKR0jc

Learn more about the POI Megafile for Streets & Trips 2013 and how you can download it for free here.

Discover One-Tank Trips!

Need some trip planning inspiration?

Check out these road trips ideas (pdf format) on where you could go on 1-tank of fuel.

• California – the Far West
• Florida – the Southern States
• Missouri- the Frontier and Mountain States
• New York – New York and New England
• Texas – the Frontier and Mountain States
• More One-Tank Trips

For more mapping ideas for your next road adventure visit: http://www.microsoft.com/streets/streetsadventures/

New POI Megafile for Streets & Trips released today!

Are you running Streets & Trips 2013?  If so, now would be a good time to download the free POI Megafile.  The March 2013 version was published today and is available here: http://msstreets.com/poimegafile/

Spring is here – time to do some trip planning!

New tutorial on importing custom pushpins

Keith O’Brien from Mypointsales.com has created another helpful how-to video. This one is a tutorial on importing custom pushpins.

Cyber Monday deals on Streets & Trips 2013

Still using S&T 2011?  Now is a great time to upgrade those maps to the latest.

Steep discounts available at the MicrosoftStore.com. Act now since this is a limited time offer.

Canadians! S&T 2013 now available from the Canadian Microsoft Store

Streets & Trips 2013 is now available to be purchased as a download from the Canadian Microsoft Store.

If you enter promo code Streets2013CA in the shopping cart you will get the $10 discount. Thanks for your patience while we worked to get this posted.

Here is a link to Streets & Trips on the Canadian Store: http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msca/en_CA/pdp/productID.252751100