Farewell to Microsoft Autoroute - Discontinued in 2015

If you are familiar with our blog, you'll know Microsoft Autoroute features heavily in our route planning and navigation. For every mile of the 23,044 miles we drove during our 12 month tour we had a laptop mounted on our dashboard plotting our position and the location of nearby points of interest and overnight stopovers.

Last year I spent the best part of a day compiling and formatting a data set in Microsoft Excel for use with Autoroute. Over 130,000 lines of information were formatted as hyperlinks to take you direct to where the information was displayed online from several sources. It has been downloaded more than 10,000 times - so at least I know I'm not alone. If you were one of them - please complete the poll at the bottom of this blog post and let me know if you'd download a 2015 version.

However on the 31st December 2014 you will no longer be able to buy Microsoft Autoroute via the online Microsoft Store. It also seems that all of the CD copies have dried up too and so if you want it you need to act fast, buy online and once downloaded ensure you backup the installation files as I'm not sure you'll be able to access them again. The US equivalent, 'Streets and Trips' which has also been embraced by the American RV are also mourning their loss.

An extract from the official statement (which also covers Map Point / Streets and Trips - Autoroute by other names) reads:

"The success of these products would never had happened were it not for the loyal and supportive fans who purchased the product and its various iterations over the years,” shares Larry Petersen, test lead for Microsoft Streets & Trips. “Speaking at RV rallies over the years, I’ve loved hearing about our avid customers’ experiences using the software to plan and enjoy road trips across North America. The feedback and enthusiasm from our users have helped make Microsoft travel planning software a leading solution for nearly twenty years.”

We so appreciate the support of our dedicated users over the years. It was a tough decision to discontinue Microsoft’s favorite mapping software products. The retirement of these products will not affect software already installed. Current users may continue to use Microsoft AutoRoute, Microsoft Streets & Trips and Microsoft MapPoint to plan their travel adventures and will have online support until at least July 2015."

If you've never used Autoroute you'll be wondering what the fuss is about. It doesn't work on iPads/Tablets or phones or even Mac computers. If you want to use it for navigation you have to buy an external USB GPS dongle. If it was purely navigation you are after then I concede that there are better devices or software available to perform that task.

However if you want to handle a lot of POI (Point of Interest) data from several sources in a single screen and have full control over those data sets there isn't really a piece of software which can deliver this in the same way. I've always said that a 'Sat Nav' is great at telling you where you are going - but not so great at telling you where you are in relation to points of interest and I don't like the way in which high volume data is formatted and displayed on these devices. In addition, how many times has your TomTom or Garmin deviated you off a main road just to 'cut off a corner'? Having a secondary map view means we have been able to avoid this. It also means that the passenger doesn't have to mentally plot their position on a paper map - their exact position is displayed on screen.

 

Take the way we travel for example, last year we drove to Slovenia which means a circa 900 mile drive. We drive as far as we can in a day and the distance is governed by weather, traffic and so forth and so forward planning is a bit pointless. In addition there isn't a great deal for a passenger and so it's a better use of time to plan while on the move. I'll probably turn to Sophie and say "I'd like to stop in the next 30 minutes" and instantly we can see the list of stopovers pooled from Camping Car Infos, Camper Contact and Bordatlas - plus where we have stayed before. If we have an Internet connection (which we always do, of course!) we can then click through to the relative websites and view pictures and reviews and make an informed decision on where to stay.

The above would be fairly tricky (although not impossible) by any other means.

Spain - Lots of POI information here.

The sad truth is this software has been a part of my life for almost 15 years. My father had it on his work computer and I was fascinated by zooming into places and seeing such detail and points of interest. In my earlier career as a sales rep it was invaluable to help to plan my call file and when we started to explore Europe, it became an important part of our 'on the fly' navigation strategy.

The availability of mobile data is perhaps one of the reasons why Autoroute has met its demise. The need for a 2GB offline map is not as essential as it once was and hopefully from the end of 2015 when the EU brings an end to roaming charges you should be able to use Google Maps (or Bing as Microsoft would prefer) anywhere in Europe without worrying about the cost of the data it uses.

So until then, what are the alternatives?

Open Street Maps is a fantastic resource with detail and built in POI's which far exceed that of Microsoft Autoroute in its 2GB full Europe package. However in order to download the Map Tiles and route them offline you need a piece of software which is also discontinued - Garmin nRoute. We covered some information about this when we were in Morocco (which Microsoft Autoroute doesn't cover) and it worked really well. Where it falls down is the import of third party data sets.

I for one will be using Microsoft Autoroute for many years to come - we actually run Garmin nRoute with Open Maps alongside Microsoft Autoroute as nRoute is better as a 'navigation' but for POI data I'm not sure I'm comfortable with any other method. I will of course try and let you know the outcome.

I don't want to sit here and implore you to download a soon to be obsolete Microsoft product or that you join me in mourning its passing. But consider if upgrading is something you will consider or perhaps try the free trial below and see if you think it will help with your navigation.

To download a free 14 day trial you can still do so here until the end of the month:
http://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/autoroute/free-trial.aspx

To download our POI data set containing 130,000 locations you can do so here:
http://www.europebycamper.com/2013/12/2014-autoroute-motorhome-aire-campsite.html

If you think you want to buy the software while you still can, the price is £33:
http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msuk/en_GB/pdp/AutoRoute-2013/productID.278710300
(if you use Quidco, you can get 15% cashback: http://www.quidco.com/microsoft-store/)

Before I sign off, I have just one question for you.

Should we publish a 2015 data set for Microsoft Autoroute now the software is obsolete?

Yes, please publish it - I'll use it.

No thank you, I won't use it.

Poll Maker

Review: Bristops 2014 UK Motorhome Stopover Book

The Brit Stops book is available
from www.britstops.com 

In 2008 we headed off to France in our trusty Compass Suntor. Being our first foray into Europe there were many things we didn’t get right about that trip, but one of the things we did was purchasing a copy of France Passion. The scheme allows Motorhomes (or ‘Camping Cars’ en francais) to stay at vineyards and farms across France free of charge. The hope is, of course, that in exchange for a stop over guests will spend a little money with the owner and in our case we literally had to chase the owner down to sell us some wine!

A France Passion
(in France, surprisingly)

The scheme should be no surprise to anyone who has ever been to France as the humble Camping car is deeply ingrained in the French culture. When was the last time you saw a sign with a motorhome on in the UK? Anyone attempting to get such a scheme up and running back in blighty surely had their work cut out for them. You see, something about our culture seems to dictate that motorhomes belong on campsites along with caravans and tents and forget that the majority are totally independent in terms of water, waste and electricity. Buying and running a motorhome is expensive enough already in our view, without having to shell out £25+ a night for a site likely miles away from anywhere.

The brute of a book, you'll hear that
drop through your letterbox!

Enter Steve and Mandy from Brit Stops. After embarking on a similar trip to France they set about getting a British motorhome stopover scheme off the ground. Unperturbed by the lack of understanding of the concept in the UK by potential hosts or motorhome owners alike, they began the arduous task of educating and compiling a list of willing hosts and formatting the information in an easy to navigate book for the benefit of their members. We've been using this book with great success, hindered only by our lack of free time due to work commitments.


Now entering its fourth year the book, still with a cover price of £25, now contains over 350 locations where you can stay for free with no obligation.

Farm Shop Stopover

While it was perhaps inevitable that many of the locations are pubs and restaurants, as many farm shops, British vineyards and quirky locations have been included along the way. In the spirit of France Passion the hosts agree not to make guests feel in any way obliged to spend with them, this is obviously the hope and many visitors do just that. We arrive at such a stop feeling ‘up’ on the day and so even if its a few beers in the bar of an evening, a hearty breakfast from a farm shop or some fresh local produce to stock up the vans pantry we may spend a little or a lot depending on how the mood takes us.

Services aren't always available, however some hosts are able to offer water or waste and some even electric (occasionally for a small charge) and so if that is a consideration there will likely be a host that can accommodate you. Each entry in the book clearly details what is available, their location, a description of the stopover, directions and any special information such as a tight entrance. Sometimes it is required that you call ahead and if you were travelling far perhaps that might be advisable anyway.




So, what’s stopping you from Googling for a pub yourself and phoning ahead asking if you can stay?
Nothing, of course, but if like us you've tried that approach in the past you’ll no doubt find yourself having to explain your intentions to a baffled shop assistant or drive 200 miles to find the owner failed to mention the carpark slopes 45 degrees and he’s already put you down for three courses in the restaurant- we've been there. However, should you find a hidden gem, Brit Stops actively encourages you to submit locations you have found for the benefit of other members and if they make it into the book you are rewarded with a free copy next year. Win-Win!

You could say that one nights free stopover pays for the book,

however I prefer to think of it as having the freedom to be able to spend some of the money we would have used on site fees (after all, if you close your blinds you could be anywhere!) to being able to enjoy a drink, meal or even just a loaf of fresh bread without starting the day out of pocket. For many it won’t replace sites, but its an excellent way to break up a journey or enjoy a couple of impromptu days away.

With the 2014 edition published in February, now is the perfect time to purchase a copy and put it to good use over the summer.

For more information and to buy online, visit www.britstops.com