Manali just called me from the Airport to come pick her up, after dropping her off about two and a half hours ago. Apparently they overbooked her flight. Although disappointed by her delayed departure, she is as merry as can be expected with a $7 meal voucher in hand, and a $400 airline credit. Heck, Manali and I turn happy as clams if we get a free Cinnabon sample at the mall…so this is like winning the lottery in freebie world.
During all of our planning for this Round The World (or for the cool people RTW) trip, we might actually learn a thing or two we would be not blessed with otherwise. Apart from all of the perfectly indescribable and surreal leanings we will soak up, and have cast into our collective data banks of experiences and emotions, there are some very tangible and practical things as well. One of the best parts of our research and planning is coming across such practical tips and advice, nuggets of truth laid out along the golden path to ultimate enlightenment. With that in mind I will do my part, to try and convey some of our leanings a long the way in hopes that others may benefit in the future. I’m sure in the beginning, imperfect they will be, but fret not as I vow any writings will improve over time. Hell, I think it was my freshman year in college, save our annual Christmas letters, since I have done any creative writing. We may be a little rusty in the beginning, but once we start trucking down the pathway that will be our adventure, the rust will begin to fall off…and hopefully reveal something worth looking at…like a 68′ Mustang.
I’m a very visual person, and I have really been heavily reliant on Google Maps as we plan our trip. I learned a couple of neat things that may not be so obvious at first look that I wanted to share. If you weren’t aware of the following, it most certainly will benefit you. If you did know, then please add us to the memo list next time.
Whenever you perform a search for a specific locale, Bali for example, you are typically presented with an “Explore this area” link in the left hand navigation column. Click “Explore this area”, as shown above.
You are then presented with an array of options that relate to this specific locale. This includes location specific pictures, video and user-created google map content (one of the neatest possibilities). Only a few are shown by default, so you will have to click on “More Photos” link, as shown above.
Now we are presented with a litany of photos, specific to an even more localized geography. At this point, try moving the map around, or zooming in and out. You will notice the presented media (pictures) will change based on what you are viewing in the map window, relative to zoom and latitude/longitude. One could use this just for daydreaming, but it can also be very useful. For example, you are trying to identify the best areas to see beautiful rice farms, you could browse the pictures at your leisure until you find a “proven” area. Click on the picture thumbnails, as shown above, to get a fuller viewing size.
They have video too! Works the same way as the pictures.
One of the coolest things is the “User-Created” content within Google Maps. Often people make their maps public, as we did ours under our Destination Map page. I think this is very dependent on the location in which you are searching, but you can find some very useful information. This is especially helpful if you have not been to these places. They could cover everything from logistics (as in the above screenshot) or highlight the best spots for backpackers within the city (e.g. where can you get something to eat after 1am).
I hope this was insightful to those who were not aware, and the possibilities I see are as apparent. I’m sure there is more beyond this, so please leave comments to the benefit of Manali and I, as well as others. Thanks!
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