How to get from here to there...to there...to there...and back here?
January 24, 2016 6:14 PM   Subscribe

I need to drive to to several different cities across California over the course of a week. What is a good app or website that will help me plan the most efficient route?

I imagine typing in all the addresses and getting a map that provides a suggested overall route, as well as driving directions and times between each stop. I could just use Google Maps and try to figure out the best route myself, but I will have at least 5 destinations and thought that there might be an easier way.
posted by The Architect to Travel & Transportation (6 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
Best answer: Googling "traveling salesman problem google maps" gave me this site, which I think may come in handy for you.
posted by un petit cadeau at 6:17 PM on January 24, 2016 [2 favorites]


You can add several destinations to Google Maps directions/navigation function. Put in your starting point and your first destination, then click the plus sign (+) in the circle that appears in the darker blue bar underneath. You can do that as many times as you need to, and GMaps/nav is relatively reliable in terms of efficient routing.
posted by carsonb at 6:47 PM on January 24, 2016


Best answer: If you put a bunch of stops into Mapquest, it'll ask "Should we re-order your stops to get the most optimized route?"
posted by wintersweet at 6:59 PM on January 24, 2016 [4 favorites]


Response by poster: Thanks guys. The OptiMap site seemed to do exactly what I want, but the Mapquest interface is easier other than having to put the starting address in twice for the round trip. I did not see anywhere on Google Maps that would determine the most efficient route; it just showed the destinations in the order I entered them.
posted by The Architect at 8:25 PM on January 24, 2016


Best answer: I use www.findthebestroute.com a lot for work, and it does the job pretty well. Routes can be exported to Google Maps.
posted by Solomon at 11:52 PM on January 24, 2016


Best answer: There are a number of apps that will do this. Here's one: Route4Me Route Planner by Route4Me Inc
https://appsto.re/us/NHL2u.i
posted by reddot at 5:52 AM on January 25, 2016


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