Anyone uses TripTik by AAA?

[Butler_chic07]

I have a question for all of you drivers... I apologize I am taking over this board the past few days.

Does anyone use AAA TripTik to help plan your drive? When I use it the route is about 2 hours shorter than other maps. I am assuming it is the one to follow, but would like others opinion about it!

Thank you!!

 

[WDWisTheBest]

They work for many people. It is a good service of AAA.

 

[Jillpie]

I think most people rely on GPS's now. But there's nothing wrong with triptiks, however with current technology they are becoming a tool of the past.

 

[Butler_chic07]

Thanks for your inputs!

We do have a GPS, but I also want a back up, just in case... you never know what may happen.

Thanks again.

 

[maxiesmom]

I always get a TripTik when we travel long distances by car. I like to see exactly where I am on a map, it makes time go by faster for some reason. I also like seeing where the rest areas are, and what areas may have construction delays.

 

[Brer Chump]

TripTiks are fine if your shortest route consists of Interstate Highways. I stopped using them when they had me routed 100 miles out of the way to stay on the Interstate system. On my return home I cut off about an hour and a half by taking a more direct state route which turned out to be a divided highway.

Google maps seems to always route me the shortest and quickest route too, and usually agrees with my GPS routing.

 

[Butler_chic07]

That is why I am so confused! Google maps adds on 2+ hours to the trip. TripTik seems to make a lot of sense for us because we do live pretty close to the interstate... so I am confused. I tried to look at other driving threads, but most seem to talk about 95, which for me doesn't help since that isn't the route we would be taking... I am just confused. Then that makes me wonder about the GPS and how I should plan, and when to leave! If you can't tell I am actually a planner and since this trip just fell into place last week, I haven't been able to plan as much as possible. But hey we are going to Disney right??

Thank you all for your ideas and suggestions.

 

[maxiesmom]

Maybe I should add that we do adjust the route a bit. AAA will keep you on the highways. Sometimes that makes sense, sometimes not.

We have had a few issues with Google Maps not being clear enough. I would go with Mapquest before Google Maps.

 

[Procrastinate]

We still use Triptik's in addition to GPS, but don't use the online version. (I am not clear if that is what you are doing or doing a Mapquest on a paper Triptik you got at a AAA office.) I find that the experts in our AAA office are great at recommending the best route to avoid bottlenecks that online services ignore.

 

[Butler_chic07]

Thank you, all your information is wonderful!

I ordered a TripTik from AAA. But until I get it I have been using their online version. We used to have a AAA office here, but we don't anymore . I used to be able to pop in and see a travel agent, etc, and get amazing information, now it is harder since I have to do it all over the phone.

I think I will try to post my route to see if anyone has driven it before, so maybe they can give me more info.

I really appreciate it all! First time driving has made me nervous apparently.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

We used TripTiK on our recent trip to Yellowstone. We drove from Salt Lake City. We also used a GPS. We followed the AAA route and drove our GPS crazy as it wanted to take us in through main interstates which would have added more time to our trip. I loved the TripTiK.

 

[Dis_Dreamin]

... and what areas may have construction delays.

This is one of the reasons we got a TripTik for our last trip (our first drive). I used the online version for a shorter trip to see where construction was and so I could map out my own route to bypass areas I didn't want to drive through.

I'm a big proponent of having a backup to technology as well. You never know when it's gonna go crazy. I keep a road atlas in the car with me all the time, even when I'm staying in town. That way I always have a backup plan.

You'll do fine with the drive down. Most of the drive is interstate driving (okay, all of it is until you get to WDW), so it's hard to go wrong.

--edit--
Here are a couple of websites for you to check in on road conditions and construction zones in Georgia and Tennessee that I've found helpful also. From my experience, you can never have too much information. If you have a smart phone with internet, you could probably even pull these up and check on real-time traffic around the larger cities along the way.

http://www.tdot.state.tn.us/tdotsmartway/

http://www.georgia-navigator.com/maps/georgia

 

[Butler_chic07]

So I got the TripTik in the mail the other day! I am sooo glad I got one! We still will use our GPS, but now have a backup that also has any construction info and any other warnings we may need to know about.

Thank you all for your input!

 

[pepe of ohio]

Thank you, all your information is wonderful!

I ordered a TripTik from AAA. But until I get it I have been using their online version. We used to have a AAA office here, but we don't anymore . I used to be able to pop in and see a travel agent, etc, and get amazing information, now it is harder since I have to do it all over the phone.

I think I will try to post my route to see if anyone has driven it before, so maybe they can give me more info.

I really appreciate it all! First time driving has made me nervous apparently.

We have a GPS but also prefer to have a hard copy of the route in hand, detours, hotels, restaurants etc. We order the Triptik and tour books and blow ups of areas we want to visit.

Basically there are 3 main routes to WDW from the north..I-75, I-77 and I-95. It's your choice on if you like mountain travel, live on the east coast, west of Ohio or in the Ohio/Pa neck of the woods....most routes get you there 1-2 hours difference.

 

[nytimez]

The nice part about TripTik is if you get it in person from someone who knows what he's talking about -- and, when it comes to WDW routes, most of them are pretty good at it -- they can tell you about some of the things that aren't on the map. Speed traps. Traffic patterns. That kind of thing, they can guide you away from obvious routes that have problems and around construction areas better than GPS devices and Google maps.

Overall, however, I have little use for them...

 

[disneyholic family]

i hate GPS - it tends to want to take me ways i don't want to go....
and then when i don't go that way it starts whining all over the place, or constantly telling me that it's recalculating...

i much prefer to look at a map.....
for road trips, i always go to the AAA office for a triptik...

 

[keishashadow]

The nice part about TripTik is if you get it in person from someone who knows what he's talking about -- and, when it comes to WDW routes, most of them are pretty good at it -- they can tell you about some of the things that aren't on the map. Speed traps. Traffic patterns. That kind of thing, they can guide you away from obvious routes that have problems and around construction areas better than GPS devices and Google maps.

Overall, however, I have little use for them...

my local AAA office still marks the notorius speed trap in Beckley, WV on their triptix (believe they call them targeted enforecement areas or something of that ilk). Im all for obeying the stated speed limits, but that particular area has such a quick drop in posted speed it's good to know.

 

[nytimez]

my local AAA office still marks the notorius speed trap in Beckley, WV on their triptix (believe they call them targeted enforecement areas or something of that ilk). Im all for obeying the stated speed limits, but that particular area has such a quick drop in posted speed it's good to know.

AAA actually has billboards on Rt. 301 outside of Lawtey and Waldo (both in Florida, on the "short cut" between I-10 and I-75), warning motorists of speed traps.

I think they actually have a "SPEED TRAP" stamp for Trip Tiks at some AAA locations.

 

[luvdisney00]

I like to have the trip tix in my hand even though we have GPS in the car. Sometimes you just ant to see the whole thing on a map. The trip tix are also good for the kids to follow along (keeps them busy for a while) ticking off landmarks as we go.

DH hates to drive, so we are flying this year, but I will miss the drive a bit.

 

[Laz]

I have been a AAA member for 37 years. Even with my GPS, I still prefer to have a TripTik designed at my local office. I can ask the agents to use my favorite routes and they can check for any problems along that route. I know the route to Myrtle Beach by heart. My GPS takes a very out of the way route. I prefer the AAA route. I do love the "Target Enforcement" alerts and I can look ahead and plan my stops.