Writing for the Los Angeles Times , Jim Heid warns Mac users not to rely too heavily on their computers for travel and mapping help. His comments come in a recent column entitled Fewer Travel CD-ROMs for Apple Users.
Heid said that Web sites like MapQuest and Expedia work well enough, as well as online reservation and airline sites. But where the Mac comes up short is in the selection of travel-planning CD-ROM packages, which are predominantly Windows only. Those few that are available, said Heid, “take a back seat” to Windows competitors.
That shouldn’t totally dissuade Mac fans from using their computers for travel planning, however. Heid points to “DeLorme’s Street Atlas USA 6.0” as one example. It’s a two-CD package that costs $49, and it contains “astonishingly detailed” maps of streets across the US, including Alaska and Hawaii. The program’s actual directions aren’t as explicit as MapQuest, however, but DeLorme does offer a USB-based Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite receiver as an option.
Heid also had success running Virtual PC with National Geographic’s “TripPlanner 2002”. The package features street maps, driving directions, and more. National Geographic also has topographical maps available for hikers and campers, and plans to enhance Mac compatibility in the future.