Adding map/directions: how are you doing this?

Dostoevsky

We have the invitations ready but now we have to add a page with directions. People will be coming from five places in particular (including Dublin airport). What is the best program to use/ the best way to add this information? Are you using Google Maps? AA Route Planner? Is there a better program? Or do you just have a map of the destination and the roads/route numbers leading into it? With smart phones/GPS is a map even necessary? Should GPS coordinates be put on it? Will directions alone suffice?

Thanks.

clint_silver

Dostoevsky wrote: »

We have the invitations ready but now we have to add a page with directions. People will be coming from five places in particular (including Dublin airport). What is the best program to use/ the best way to add this information? Are you using Google Maps? AA Route Planner? Is there a better program? Or do you just have a map of the destination and the roads/route numbers leading into it? With smart phones/GPS is a map even necessary? Should GPS coordinates be put on it? Will directions alone suffice?

Thanks.

googlemaps and road planner are basically the same.

You could create a free website on google sites https://sites.google.com and put all info up there and then direct people to there for all info. save you printing off stuff. on that site you could embed the map with a bookmarked location and directions. people can look after themselves after that.

kandr10

Directions should be sufficient and easier to print up.
You could just put a heading for each of the five places people will be coming from. I think the more specific you can be about looking out for landmarks the better. Eg 'at the garda station turn left' etc. If you felt a map was necessary you could just give one of the venue and roads into it as you said.

Raphael

Where's the location? If all the routes pass through somewhere relatively easy to get to, it might be best to just provide directions from there, and then stick in a small map.

Zaph

We used this site. You can add markers for each location (church, hotel, etc.) and clicking on an icon will bring up a dialogue box with options for directions to and from that point. You simply add the starting point, click on "Get Directions" and it'll bring up Google Maps showing the route and detailed driving instructions.

paulbok

Use google route planner instead of the AA one. Especially if the locations are off the beaten track as AA can't find remote addresses, on google you can manually place a location even if it can't find the address.
The directions are earier to print/ copy & paste.

prettygurrly

err on side of caution with any online maps. currently the village next to a site I do work on is about 50 miles from where it should be so I got lost the first time that I went cos I took Google as gospel. Drogheda was missing an entire bridge from its google map up until recently.

hoodwinked

Do you have to use maps?

to be fair most people will know where a place is and if they dont will find out/use sat navs on or before the day, like they always have done.


if you were adding maps i would do them on the same type paper/card as the invitation itself, (we once got an ordinary printer paper google map with an invitation and it looked very tacky) if you have someone who is great at art get them to draw it and copy it, if not directions in a fancy (but readable) text should be fine, and put it in with the invite!

Gatica

We're adding a handful of directions brochures to invitations to elderly relatives - worded directions. All of our friends are well capable of using google maps, smart phones or satNavs.
We're also adding a google-maps insert into our wedding-website.

elhal

Im going using loc8 codes.... can be used on satnavs and looked up online. all hotels are listed on the companies site and most hotels have them somewhere on their web page. free to generate and use so dead handy. Im getting married in fota island resort next year and my invitaions will just say
W8Q-76-2QK easy peasy!!!

rainbowtrout

elhal wrote: »

Im going using loc8 codes.... can be used on satnavs and looked up online. all hotels are listed on the companies site and most hotels have them somewhere on their web page. free to generate and use so dead handy. Im getting married in fota island resort next year and my invitaions will just say
W8Q-76-2QK easy peasy!!!

Surely it would be easier to say 'Fota Island, Cork' on the invite so people actually know where they are going instead of making them look it up online?

elhal

rainbowtrout wrote: »

Surely it would be easier to say 'Fota Island, Cork' on the invite so people actually know where they are going instead of making them look it up online?

yes that is easy, very observant!! However, this thread is refering to maps and directions so writing "Fota Island Resort" doesnt give a map or directions im afraid! so ya, you give the name of the place obviously and then the loc8 code which they can then type into a satnav and arrive at location!

rainbowtrout

elhal wrote: »

yes that is easy, very observant!! However, this thread is refering to maps and directions so writing "Fota Island Resort" doesnt give a map or directions im afraid! so ya, you give the name of the place obviously and then the loc8 code which they can then type into a satnav and arrive at location!

I would say that more people know that Fota Island is in Cork and could locate it on a map than own satnavs. I could just imagine my 60 year old mother getting an invite with a code on it and going 'Where the fcuk is the wedding on?' and having to ring the bride/groom to ask. And then feeling stupid because she had to ask. And then getting off the phone and ranting 'Why couldn't they just put Fota Island, Cork on the invite, then I'd have known where I was going.... people were able to get to wedding venues all over the country by just getting the name of the venue and the town long before satnav and google maps came along.

Rew

We did a website with directions to church and hotel, put that on the invites. Then on the back page of the mass booklets we put directions to the hotel.

elhal

Fota Island is included in the instructions! The code is just an aid that i have found worked very well! Advice was sought and options were given.....