Route planning - waypoints vs destinations?

[wjl24]

I just purchased a TomTom XL340TM Live and plan on using it to plot out preferred routes when traveling. It is my understanding that a waypoint can be be used to guide the GPS along a particular route I want to go and destinations are for actual stops I want to make along my intinerary. I noticed it does not alert me of waypionts. Can that be changed? Also, when I get to a destination and want to proceed from that stop to my next stop on my intinerary what is the quickest way to do that? Is there software that I can plan routes on and then download right to my GPS or do I have to plot on some type of software and manually put in each waypoint and stop.
I use MS Streets and Trips and the Harley Ride Planner to determine the route I want but am open to other suggestions that will work directly with the TomTom.

 

[dhn]

Welcome to TTF.

See if the information here helps:
Using Google Maps For Itinerary Planning

 

[wjl24]

Thanks for that info. I still am not sure what to do when I get to a destination and then want to proceed with rest of itinerary. Will it prompt me to go to next destination?

 

[canderson]

If you get close enough, it will acknowledge that you've visited. Someone here once figured out how many feet you had to be from the exact coordinates being used before the TT would declare a point "visited".

My approach to this has always been go go to the Itinerary Planning, view my current itinerary, and delete them as I hit them if they aren't close enough to be recognized as "visited".

 

[Arno]

I still am not sure what to do when I get to a destination and then want to proceed with rest of itinerary. Will it prompt me to go to next destination?

Although I have made quite a few itineraries (mostly for testing), I do not like ITNs.

I much prefer to make POIs and put them in a custom POI category. Since you plan out your trip ahead of time, you know pretty much which towns will be next where your trip changes routes.
For something like that I use City centers. Very fast made and saved int the category folder.
As I am approaching a town where I know there will be a change, I just enter the following town as a new destination. All that is pretty seamless and it gets me through the previous place on the fastest route.

ITNs had just been discussed again here.

 

[pianoCM]

To OP
Your first question. Me, personally, I didn't figure out a way to alert when arriving a waypoint yet, I have to manually stare to the screen and look for the yellow flag. However, if my memory serves me well, I do believe that a member or a few members do have a way to get it done. I don't know since I don't use ITN a lot.
You second question. By default, if you set a waypoint as a waypoint then it will automatically marked visited if you've arrived then automatically proceed to the next waypoint. NOTE: you MUST arrive (pass through) the previous waypoint on your itn list otherwise, it will keep loop back to it.
If you set a waypoint as a destination, then after arriving one, it will ask you to go to the next waypoint on your itn list, it's up to you to say yes or no.
If you manually want to set a destination and proceed when needed, then do what Arno suggests, convert those into POI, it's much easier.

 

[PhilDot]

waypoints v destinations

The main difference is that, the SatNav tells you the time/distance etc to the next destination. So if you want to go to a series of places and know how long it's going to take you to get to each one in turn, then set them as destinations. If you are just using ITN to go your favourite route, you normally just need one destination with the time to that, and the waypoints just guide you via the route u like.

Set as few waypoints as possible, if doing the latter, as you have to "visit" them all for them to be automatically checked off. If you detour (roadworks/traffic etc) it will keep trying to get you back to the next waypoint until you manually check it as visited (can be awkward when driving!)

The automatic itinerary programmes mentioned in this thread are quite good, but produce a lot of waypoints that are not very descriptive in the ITN file (names like "rd" or "ave" etc!)