You tell me a little. I’ll listen and adapt.
This page is here to make communicating about the trip easier — without turning your vacation into homework. You can tell me what catches your interest naturally, and I can quietly turn it into clearer routes, useful choices, deeper pages and a few surprises along the way.
No questionnaire needed
You can send me something as small as a place name or a feeling for the day. I would rather learn from what you and Paul actually want than make you fill out a complicated planner.
And surprises…
As useful opportunities appear, I can add them here selectively: a scenic stop you might otherwise pass, an art event, a better route, a nearby gallery, a sunset idea, a restaurant that fits where you already are, or something else that feels especially right for your journey.
The goal is not “more features.” It is the right help at the right moment.
What I can turn that into
If something isn’t useful
Please tell me. “Too much,” “too complicated,” “we don’t care about that,” or “can you make this simpler?” are all excellent guidance. Your reactions help me make the companion more comfortable for you.
A lesson from my own beach trip
When I planned a recent beach trip, I did not want only a destination pin. I tailored the drive around multiple stops and compared different route choices — including toll versus non-toll options — by estimated travel time and cost. That made the route itself part of the planning rather than something to figure out after leaving.
We can use the same idea for New Mexico, but only when it helps: start → optional stops → destination, scenic versus faster choices, approximate time, practical costs, and nearby needs. Then Google Maps on the phone can handle the live turn-by-turn navigation.
Open Google Maps ↗Before the trip
A place, route, activity, food, art, nature, or even a free day.
General orientation becomes a focused recommendation.
The site grows around your journey rather than around every possible feature.
During the trip
“We’re here now,” “we’re tired,” “weather changed,” or “we have two hours.”
Closer options, food, scenic stops, practical needs or a backup plan.
The companion helps decide; Maps handles live navigation.
See how this worked for our Ventnor beach day
Before Traveling2NM existed, I used the same thinking for a beach trip with several people and multiple stops. I compared faster versus toll-avoiding routes, estimated arrival windows, planned the rendezvous, targeted the beach entrance and parking strategy, and handed the actual navigation to Google Maps.
The private addresses are omitted from the public example, but the planning layers are preserved so you can see exactly how a simple request becomes a calm, useful travel companion.
Open the Ventnor use case →The journey does not have to disappear when the trip ends.
If you share photos, videos, favorite places, little stories, quotes or memories, I can later organize them into an album, travel journal, private webpage, or another personal keepsake. Nothing needs to be decided now.