# Has Google Earth / Live Maps reduced your incentives for travel?



## tvdxer (Feb 28, 2006)

Are you less interested in travel now that you can "see" so much from home by way of Google Earth and MSN Live? Just curious.


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## Intoxication (Jul 24, 2005)

NO WAY!!! Dumb question to ask. Its the experience that counts.


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## schmidt (Dec 5, 2002)

Not at all! Actually it has INCREASED my will to travel heheh. Not even GE or Live Maps, but also SSC, as here we can see also places that you've never been to. For example: when I saw some pics from Madrid of an SSC mate, I so excited that I booked a trip to the Spanish capital!


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## Milan Luka (Oct 10, 2007)

No no no BIG no!

If anything it has inspired me to travel more! 

Given me the opportunity to see places that I'd never even heard previously that look fascinating: Sur, Lebanon --- Onekotan, Russia --- Vigia, Brazil ---- Bosaso, Somalia.

To be fair, I dont think I'll find my way to those places.


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## Lawcheehung (Jun 19, 2007)

Of course not! there's no way you can feel the experience of travel by looking at a map / 3d map


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## NothingBetterToDo (Sep 11, 2002)

Why even bother with Google Earth....a basic street map is just as good. 

I've often wondered what somewhere is like, and have turned to a street map to fulfil my curiosity. All those lines, and colours, and street names - its simply a wonderful way to explore the world, much more interesting than _visiting_ the actual places...scoff...that's, like...sooooooo last century. 

Street Maps...the exciting way to explore the world (and a good deal cheaper too) 


See...once you have seen this map you have basically been to London..:sleepy:











:|


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## schmidt (Dec 5, 2002)

^^ OMG London Urban Planning looks crazy!


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## ChrisZwolle (May 7, 2006)

Was there any planning? 

Well, GE actually increased my travelneeds. There are tons of beautiful places you've never heard of, but you can see it at Google Earth. Especially the Panoramio pics are nice, you can actually see how it looks there. 

And it it's very useful too, you can actually check if your hotel/campsite/etc is really so close to that lake/mountain/beach/forest/etc as they advertise.


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## Xusein (Sep 27, 2005)

Seeing it in a photo doesn't mean that you've actually experienced it in real life.


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## jacobboyer (Jul 14, 2005)

It makes me want to go to those places 10 times as much.


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## NothingBetterToDo (Sep 11, 2002)

schmidt said:


> ^^ OMG London Urban Planning looks crazy!


London isn't really a 'planned' city so to speak. Not in the sense of Paris or Barcelona. 

Its always grown in a very piecemeal way, swallowing up villages and towns as it expanded and basically kept their road layout. And in the centre it still has its medieval plan - lots of small allys and twisting roads.

Although having said that, parts of the west end were planned on grids...so London has a bit of everything 

kay:


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## schmidt (Dec 5, 2002)

^^ I'd die in the traffic there. First driving on the left side and also for these alleys everywhere!


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## doenumberpakistani (Aug 25, 2007)

hell no, if anything it has helped ppl explore the world and plan a future trip


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## Xusein (Sep 27, 2005)

Damn. Imagine how much of a bitch it would be to give directions in London.

Thankfully, we have grids here.


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## NothingBetterToDo (Sep 11, 2002)

hehe - its not as difficult as it looks, the mains roads tend to lead you in the right direction, so no need to bother much with the little side roads (unless you live/work down one).

And you can point people in the right direction using landmarks.."turn left at the tube station, carry on to the church and turn right" etc etc.


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## -Corey- (Jul 8, 2005)

HAHA OMG NO, it has increased my will to travel too..  maybe to some places haha


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## FREKI (Sep 27, 2005)

No not at all - it haven't changed much other than the way I pick hotels..

Neither pictures nor movies will never capture the feeling of being somewhere..

Being "there" is what travelling is about, not seeing it!


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

It's a good research tool, such as planning my day and tracking how much I covered, although I try to avoid clicking into too many pictures to ruin the surprise of actually being there.


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

definitely NO . My main purpose of travel is to meet and to stay with local people.


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## Frog (Nov 27, 2004)

I like using google earth as a tool to retrace places i've gone but only looking at it from the air. But I think it has made me want to travel more


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