Vintage

Google Earth and Armchair Vacations

What is Google Earth?

Google Earth is an interactive satellite image viewer.  Many of the images are so detailed that you feel like you are looking down from a hot air balloon, and Google Earth can take you anywhere simply using your mouse.  Everytime you change your location Google Earth downloads the necessary image to update your display.

Armchair Vacations and Google Earth

Armchair Vacations makes touring with Google Earth automatic.   Every time you're ready move  to the next destination on your tour, Armchair Vacations talks to Google Earth and sends it a special computer file.  These files contain the location information that Google Earth needs to move to the next tour stop.  By sending files (one after another), Armchair Vacations creates an interactive tour.

Starting a Tour from Armchair Vacations 

Everytime you begin a tour, a special file will be sent to your computer .    You need to choose "Open With" Google Earth when you see the dialog window.  Google Earth will then load the file and go to the first stop on the tour.

 

Arriving at Your First Tour Stop

Once Google Earth has arrived at the first tour stop, you can continue the tour by double clicking on the Thumb Tack icon in the center of the viewing area.  This icon marks the precise location of the first tour stop in Google Earth.

 

The "Mini" Armchair Vacations Webpage 

Double Clicking on the icon will open a smaller version of the Armchair Vacations web page within Google Earth.  From here, you can run the rest of  the tour by using a row of navigation buttons at the top on the small Armchair Vacations window. 

 

Navigating a Tour from within Google Earth 

The Next Stop button will take you to the next tour stop.  This is the most commonly used button. 

The Prev Stop button will return you to the previous tour stop.  

The Find Again button will refocus Google Earth to on your current tour stop.  This can be useful if you used Google Earth's navagation controls to move around a little, but want to get back your current tour stop.

Armchair Vacations will continue to send Google Earth the special files, but Google Earth will load them automatically for the rest of the tour.  You don't need to do anything else except enjoy the tour.