Computer Programs Can Map a Summer Vacation : Travel: Software can plan the itinerary, print customized driving instructions and give tips on lodging, dining and budgeting.

Derailed in Des Moines? Befuddled in Buffalo? Lost in L.A.?

Just a few clicks--on a computer pointing device--and you could be back in Kansas again, or anywhere else you’d care to travel to.

A growing category of personal computer software products promises to take the drudgery and confusion out of trip planning by providing aids like printable maps and customized driving directions, lodging and restaurant tips, travel budgets and guides to attractions. Some also venture overseas.

That’s welcome news for anyone, business traveler and vacationer alike, who’s ever struggled to refold a map, decipher scribbled-down directions or wandered aimlessly on lonely back roads in the middle of nowhere.

These are real road maps routed from the information highway. Already there’s a gridlock of products developing.

PC Data said 30 million travel software programs were sold in retail stores in 1994, up from the 12 million the previous year and the thousands bought in 1991, when the first program became available to consumers.

Although only 5% of all PC users owned travel software by the end of 1994, according to PC Data, sales are expected to rise substantially this year as more people buy computers and retailers offer new and updated programs.

“People are already going ahead and scheduling summer vacations. Many will spend some of their time on the road,” said Bill Demas, product manager for Automap Road Atlas, the pioneer in travel software purchased by Microsoft Corp. last year.

To be sure, the U.S. Travel Data Center expects Americans to take 237 million domestic pleasure trips of 100 miles or more this summer, about 3% higher than last year’s record 230 million trips. Eighty percent will be via automobile.

Travel software programs get to show off what PCs do best--maintain extensive databases and perform multiple calculations at finger-snapping speed.

There are more than a dozen programs on the market, ranging in price from around $20 to $100. Some, however, are available only on CD-ROM disks due to the amount of information they hold and the multimedia features they offer, like digitized videos or slide shows.

Basically, travel software falls into three categories: nationwide comprehensive trip planning, street-specific mapping and worldwide reference sources. A few overlap.

Software manufacturers claim just about any locale, even the smallest town, can be found.

“We’ve listed all the routes,” said Neil J. Vill, vice president and general manager for the New Media division of Rand McNally, which publishes TripMaker and Quick Reference.

“We’ll route you to the front door of all the (tourist) attractions . . . customize an itinerary based on driving habits . . . even allow you to type in a note to yourself to see Uncle Joe on vacation,” he said.

But can TripMaker and similar products deliver? Most users will find they do, and with accuracy and speed, although even the software manufacturers admit they have some limitations.

Indeed, two top-selling programs--TripMaker and DeLorme Mapping’s Map ‘n’ Go--come with printed road atlases that cross-reference the computerized information.

While travel software may never supplant the low-tech products, they remain king of the road in ready resources. It would take dozens of printed maps, atlases and guide books to match the information found in most programs. And many users will find the software more fun.

Most programs allow users to choose among the quickest, shortest or most scenic routes. The latest CD-ROM version of Automap contains more than 400,000 miles of highways and 1,100 pictures of points of interest in North America. TripMaker provides the “Trip Guide Wizard,” which, among other things, lets users take notes about trips and suggests destinations or stopovers. The program includes 88 pre-planned scenic tours and has “Attraction Pack” databases for things like beaches; outdoor adventuring; downhill skiing; tennis and golf, and gambling destinations. It also has information on border crossings, toll roads and phone numbers for airlines, car rentals and hotels.

Map ‘n’ Go also provides picture and audio presentations of points of interest. Its Street Atlas USA is an excellent companion program for those wanting to pinpoint local neighborhoods just about anywhere in the country.

The best feature of AAA Trip Planner is its AAA-rated lists of lodgings and restaurants nationwide, although one noticeable shortfall is that it doesn’t automatically include maps along with its printable driving directions.

For those traveling abroad, there are programs like Broderbund Software Inc.’s PC Globe Maps ‘N’ Facts, Rand McNally’s Quick Reference, DeLorme’s Global Explorer and Compton’s Let’s Go: The Budget Guide to Europe.

Demas said future travel software will be linked more with on-line services for updates on weather or traffic.

James Costantino, executive director of the Intelligent Transportation Society of America, thinks all that electronic information, and more, eventually will become available in most new cars.