10 Tricks In Google Maps That Any Traveler Should Know

When travelling, you are probably using map apps more than you’d like to admit. But they definitely make your life easier with finding routes, restaurants, ATMs and so on. While all of the map apps have something to offer, Google maps is definitely the best of the lot.

You have an extraordinary amount of options to choose from and all are equally useful and amazing. Let’s take a look at some of the Google Maps tricks and features you should know about:

Walking and cycling directions

We all know about traffic directions and we use them extensively. However, not many people are aware that there are similar options for walking and cycling.

Google maps helps you find your best walking and biking routes, depending on what you want. For instance, it could show you regular bike lanes in town but it could also lead you to some off-the-road, adventure type of lanes. The same goes for walking – you could look for city walks or nature walks. It’s all up to you and your personal preferences.

Share your location

It’s easy to get lost in new places, even if you are with friends. But this is why Google maps has a great feature which allows you to share your location. You can use it in other cases as well. For instance, if you want to allow your family or friends to track your trip or if you want to meet your friends in a new location but don’t want to bother explaining where it is. Just share your location and your friends will be able to find you. They can do the same for you.

If you, for instance want someone to know where you are going or where you are but you don’t want them to actively track you, you can just save a pin and share it with them over messaging apps.

Learn about the traffic

You can use Google maps to find out what the traffic is like on any day of the week even if you are not in that place. This is a great feature if you want to plan your trips around busy days or avoid heavy traffic.

Change views

“Changing views allows you to see the map in different ways. For example, you can use it as a regular map where you can see traffic and create routes but you can also use it in a street-view mode which can come in handy when you are looking for a place you’ve never seen or been to. All you have to do is switch the mode and type the address in”, – says a travel manager from OriginWritings and 1day2write.

Learn about parking

This app allows you to learn more about available parking. Even when you are home, in the place that you know, it’s good to have some knowledge of availability, especially so in strange places. The app will let you know if there are any spots where you are going and point you in the direction of the nearest parking space.

Remember where you parked

After you find your parking space with Google maps, you can also use it to remember where you parked. This can be useful with big garages where you can’t even remember on which floor you parked.

Find anything

Google maps can be used for finding absolutely anything. You can find restaurants, ATMs, hotels and so on even when you are not in the destination. For instance, you could research ‘bars in downtown New York’ or ‘hostels in New Orleans’ but you could also get far more specific and search for special restaurants depending on the food or the theme and so on.

Download a map

“You can use this app to download all of your maps before you go on your trip. This can come in handy when there is no Wi-Fi and the data is either too expensive or too slow. These can be really useful when you reach your destination so make sure you download them”, – says a software specialist from Writemyx.com.

Create an itinerary

While most people still use Google maps to take them from one destination to another, you can create multiple stops on your path and thus create an itinerary for yourself and for your friends and family to track.

Map overlays

You can use different map overlays that can assist you in finding what you need. For instance, you can get a map overlay for various restaurants, hotels or even filming sets of Doctor Who.

If you learn how to use Google Maps the right way, you’ll never have a problem on your trip again. Find and reach everything you need with these simple yet effective tricks.

Bio:

Adelina Benson works as an email marketer and writer for AcademicBrits.com. Her main tasks involve developing marketing strategies and creating best practices for business email writing. In her free time, she loves to explore new ways to connect with other people and share her knowledge.