Importance Score: 65 / 100 🔴
Whether you’re discovering a new metropolis or embarking on a summer road adventure, Google Maps remains an indispensable tool. It assists in locating everything from renowned sites to nearby eateries, and it can even guide you without a data connection. Leverage Google Maps for seamless travel planning.
Google Maps presents a multitude of functionalities intended to streamline your journeys — from providing guidance within airport terminals to identifying dining establishments en route. Recent improvements powered by AI include personalized itinerary recommendations and detailed destination previews, resulting in simpler and more tailored travel arrangements.
Delve into seven of the most valuable features I consistently utilize during my voyages. Furthermore, acquire additional insights into the upcoming AI enhancements for Google Maps.
1. Effortless Navigation of Airports and Train Stations
I struggle in disorienting settings. I become easily overwhelmed and uneasy in large groups. As a result, navigating busy airports and train stations can be a real issue.
Last May, I found myself in a packed terminal preparing to board a high-speed train from London King’s Cross to Edinburgh Waverley. Approximately 67,078 individuals traverse King’s Cross each day, making it incredibly challenging to navigate and discover a place to unwind and grab a bite to eat. Consequently, I resorted to employing Google Maps.
When you find yourself in a sizeable shopping center or transportation hub and need to locate a specific establishment, Google Maps features a Directory section specifically for airports, malls, and transit centers. This is particularly advantageous when you are in a hurry to obtain a meal or pick up a souvenir before catching your flight. (I utilized this Directory feature to find a much-needed coffee shop and even tasted a classic sausage roll at a Greggs for the first time before departing London.)
To access this, simply search for an airport, for example, and select the Directory option situated at the bottom. This will display business hours, floor locations, and a curated list of options that includes eateries, shops, lounges, and parking areas.
2. Determine Location Crowds Before Visiting
Did I mention that I’m not a fan of crowds? I’ll simply remain at home if I anticipate that a specific street, restaurant, or section of town will be too congested.
To avoid investing time in traveling to a location only to immediately turn back, I employ Google Maps’ “busyness” tool to gain insight into how crowded a venue is prior to visiting. I search for a specific venue, such as a coffee shop or store, and view a chart illustrating its popularity at various times so I can arrange my visit for less busy periods. By clicking on the “Busy area” label, I can assess how populated broader areas are, such as neighborhoods or districts, which provide a glimpse of when locations are crowded or more tranquil than usual.
To use this functionality, launch the Google Maps application on your Android or iPhone (or through your computer’s browser) and examine the map. You can concentrate on areas such as the city center, a riverside promenade, or an adjacent town. The busyness data will automatically surface on the map; therefore, you do not have to search for specific locations to evaluate their congestion levels.
Google Maps may designate a place as a “Busy Area,” and tapping it will reveal specifics such as “As busy as it gets” or “Not too busy.” It is also possible to search for a particular location and scroll downward to view the busy and less busy times specific to that venue.
3. Seamlessly Make Reservations Without Phone Calls
As a traveler, I like to mix structured plans or excursions with periods of free time to explore at my own rate. This implies that certain days, I will meticulously make reservations ahead of time, while on other days, I prefer to wait and see where the day leads.
When traveling, especially as you work to see every aspect of a new location, it may be challenging to know exactly when you will get hungry or desire a drink. On the days when I do not have reservations arranged in advance, I depend on Google Maps to simplify booking arrangements without the need to call.
Here’s how:
- Open Google Maps and press the Restaurants icon at the top of the screen to explore a variety of dining options.
- Choose a specific restaurant you’d like to try, and in the subsequent window, you will have the choice to secure a reservation or join a waitlist if available (please be aware that not all restaurants provide this service).
You can also utilize the Busyness feature to select an establishment that is less congested. Furthermore, certain restaurants may be closed for dine-in but may still offer delivery, curbside pickup, or alfresco dining options.
4. Use Google Maps Without a Data Signal
Last May, my relatives and I went for a hike throughout the Scottish countryside. It was breathtaking, lush, verdant, and unbelievably wet and rainy. Being that distant and immersed in the forest meant that we really had no mobile connection available. Fortunately, I had thought ahead.
If you are en route to a remote region where you anticipate possibly losing cellular connectivity, Google Maps can still provide you with guidance even when you are offline. Here is how:
- Prior to departing, search for your destination in Google Maps.
- In the location field, open the menu and scroll until you come across the “More” option at the bottom.
- Choose “Download offline map,” then verify the designated area you intend to download and select “Download” once more. Google Maps will store a map of the selected area on your device.
Once you have completed downloading the map, you can utilize Google Maps for routing. In the event that you lose your signal, Maps will swap to the offline map to proceed guiding you. Note that real-time traffic updates will not be accessible while offline.
5. Share Your Location With Your Circle
My sister and I get along well when we travel, but we have distinctly different interests, making touring a new area complex. For instance, I am truly interested in exploring museums, especially art museums, and can spend countless hours admiring pieces of art and other materials. My sister can spend about 45 minutes in a museum before getting bored.
To maintain harmony, we regularly separate for a duration of time so each of us is able to enjoy something we like. The part about going separate ways is the simple part. The challenging part is meeting up afterwards.
Nothing’s more frustrating than getting separated and being unable to reconnect. Subsequently, you initiate a frantic phone conversation and depend on ambiguous locations, like, “I’m by the bridge” or “I’m next to the fountain” in the endeavor to reunite.
Again, Google Maps has been a lifesaver for quickly reconnecting. Here’s how to:
- Launch Google Maps and tap on your profile icon in the top right corner, and then select Location sharing.
- Choose Share location, designate those whom you want to share it with, and determine how long to share your location.
- Choose Share, and your location will be sent to everyone who was chosen.
- To see another person’s location, tap their icon at the top of the display, and select Request.
6. Create, Share, and Browse Personalized Lists
If we’re discussing trip planning, oh how I adore lists. After I’ve booked my flight, I immediately head to TikTok, saving clip later clip of travel guides and itinerary recommendations. From there, I make a structured strategy in my notes app together with eateries, stores and monuments that must be visited during your vacation.
The problem relating to the Notes app, though, is you can’t figure out which sites are close to each other. I come across frequently inputting addresses into Google Maps to see precisely how far apart they are and how long it might take to walk, drive or take the train between each point . I’d complete this to ensure that I maximize the time of my exploration in new locations, while never maximizing my trip planning time.
This was the time when I chose to create my own travel list in Google Maps to store future destinations and get everything in a single location for quick access. For this purpose, be certain to access You option and press the + New list button to move into the list window. Add an icon to your list. Last, when on the web and discovering places on the map you are looking to see, scroll to the tabs and tap on SAVE to include this in your list.
Another option, which is available, is that you can invite anyone you’re traveling with to also contribute to the Google Map list, allowing them a chance to help contribute to an easy travel plan up to the time of the trip.
7. Let AI Take the Reins – Gemini Integration
At Certain times travel plans or a new city can be overwhelming. To avoid this, refer to AI chatbox Gemini, developed by Google.
Google Maps was updated in 2024, and Google will now allow the usage of Gemini to help develop plans and recommend suggestions. To use, direct a question towards what you would like to see and Gemini will put together recommendations that will present as flags on the map to review.
This feature will give you different choices that increase the ease of your stress during travel planning.
Bonus: An AI Feature Can Organize Screenshots of Travel Ideas
With thousands of photos, specifically restaurants, parks and museums from Pinterest or Instagram, Google is producing a feature that will identify images and save them into a group.
To activate, the AI Gemini-powered Google Maps will scan the phone for text of different places where you can decide to review, share, save, or place amongst others in a list.
This feature will come for iOS users in the US with Android users soon to follow.