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How to Make a Travel Itinerary with Google Maps

Last Updated: March 14, 2022 Fact Checked

This article was reviewed by Stan Kats and by wikiHow staff writer, Nihal Shetty . Stan Kats is a Professional Technologist and the COO and Chief Technologist for The STG IT Consulting Group in West Hollywood, California. Stan provides comprehensive technology solutions to businesses through managed IT services, and for individuals through his consumer service business, Stan's Tech Garage. Stan holds a BA in International Relations from The University of Southern California. He began his career working in the Fortune 500 IT world. Stan founded his companies to offer an enterprise-level of expertise for small businesses and individuals. There are 8 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 86,436 times.

If you’re planning a trip, you might be wondering how to figure out where to go and in what order. Luckily, Google has a free tool that you can use in order to get a better sense of your travel plans. We’ll walk you through how to make a travel itinerary with Google Maps through its My Maps feature. In a few easy steps, you can master an excellent organizational tool that’ll help you plan the best trip possible.

Setting Up Your Map

Step 1 Sign in to My Maps on your web browser.

Unfortunately, as of October 2021, Google no longer supports the “My Maps” app on phones. If you’re on mobile, you’ll have to use your phone’s web browser to access the site while on the go. [2] X Research source
If you don’t already have a Google account, setting one up is a quick process. A Google account gives you a number of benefits, including a new gmail address. Check out this link to start the set-up process: https://accounts.google.com/signup/v2/webcreateaccount?flowName=GlifWebSignIn&flowEntry=SignUp

Step 2 Create a new map through the home screen.

For instance, your might name your map something like “California Summer Trip 2022,” and you could enter a description like, “Places to see and eat during two-week California road trip.”

Step 4 Search for places to visit on your trip.

For example, for a California road trip, you might enter “Golden Gate Bridge” into the search box. My Maps will automatically direct you to its location.

Step 5 Add the locations of any places you want to visit to your map.

For instance, if you’ve searched for “Golden Gate Bridge,” there will be a white box that offers some information on the location, and even a rating from other users. Click on the “Add to map” button to send it to your saved locations.

Step 6 Add descriptions to your saved locations.

For example, you might fill in the description to the “Golden Gate Bridge” box with something like, “Spend at least 1 hour here—must-see location.”

Step 7 Color-code your locations for convenience.

You might consider changing the colors of your pins to match how important each location is to your trip. For example, must-see locations could be red pins, your housing spots could be green pins, and optional places to visit could remain as blue pins.

Creating an Itinerary and Planning Routes

Step 1 Organize your selected places with the “layers” function.

For example, you might have a layer titled “Places to see,” one titled “Places to eat,” and one titled “Places to sleep.” You can then put sightseeing destinations, restaurants, and hotels you want to stay at in their respective layers.

Step 2 Plan your travel routes using your Google Map.

You can add more than one location to a single route. For example, if you wanted to plot a route from Big Sur to the Golden Gate Bridge, and then to Palo Alto, you can add all three locations to your route layer and create a multi-stop path. [11] X Research source
By clicking on the three dots next to the layer with your travel route, then selecting “Step-by-step directions,” My Maps will create a set of directions for your travel. Handy!

Step 3 Use your map to create a daily schedule.

For example, by using My Maps, you might notice that seeing the Golden Gate Bridge, walking around San Francisco, and eating at a restaurant in Berkeley are close enough to all be doable in one day, while visiting Big Sur might be better saved for another afternoon. My Maps can help you plan out the most efficient trip possible, so you can enjoy your travels even more.

Step 4 Use the “Share” option to loop your friends in on travel plans.

When sharing your map, you can also choose the option that allows others to edit the map as well. With this option selected, your friends can pick places that they’re interested in as well, so you can have them all on the same document. [13] X Research source

Although My Maps can’t be viewed offline, you can download an offline map of any areas you’re interested in on your phone. Using the Google Maps app, type in a location into the search bar, tap the name of the location, then navigate to the option “Download offline map.” [15] X Research source

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How to use Google Maps as a trip planner and make a full itinerary

You can use Google Maps as a trip planner through the "Places" and "My Maps" features.
Both the Google Maps website and app let you save locations to lists, which you can then get immediate directions to.
When getting directions, you can look up reviews and add multiple stops to your route.

Google Maps has become an essential part of any road trip. After all, it's a GPS, business directory, and reviews platform all-in-one.

But if you spend some time with it, you can integrate Google Maps even more seamlessly into your next vacation. Google Maps has a variety of features you can use to plan your trip and save any interesting spots you find on the way.

Here's how to make Google Maps your trip planner, using the Places feature, My Maps, and more.

How to use Google Maps as a trip planner

Use the 'places' feature to save points of interest.

Let's say you're traveling, and happen to stumble upon the cutest coffee shop you've ever seen. You want to visit, but don't have time right now — what's the best way to remember it?

Google Maps' Places feature can help you out. Both the Google Maps website and app let you save any location on the map to a list, which you can then easily find later.

1. Open Google Maps and click, tap, or search for the location that you want to save.

2. Find the Save icon , which has the icon of a bookmark. You'll find it right under the location's name, but you might need to swipe to find it in the mobile app.

3. Pick where you want to save the location to. You've got three lists to start with — Favorites , Starred places , and Want to go — but you can make a new one by tapping New list .

4. Once you've saved the location, you can find it again by opening the list. In the mobile app, tap Saved at the bottom of the screen; on the website, click the three stacked lines in the top-left and then Your places .

Tap on a location in your list to have the map jump straight to it.

Look at Google Reviews to find the best shops

Nearly every point of interest on Google Maps has a section for user reviews. Similar to sites like Yelp, these reviews can be a great way to see which stops are must-sees and which you can pass.

To check out reviews:

1. Open Google Maps and find the location that you're interested in.

2. At the top of its information page should be a star rating and a number, showing how many people have left reviews.

3. Scroll down until you hit the Reviews section, and you'll find reviews from other users who've visited the location. They'll include a star rating, a date, and occasionally a picture.

If you're interested in leaving a review of your own, check out our article on how to write Google reviews .

Make a custom My Maps page to share your road trip plan

Only available on a computer as of this month , Google's My Maps program lets you make a custom map or plot out a route with as many waypoints as you like, and then save and share it with others.

1. Head to the My Maps homepage and click Create a New Map .

2. You'll be given a world map. In the menu in the top-left, click the Untitled map name to give your map a name.

3. Use the search bar at the top of the page to find any location, then click Add to map to save it. You can add as many points of interest as you like.

4. You can also save multiple separate lists of locations to the same map; just click Add layer in the top-left menu.

5. To save directions between multiple locations, click the Add directions icon that looks like a curved arrow. It'll add a new layer that you can use to plot a path.

6. When you're done, click Share or Preview in the top-left window.

Add multiple stops to one trip

Driving from one city to another is simple. But if you want to make stops along the way — lunch, the beach, a mall — things get complicated.

Luckily, you don't need to start a new Google Maps route for every stop. You can create one navigation route that includes every stop from the start, giving you a clear way to see how long it'll all take.

1. Open the Google Maps app and start navigating to another location.

2. On the screen that lets you pick your starting and ending location, tap the three dot icon .

3. Select Add stop .

4. A third waypoint — labeled "B" — will appear. Tap it to choose your second destination, or drag it to reorder the waypoints.

On a computer

1. On the Google Maps app website, find a location and start getting directions to it.

2. Underneath the menu that lets you pick your starting and ending location, click Add destination .

3. A new field will appear. Enter your third waypoint.

4. Once you pick a new waypoint, you'll be able to click Add destination again and pick another one, as well as reorder them.

You can add up to nine destinations on both the website and mobile app.

On February 28, Axel Springer, Business Insider's parent company, joined 31 other media groups and filed a $2.3 billion suit against Google in Dutch court, alleging losses suffered due to the company's advertising practices.

Main content

How to Use Google Maps to Plan Your Next Road Trip (Step-By-Step Tutorial With Examples)

Post summary: A comprehensive guide on how to use Google Maps to plan a road trip itinerary and why Google Maps is the best tool/app for planning a trip. Includes a road trip planning tutorial!

Author’s Note: This post was originally published in 2020 and was updated in April 2023 for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

So, you want to plan a road trip. But, where do you start? Better yet: How do you start?

I’m often asked about my trip planning process. Where to go, what to do, and how exactly to fit everything into a cohesive itinerary that, well, makes sense .

Planning a road trip can be hard. But, with the right tools and resources, it doesn’t have to be. I’ve already put together a list of my most trusted travel booking resources , and the best apps for road trips , but now I want to talk about one of my favorite road trip planning tools: Google Maps.

Google Maps is like a trip planning goldmine, and it’s always my very first step in organizing my itinerary whenever I take a trip.

Google Maps is one of the best tools for planning a cohesive and successful road trip, because it allows you to create a highly customizable, visual representation of your trip (shoutout to all my fellow visual learners out there). And its FREE!

Basically, if you’re planning a road trip, knowing how to customize Google Maps is going to make your life so much easier.

So if you’re wondering how to get started, then you’ve come to the right place. I’m breaking the entire process down into an easy to follow step-by-step tutorial on exactly how to use Google MyMaps to plan your next road trip. So, lets get started!

GOOGLE MAPS TRAVEL PLANNING OVERVIEW

Here’s exactly what we cover in this guide:

Create a new Google Map for your trip.
Add location pins to your map
Customize and color code your location pins.
Create Google Map layers to plan your day-to-day itinerary.
Add driving directions to your map.
Download your custom Google Map to your phone.
Share your map with friends.
Calculate gas milage for your road trip.

Scroll down for a super detailed step-by-step guide to planning your own travel itinerary for free using Google Maps or skip ahead with the table of contents.

Table of Contents

Need some road trip inspiration? Visit my most popular travel guides:

Las Vegas to Sedona Road Trip (3 Jam-Packed Itineraries to See it All in Less Time)

5-Day British Columbia Road Trip Itinerary

1-Day Yoho National Park Road Trip Itinerary

The Perfect 2-week Costa Rica Itinerary

. Don’t forget to grab my FREE Travel Expense Planner Download below to help you plan your next trip . Use it to easily and automatically calculate how much money you’ll spend on gas, flights, accommodation, food + more

WHY GOOGLE MAPS IS THE BEST TRAVEL PLANNING TOOL FOR YOUR NEXT TRIP

Google Maps is the best tool for planning your next trip , whether you’re just using it for adventure inspiration, to share ideas with your friends, or creating a detailed step-by-step road trip itinerary. Here’s why!

IT CREATES A VISUAL REPRESENTATION OF YOUR ROAD TRIP

If you’re a visual learner, Google Maps is going to be your best friend. But even if you’re not a visual learning, using Google Maps to plan your trip is still going to be incredibly helpful.

Planning your trip with Google Maps is the fastest way to familiarize yourself with the layout of an area. It allows you to wrap your head around how large an area is and where everything is in relation to each other, which, in my opinion, is the best way to start planning any trip.

Here’s an example of the Google Map I created for our 4-day road trip in Iceland.

Click here to access the interactive map.

Custom road trip route using Google MyMaps

GOOGLE MY MAPS HELPS YOU FIGURE OUT WHERE TO SPEND YOUR TIME

Have you ever had a list of places you wanted to see, only to find out that they’re super far away from each other?

Pinning your locations to your custom Google Map will show you where your stops are. This will help you figure out where to spend your time and plan accordingly.

Are your pins clustered in one place? If so, then you might want to allocate more time to that area. Or maybe your pins are spread out all over the map? If this is the case, then it might be best to prepare yourself for a lot of driving or focus on a smaller area instead.

YOUR GOOGLE MAP IS HIGHLY CUSTOMIZABLE

Whether you’re touring NYC, road tripping cross country, or backpacking to Beaver Falls in the Grand Canyon , you can create a highly customizable Google Map to help plan your adventure.

Handy features like customizable locations, adding multiple stops, pinning by GPS coordinates, organizing by categories, and overlaying direction layers, all make it incredibly easy to customize your Google Map to plan your travel itinerary.

Need to remember entrance fees, operating hours, or best places to see? You can even add notes to your location pins so you don’t forget important details!

IT HELPS YOU NAVIGATE AND PLAN YOUR ROUTE

Quickly learn how to navigate between stops by adding directions between multiple locations to your map.

This is an incredibly useful tool for figuring out the best routes to take, roads to avoid, and to plan for drive time. You can even choose between walking, biking, or public transportation directions. This is especially helpful for choosing the best entrance to Yellowstone National Park , taking the scenic route on an Ecuador road trip , or mapping out the best Hudson Valley wineries .

IT’S EASY TO COLLABORATE AND SHARE YOUR TRIP

Traveling with friends? Google Maps makes it super easy to collaborate by allowing you to share your map with your travel partners. You can even give them editing access so that everyone can add their must-do’s to the map.

YOUR MAP IS EASY TO SHARE BETWEEN DEVICES

You’ll have to create your Google Map on desktop. But, luckily, you can seamlessly share your custom map straight to your iPhone or Android using the Google Maps App!

Sharing your custom map to your phone makes it super convenient to access your itinerary on the go. You can even set up your map for offline use if you’re traveling without cell phone service.

HOW TO CREATE A CUSTOM MAP IN GOOGLE MAPS: A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE

1. create a new google map, login to google drive on your desktop.

Before you start planning your road trip using Google Maps, make sure you’re signed into your Google Drive.

Visit www.google.com/maps from your desktop and log in .
If you don’t have a Google Drive account, create one now.

CREATE A NEW GOOGLE MAP

To create a new map, select “Saved” in the sidebar on the left > “Maps”. You can also click on the menu (the three lines) in the upper left corner > “Saved” > “Maps”.

For now, your list is probably empty. But as you create more maps, this is where they’ll be stored.

Begin creating your first custom map by selecting “CREATE MAP”

How to create a new Google Maps for a road trip

This opens a new blank map. Start by giving your map a title and a description.

Once you’ve named your map, you’re ready to start pinning stops! Keep reading to learn about adding and customizing location pins.

2. ADD LOCATIONS TO YOUR GOOGLE MAP

This is where you start adding the places you want to go!

HOW TO ADD LOCATION PINS

Add multiple stops to your Google map by pinning their locations. There are a few different ways to add location pins to your Google Map :

How to create a custom travel map with location pins

Add a pin using coordinates if you can’t find the exact location in the search bar drop down list. You may have to use this method for extremely specific or remote locations, such as a backcountry campsite or an unmarked trailhead. Simply type the location’s latitude and longitude coordinates into the search bar. .
To pin a general area, click on the “Add Marker” button below the map search bar . You’ll be able to drop a blank pin by clicking anywhere on the map. A box will appear asking you to add a title and description

NOTE: You’re allowed to pin 10 location pins per layer. Continue reading to learn how to use layers to add more than 10 location pins to your map.

3. CUSTOMIZING LOCATION PINS

Once you save your pins to the map, they’ll be blue by default. However, you can customize a pin by changing the color, icon style, description, and title . You can even add pictures or videos if you’re feeling extra fancy.

To change the color and style , begin by clicking on your location pin (either in the list to the left or directly on the map) > “Style” (the little paint can) in the lower right hand corner of the text box. Click “More Icons” to view more options.

Edit location pins to organize your custom Google Map road trip planning tool

To change the location title , click”Edit” (the pencil icon) in the text box. You can also add notes in the “Notes” box. Use the notes box to add more details about finding trail heads, hiking logistics, packing reminders etc. I also like to use it to keep track of specific places to see within a general location, such as a National Park.

To add media (i.e. photos or videos) , click “Add Image or Video” (the camera icon) in the text box. I found this especially helpful on my first Iceland road trip to remember which waterfall was which, since they all sound the same (if you’ve been there, you know what I mean!). You can also add your own photos and videos if you want to create a map to share with others.

To delete a pin , click on it and then click on the trash can icon. .

How to edit locations and plan your road trip with google maps

. 4. CREATING MAP LAYERS TO PLAN YOUR TRIP IN GOOGLE MAPS

What are google map layers.

Google Map layers are a really useful tool for organizing your road trip itinerary. But, what exactly is a layer? A layer in Google Maps is, by definition, a way to contain arbitrary geospatial data.

Okay, English please ?

In other words, each layer can be used to display different types of information on your map. You can dedicate different layers to different types of places like restaurants, cafe’s, hotels, hiking trails, etc. Or you can dedicate layers to different days of your trip. Or you can stick to one layer. Its up to you.

Here’s an example of how I broke up my Iceland itinerary, using a different layer for each day of our road trip:

Google Maps is the best road trip planning tool because you can organize with layers

HOW TO ADD LAYERS

When you create your map, you’re automatically using one layer (“Untitled Layer”). This is the layer that your location pins are added to by default, unless you add additional layers. You can add up to 10 location pins per layer, and 10 layers per map.

To add a new layer to your Google Map , simply click “Add Layer”. This creates a new “Untitled Layer”, which you can rename accordingly. To rename layers, click on the title name or click the 3 dots next to the title > “Rename Layer”.

To move a pin between layers , click on the location pin in the list, then drag and drop it into the desired layer.

Choose which layers to display by turning individual layers “on” and “off”. You can do this by checking/unchecking the box next to the layer’s name.

To delete a layer , click the 3 dots next to the layer’s title > “Delete this layer” > “Delete”.

How to use layers in Google Maps to create a custom travel itinerary

. TIPS FOR USING LAYERS TO PLAN YOUR ITINERARY IN GOOGLE MAPS

When planning my road trip itineraries, I usually give each day its own layer (unless the trip is longer than 10 days, in which case then I’ll combine days or make another map). Then I color code all of my pins by day.

For example, all of my stops (i.e. location pins) on day 1 (layer 1) would be orange, all of my stops on day 2 (layer 2) would be red, and all of my stops on day 3 (layer 3) would be blue. Organizing pins and layers this way makes it a lot easier to visualize your day-to-day itinerary on the map.

That’s just what works for me, so obviously you don’t have to do it that way. You can organize your pins and layers in any way that makes sense to you.

WHEN TO MAKE SEPARATE MAPS

Personally, I prefer to make a single map for my road trip itineraries whenever possible. But that won’t work for everything or for everyone.

Sometimes maps can get confusing if you have a lot of stops to make. Other times you’ll find that you need more than 10 layers or directions between more locations than Google Maps allows.

To solve these problems, you may opt to create several maps. Perhaps you’ll find it easier to create a separate map for each day of your road trip, or create one map dedicated just to a certain type of location or activity.

For example, we created two separate maps for our road trip through New Zealand. One map for the North Island and one map for the South Island.

5. ADDING DIRECTIONS TO YOUR GOOGLE MAP

. What good would a Google Maps itinerary be if you couldn’t get driving directions?

To add driving directions to your Google Map , click on “Add Directions” (the arrow icon) under the search bar. A new layer will appear (you cannot add directions without it adding a new layer).

How to add directions to plan your road trip with Google Maps

Click on “Add Directions” simply by clicking on a pinned location on the map. It will populate in point “A” . Click on a second location on the map, which will populate in point “B” . The route will show up as a blue line on the map.

The original directions will only give you the option to add points “A” and “B”. To add more destinations, click on “Add destinations”. You can add up to 10 destinations.

NOTE: This may seem obvious, but I’ll say it anyway: When you connect locations, make sure to do it in the order that makes sense. Don’t just add directions between two random locations. Make sure to do it in order!

To choose between driving, walking, or bicycle directions , click on the Directions button in the layer (the blue car icon). Then click on the appropriate mode of transportation.

VIEW STEP-BY-STEP DIRECTIONS

To view step-by-step directions, click the three dots to the right of the little of the directions layer > click “Step-by-step directions”.

ADJUSTING YOUR ROUTE

Google maps will automatically calculate the shortest route between locations. But you can easily change the route if you prefer to take a different one (i.e. to take the more scenic route, avoid tolls/highways, etc.).

To adjust the route between two points , hover your cursor anywhere along the blue line. Your cursor will change from a hand to an arrow over a white dot. A dialogue box will say “Drag to change route”. Click and drag the white dot to the desired road or highway on the map.

How to adjust your route in Google custom maps

. 6. HOW TO ACCESS CUSTOM GOOGLE MAPS ON YOUR PHONE

. There are two ways to access your custom Google Maps on your phone. You can (1) reference your map through the Google Maps app or (2) export the entire map for offline access using Maps.me . Which method you use depends on your personal preference.

Steps are the same for iPhone and Android.

1. To view your maps in the Google Maps app:

You will need to download Google Maps, if you haven’t done it already
Sign into the same Google Drive account you used to create the map
Click on the search bar > “…More” > scroll to the right and click “Maps”
Select your custom map

How to view your custom Google Map on your phone using the Google Maps app .

Essential tips for using the Google Maps app:

Accessing step-by-step directions: When you open your map in the Google Maps app, your directions layer will be visible, but you won’t be able to click on it and get the step-by-step directions. . Instead, navigate to the individual location pins on the map. Click the pin and the directions instruction will populate in the search bar. Click on the search bar and then hit “Search”. This will exit your custom map and open up the regular Google Maps navigation screen. .
Accessing your map offline: You can’t. There is currently no way to access your custom map offline in the Google Maps app. Which is obviously not ideal if you’re traveling without cell phone service or wifi. . You can download an area for use offline by clicking on your photo (the circle in the upper right corner) > “Offline maps” > “select your own map”. However, when you do this, the map will be blank and you’ll have to repin/save all of your pins. You can repin/save locations by searching for the location > “save” > and then either add to an existing list or create a new list.

2. To export your custom map to Maps.me:

This method is quite a workaround, but (unlike the Google Maps app) it allows you to access your custom map offline without having to repin anything.

On your desktop:

Open your map on desktop
Click the 3 dots next to the map title > select “Export to KML” > check the box next to “Export to .KML file instead of .KMZ”.
Make this file accessible through your phone by uploading it to Dropbox, Google Drive, email, or any other file sharing app.

On your phone:

Download the Maps.me app
Search for the city, state, or country your map is based in and then download
Go to your photo sharing app and open your .KML file with Maps.me
You’ll be directed to your custom map in Maps.me

Tips for using Maps.me

If you download your map in Maps.me, you’ll be able to use it offline. However, the major drawback is that you will only be able to access step-by-step directions from your current location. So, even though your directions layers will populate on your map, you’ll only be able to view the drive times and not the actual directions, unless one of those points is your current location.

That being said, I am not a Maps.me expert. So, if you have an update or workaround for this issue, please reach out and let me know :)

7. CREATE A SHARED GOOGLE MAP

You might want to share your map if you’re planning a trip with someone else, collaborating on an itinerary, or sharing your map on a website.

To share your Google Map , open the map > click “share” in the gray bar above the layers. Make sure the slider for “Anyone with this link can view” is set to blue. Then copy the link and send it to friends!

To embed your map on a website , check that your sharing sliders are set to “Anyone with this link can view” and “Let others search for and find this map on the internet”. Next, click the menu (the three dots) next to the map title > then click “Embed on my site”. Copy the HTML and paste it in the source code for your page.

8. BONUS: CALCULATE GAS MILEAGE

. Download my customizable Travel Expense Planner below for free . Use it to easily and automatically calculate how much money you’ll spend on gas, using your custom Google Map!

And there you have it! All the tips, tricks, and general instructions on how to use Google Maps as a road trip planning tool . As always, if you have any questions or have anything to add, leave a comment below. I love to hear from you!

Happy adventuring!

Did you find this Google Maps road trip planning tutorial helpful? Don’t forget to pin it for later!

How to plan your road trip with Google Maps

Hi, I’m Jackie! I’m a travel photographer and content creator based near the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York. I’m also a millennial who works full-time, yet I still find ways to travel frequently without breaking the bank, because traveling is what makes me feel most alive. Now I help fellow travelers who also work 9-5 and are looking for ways to travel more with limited PTO.

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27 comments.

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All I needed when I googled “how to plan a trip in google maps” was to be pointed in the right direction of where to look for the feature. This went WAY beyond what I could have ever asked for and helped SO MUCH! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

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Hello Jackie, and thanks for the very informative article! It was well written and I used Google Maps on my last trip to the Baja in Mexico. One other tool I used was the free trip planner from Geovea https://geovea.com/trip_plan/new_trip to create and share my trip, and estimate my trip budget. You can also take your itinerary with you on your phone for navigation. I really appreciate all of the great travel guides and already planning my next trip :-)

Thank you for sharing all of this valuable information! I see how to view the turn-by-turn directions, but is there a way to start the route so you can follow it while driving? Thanks!!

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This literally just changed my life! Thank you for sharing how to use google maps to plan a road trip. I will use this all the time now!

Hey there – so happy to hear you found this post useful!

[…] Planning a Costa Rica road trip? Read: How To Plan Your Road Trip With Google Maps (Tutorial With Examples) […]

[…] a large geographical area you need to give your trip a bit of structure. You can start by using Google Maps to plot and plan your journey so you can make a note of all the destinations you are interested in. You can then agree on a few […]

[…] Read next: How To Plan Your Road Trip With Google Maps (Tutorial With Examples) […]

said no driving directions from point a to point b, so i couldn’t get started. E.G. Badland SD to Mt Rushmore to Custer Nat. Park, I need a little more direction, i’m not to good with comp. thanks

Hey Billy – Sometimes Google Maps won’t recognize directions to very general areas because it wants you to use something more specific. This most often happens with National Parks and wilderness areas. In those cases, Google Maps will generally present you with a list of specific locations you can choose from, such as the park’s ranger stations, visitors centers, etc. However, in your situation, I was able to pull up directions using “Badlands National Park”, “Mount Rushmore National Memorial”, and “Custer National Forest”. Hope that helps!

[…] necessary than you suppose to sleep, bathe and plan for slower days. A very good rule of thumb is to plan in rest time each three days. That method, you possibly can push your self however forestall exhaustion in your […]

[…] essential than you assume to sleep, bathe and plan for slower days. An excellent rule of thumb is to plan in rest time each three days. That means, you possibly can push your self however stop exhaustion in your […]

I’ve been a user of paper maps, since before the Internet, or color TV for that matter. For an up coming trip, basically Texas to FL, and back, I decided to make better use of Google Maps. A google search brought me to this page. Super helpful, and the pins per layer note answered a long standing confusion of mine. Thank you. I do have one question. Is there a way to to add waypoints based on distance or travel time? For example, this is going to be a two day trip. I want to find the halfway point (easily)? Or in the case of a longer trip, I want to drive X miles or Y hours? I know I can trial and error it, but what if I want the half-way point? What’s the easiest way to find it? Or where will I be in 8 hours of driving? Thank so much! Cheers, Eric

Hey Eric – thanks so much for your comment! Unfortunately, I don’t know of an easy way to calculate your half way point or location after x amount of hours. I typically eyeball it, which might be the only way to find your answer

Thanks very much, it is really helpful

This was most helpful for creating a personal map. I tried it and created a practice map on my laptop; named it and accessed it exactly like your instructions indicate. The part that has me puzzled is the accessing it from your phone. I have used Google maps on my phone for a long time and believe I am signed in using the same account. The Google Maps app on the phone identifies me (the right end if the search bar has my initial and shows the account when tapped.) When I tap the search bar I get to the … More but that is it. All I then see is the opportunity to set my Home and Work Locations but no listing of My Maps.

On the laptop going to the Menu (bars at left side of Search) allows access to Lists, Labeled, Visited, and Maps. (Maps is the one, as you indicate, to get to your personal Maps.) On my phone the only thing that seems to be available is the Labeled option. What am I missing to get to the Maps? I feel like there must be a switch somewhere to have the Maps come through … but I can’t seem to find it! Hoping you or someone can point me in the right direction. Thank you.

Without creating a custom map, is there a way to display a route in Google Maps and show attractions at the same time?

You’ve written a terrific guide and I’m learning a lot more about Google maps. Is there some way to print this guide or download a printable copy? Thanks.

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How to Plan a Road Trip with Google Maps: A Step-by-Step Tutorial

This post may include affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I (The Winding Road Tripper) earn from qualifying purchases. Read more .

This post was originally published on August 8, 2021, and updated on February 16, 2023.

Ready to start planning your road trip using the power of Google Maps?

Then you’ve come to the right place.

Google has two amazing tools to help you plan your road trip: Google Maps and Google My Maps.

Google Maps is a great tool for plotting out your route, while Google My Maps is an amazing tool for road trip planning and organization.

In this post, I’ll teach you how and when to use each of these powerful free tools.

Let’s start by looking at Google Maps since it’s the simpler of the two.

But if you are looking for how to use Google My Maps, then click here .

How to Use Google Maps to Plot Your Road Trip Route

Google Maps is a great tool if you want to plot out your road trip route.

We use it as a starting point for all of our road trip planning to get a sense of how long our trip will be or what we can accomplish in the time we have.

Step 1: Open Google Maps

Start by opening up Google Maps on your desktop or phone.

When trip planning, we like to use our desktop computers to make use of the bigger screen.

Image of google search screen with Google Maps as an option to click on.

Step 2: Plot Your Road Trip Route

To start plotting your road trip route, click on directions.

Image of google maps with instructions to click on directions

Then enter your starting point and your first destination.

Image of google maps with two destinations on map

Continue to add stops to your road trip by clicking on the (+) to add destinations.

Image of google maps with instructions to add destinations.

Stop when you have all your road trip stops added to your map. Google Maps allows you to add up to 10 points to your map. If you want to add more, then Google My Maps is the tool for you.

Step 3: Reorder Road Trips Stops

If you want to play around with your route and reorder your stops, Google Maps makes it easy to do so.

On the left, where your stops are listed, you can drag and drop the stops to reorder them.

Image of Google Maps with directions to reorder road trip stops

Step 4: Move the Driving Route

Google Maps will choose the fastest route between your road trip stops. But sometimes, there may be a scenic route you want to take.

You can easily move your driving route as desired by dragging and dropping your route.

Step 5: Send the Driving Route to Your Phone

Once you plan your road trip, you can send the directions to your phone for easy access during your trip. Directions can be sent via text message or email.

Note: You will have to have a Google Account to send directions to your phone.

Google Maps is a great starting point for planning a road trip.

But if you want to harness the power of Google and use it to plan your road trip and as a resource throughout your trip, Google My Maps is the choice for you.

Google My Maps: The Best Road Trip Planning Tool

Planning a road trip can be a daunting task. It’s hard to know where to start, and all the research can feel overwhelming. But that is where the ultimate road trip planning tool, Google My Maps, comes to the rescue.

Google My Maps is a very similar tool to traditional Google Maps, but it’s much more powerful and customizable.

In this section, we’ll start with detailed information on the features of Google My Maps. And then, we’ll get into exactly how we use Google My Maps to plan each one of our road trips.

Using this tool will help you seamlessly organize and plan your road trip.

Once we tried it, we never looked back.

Let’s start by giving you a little introduction to Google My Maps.

What is Google My Maps?

Google My Maps utilizes all of the data in Google Maps to allow you to create your very own custom map for your road trip. It’s a way for you to create a map containing the places important to you .

Once you create your map, you can access all of the personalized information you’ve added, so you never miss a beat while on the road.

Why is Google My Maps the Ultimate Road Trip Planning Tool?

Google My Maps is our favorite tool for planning a road trip. Here is why:

It Helps You Visualize Your Trip Plotting all of your points of interest on a map helps see how your road trip may take shape. At the start of road trip planning, we typically have no idea what route we may take until we see all of the things we want to do on a map. And this is where Google My Maps can help.
It Helps Organize Your Research When planning a road trip, you are likely gathering information from many sources, including websites, tourist bureaus, and recommendations from friends and family. Google My Maps can help you organize all of your research so you can more easily plan your road trip itinerary.
It Consolidates Your Entire Itinerary Using Google My Maps allows you to have all of your road trip information in one place. There will be no need for a separate spreadsheet with your day-to-day itinerary or to bring your travel books with you.

What Are the Limitations of Google My Maps?

Google My Maps Can Not Be Used Offline You will need access to wifi or cellular data to use your map on your road trip. But don’t let that stop you from using it to plan your road trip. There are ways to download your map to other apps for offline use, which I’ll take you through in the tutorial.
You Can Only Add 2,000 Locations to Your Map Likely, you will not need over 2,000 locations when planning your road trip. And if you do, you can make separate maps, possibly divided by days or weeks, to get around this limitation.
You Can Only Add 10 Layers to Your Map Layers are ways to categorize your location points. When using Google My Maps, you can only have ten layers per map.
Planned Routes Can Not Be Accessed for Driving Directions on Google Maps When planning your trip, you may add a direction layer on your map to display the route you plan to take. Unfortunately, you can not use those directions to give you turn-by-turn navigation on your road trip. You’ll have to use Google Maps or click on a destination point on your custom Google My Map to bring up directions. I go through this in detail here .

How to Use Google My Maps to Plan a Road Trip

Now that you know why Google My Maps is the best road trip planning tool, let’s dive into the nuts and bolts of Google My Maps.

We’ll start with an in-depth overview and then show you exactly how we use Google My Maps to plan our road trips. Use the screenshots I’ve provided to help guide you through all of the steps.

Overview of Google My Maps

If you want to know how we use Google My Maps to plan our road trips, then feel free to skip down to the step-by-step guide for planning a road trip here .

But if you want to learn the ins and out of Google My Maps, this is where to start.

You can start from the beginning or jump to the section you want to learn more about by clicking on the links below.

Here is what we will cover to familiarize you with how Google My Maps works so you can start road trip planning like a boss.

Google My Maps Layout

Markers/Locations

Google My Maps allows you to add locations and driving directions to your map while allowing you to organize them as you wish.

To get started, let’s get familiar with the layout of Google My Maps.

I suggest creating your first Google My Map and playing around with the functions of the map to help you get familiar with them.

Note: You must either create a Google Account or sign in to your Google account to start using Google My Maps .

Location Markers

Location markers are points that you add to a map. They can be things like restaurants, hotels, sights-to-see, bathroom stops, etc.

Find things to do along your route with our Favorite Tools to Find Things to Do Along Your Road Trip Route .

Each point you add to a map will include any information that Google already has for that point.

These include things like:

GPS coordinates
Website address
Phone Number

Three Ways to Add Markers to Your Google My Map

You can add markers to your road trip map in three ways:

Using the search function
Selecting a Point already on Google Maps to add to your own map
Add a point manually

Let’s look at how to do all three.

Search Function

You can find a marker by typing in the name, address, or GPS coordinates into the search bar.

Adding a Marker That is Already on Google Maps

Google Maps already has many markers in its database. When you zoom into an area, many points of interest will start to show up. If any of these markers look appealing to you, you can add them to your own map by clicking on them.

Adding a Marker Manually

You may need to add markers manually when you can not find them via the search function and don’t have the location’s GPS coordinates.

For example, sometimes, I struggle to find the exact location of a trailhead via the search bar. In these cases, I find the location of the trailhead via a different resource and plot it on the map myself.

Color Code and Change the Icons of Your Markers

To keep your map organized, you’ll want to customize and color-code your icons to help you group locations together.

Luckily, Google lets you fully customize your markers.

Map layers are a great way to organize your maps.

But before we dive into adding layers, let’s talk about map layers.

What are Map Layers?

A map layer is a set of markers that are layered on top of an existing map. You can see your different layers on the left-hand side of your map.

When you add a marker to a map, Google My Maps will add it to a layer. You can then use these layers to organize your map.

The added marker will appear on the selected layer. If you want to move a marker to a different layer, click and drag that marker to the desired layer.

For example, I made a map of Wisconsin Campgrounds to help me find campgrounds nearby during our road trips.

I have chosen to use separate layers for different types of campgrounds; National Forests, State Parks, and County Parks.

The benefit of using separate layers versus adding all of the campgrounds to a single layer is that I can check and uncheck specific layers depending on what information I want to see on my map.

If I don’t want to see the State Parks on my map, I can uncheck “Wisconsin State Parks,” and they will not be plotted on my map until I recheck the box.

How to Add Layers

Within Google My Maps, you can have up to 10 layers on a single map.

To add layers, click on “add layer” on the left-hand side of your map just below the map title and description.

Image showing how to add layer to Google Map

Google My Maps then adds an “untitled layer” to your map.

To change the title, click on “Untitled layer,” and it will give you the option to rename the layer.

The current layer selected will have a solid vertical blue bar on the left side of the layer panel. Any new markers created will be added to the selected layer.

You can use Google My Maps to plot your driving route. Unfortunately, you can’t use these routes for navigation in Google Maps. This is one of the downfalls of Google My Maps.

But that is not to say that adding driving directions to your Google road trip map isn’t helpful. Adding driving directions helps you visualize your route so you can better understand where you are going while on your road trip. It also will help you figure out how long you can drive in one day .

Here’s how to add and use Directions on your Google Map:

Start by clicking on the direction icon located below the search bar.

Screen shot of adding driving directions to Google Map

You will then continue to add stops along your route to get a visual of your driving route.

Screen shot of creating a driving route in google maps

Google Maps will default to the quickest route when creating your driving route. The quickest driving route will likely be the main highways and not always the most scenic. Therefore, there may be times you want to deviate from the quickest route and take a more scenic route.

Fortunately, you can adjust your route by dragging it to where you want it to go.

Start by clicking on the route, and a small circle will appear.

Screen shot of how to change route on google my maps

Then drag this route to where you want the route to go.

How to Plan a Road Trip with Google My Maps – A Step-by-Step Tutorial

Now that we know the ins and outs of Google My Maps let’s learn how to use it to create your very own customized road trip map.

Create a New Google Map
Add Layers for Different Types of Locations
Add Locations to Your Map
Plan Your Road Trip Route

Step 1: Create a New Google Map

You will need to sign in to your Google Account or create a new account to create your own Google My Map.

Once you’re logged into Google, follow this link to bring you to Google Maps .

Click on the hamburger ( 𝄘 ) in the top left-hand corner of Google Maps.

Click on “Your Places”.

This brings up any saved information you’ve stored in Google maps, like your favorites

Now it’s time to bring up your very first map.

Click on Maps on the top left →, then click “create map” on the bottom left.

You now have your blank map!

Give your map a title, and get ready to create your first custom road trip map.

Step 2: Create Layers for Different Types of Markers

I like to start trip planning by creating different layers for the types of markers I plan to add to my map.

The layers I typically use are: – Places to Sleep – Places to Eat – Places to Drink – Things to Do

You can always add layers while you plan. But I find it easier to stay organized if I start with some layers on my map before adding locations.

Step 3. Add Markers to Your Map

This is the best part of planning your road trip with Google My Maps.

Whether you are in your brainstorming stage of travel prep or you already know where you want to go, this step is where your trip starts to come together.

To start, you’ll research your destinations to find markers to add to your map.

I like to use the following resources for trip research:

Google: Search for things to do, places to eat, places to stay, etc., in the areas you plan to visit or pass through
Visitor Centers: Find tourism information online or request info from your destinations’ tourism bureaus to be mailed to you
Travel books: We like to get ours from the library
Facebook groups: Join a Facebook Group for the area you are traveling to. They are filled with tons of suggestions on the best things to do in the area.

When you find a location you want to make note of, add it to your map.

Do this by entering it into the search bar.

The great thing about Google Maps is that it pulls up all of the information on a location that Google has. If available, you can find the exact address, reviews, and website address.

If the location looks good, you can then add it as a marker to your map by clicking “add to map”.

Once added to your map, you can customize your marker by changing your icon’s color and/or shape by clicking on the paint bucket icon labeled “style”.

I like picking a specific color and icon for each marker category. For example, my “restaurants” may all be blue with a fork and spoon icon, while my “sights to see” will be yellow with a binocular icon.

One of my favorite features of Google My Maps is that I can add my own info to the marker. Typically, this info comes from the research I’ve done on the location. If I found a blog post recommending a specific restaurant, I’ll add that to the marker, so I have that info at my fingertips when we are on the road.

Add any info you want to your marker and click save.

Google My Map image changing the location description

Your marker will now be added to your map.

You can see your marker in two places: one on the map and the other in the layer it was added to in the layers menu on the left-hand side of the screen.

Continue to add locations until your map starts to take shape.

Here is an example of a map we made for a West Virginia Road Trip .

Map of locations added to West Virginia Road Trip Map

Step 4: Determine Your Route / Itinerary

Now that you have location markers on your map, you can determine your route and day-to-day itinerary.

Take a look at where all your location markers are situated and start planning your route.

Start by creating a directions layer on your map.

Once you have your directions layer, rename it, and begin plotting your route.

First, you will need to enter your starting point. This can be done by either entering an address manually or clicking on a marker on your map.

Continue to add stops until your route is complete.

google map image of driving route for road trip

Here is an example of what our Lake Michigan Circle Tour Road Trip looked like.

Google map image or Michigan Road Trip Route

Google Maps will default to the quickest route from two points. If you want to go a different route than the one suggested, you can drag the route to force it to go a different way than it was originally displayed.

You now have your own customizable Google Map for your road trip.

We use these maps for both planning our trip and for reference during our trip.

Now let’s look at how to use your awesome map during your trip.

How to View Your Google My Map on Your Phone

Now that you have your map customized, you’ll likely want to be able to view it on your phone.

You will first need to download the Google Maps app from your phone’s app store.

Once you have the Google Map app, here is how you access your map:

Click on “Saved” on the lower toolbar on your phone
Click on “Maps” on the lower right
Select your customized map

Now you can view your location markers and all the customized information you added to your map.

Click on your marker to bring up basic information. For the more detailed information you added, swipe up.

How to Use Your Google Map to Get Directions During Your Road Trip

Unfortunately, you can’t use the turn-by-turn directions you may have added to your map for actual driving instructions for your trip.

But not all is lost; you can still get directions to the next stop by using your customized map and Google Maps.

To do this, click on the location you want directions to and click on directions.

This will launch your Google Map app and allow you to get turn-by-turn directions to your next stop.

How to Export Your Map for Offline Access

Google My Maps works great when you have cell phone service on your trip. Unfortunately, you will not always have service, and you can’t download your Google My Map for offline use like you can in Google Maps.

Thankfully, there are ways to export your map for use offline.

To do this, we use Gaia GPS .

Let’s walk you through downloading your Google My Map for importing into Gaia GPS, an offline mapping app.

On your computer, click on the ( ⋮ ) in the top left corner by the map’s name. Then click on Export to KML/KMZ.

A pop-up will appear. Keep the default of “entire map” and click “download”.

Now you can import this map into Gaia GPS.

Start by creating a Gaia GPS account .

Once logged in, click “Import Data” and select the .KMZ file you downloaded from Google My Maps.

Your locations will now populate in your Gaia GPS map. Make sure to click “save” .

You can now access your map locations offline on your phone via Gaia GPS.

To do this, download the Gaia GPS App on your phone and log in.

Once logged in, you will see a notification that you have a saved location available.

Click on the Saved folder

You can now see all your locations on your Google My Map. Including the details, you added.

More Road Trip Tips: Road Trip Hacks for a Stress-free Trip Road Trip Activities for a Long Car Ride Road Trip Meal and Snack Ideas Money-Saving Tips for Your Next Road Trip How to Budget for a Road Trip

How-To Geek

How to plan a road trip with multiple destinations in google maps.

Map out multiple destinations in Google Maps on the web or in the app.

Quick Links

Add multiple stops using the website, add multiple stops using the mobile app.

Whether you're planning a day out on the town, or want to orchestrate the perfect road trip across the country, Google Maps allows you to add up to nine stops, excluding your starting point, when you make directions from both the website and the Maps app. Here's how you do it.

First, open up your browser and head on over to Google Maps. Click the "Directions" button to the right of the search bar.

By default, Maps will use your device's location for the starting point. If you want this to be a different location, enter it now.

Next, enter the location of your first destination into the field provided, and then hit Enter. Alternatively, you can click any location on the map to get the same results.

Make sure you have either the driving or walking option selected, as Maps only lets you make multiple destinations with these two travel modes.

To add another destination, all you have to do is click either the "+" or the space below your first destination, and then start typing a new location. You can repeat this to add up to nine total stops. If you have more stops than is allowed, you may need to make another map from where you left off.

If at any point you decide you want to change up the order of your destinations, just drag any location up or down on the list using the circles on the left.

And once you've created your map in your web browser, you can click the "Send directions to your phone" link to send it to your mobile device by email or text message. Assuming you've got the Google Maps app installed, you can open it right up.

If you want to optimize your travel, you can also turn a multi-stop Google Maps trip into a round-trip .

Related: How to Find Public Restrooms Near You with Google Maps

You can use the Google Apps mobile app (free for iPhone , iPad , and Android ) to create a map with multiple destinations in much the same way.

Related: How to Download Google Maps Data for Offline Navigation on Android or iPhone

Fire up the Google Maps app on your mobile device, and then tap the blue "Go" button on the bottom right of your screen.

By default, Maps uses your device's location for the starting point. If you want this to be a different location, enter it now.

Start typing in your first destination or tap a location on the map below to start your journey.

Next, open the menu (the three dots at the top right), and then tap the "Add Stop" command.

Enter the location of your next stop, or tap anywhere on the map to add the next destination.

To change the order of your destinations, just drag any of the locations up or down the list using the "Hamburger" (three stacked lines) on the left.

When you've added all the stops to your trip, go ahead and tap "Done" so you can start your journey.

Related: How to View and Delete Your Google Maps History on Android and iPhone

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Get directions & show routes

You can get directions for driving, public transit, walking, ride sharing, cycling, flight, or motorcycle on Google Maps. If there are multiple routes, the best route to your destination is blue, all other routes are gray. Some directions in Google Maps are in development and may have limited availability.

Important: Stay alert when you use directions on Google Maps. Always be aware of your surroundings to ensure the safety of yourself and others. When in doubt, follow actual traffic regulations and confirm signage from the road or path that you’re on.

On your computer, open Google Maps .

Click points on the map, type an address, or add a place name.

Tip: To choose another route in any transportation mode, select it on the map. Each route shows the estimated travel time on the map.

Google Maps transportation modes

You can get directions for different modes of transportation in Google Maps. Learn about the differences in features and availability between each mode:

If you want to change a driving route, click and hold a spot on the route and drag it to a new spot on the map.

Not all cities have public transit directions in Google Maps. Before you can get transit directions, your local transit agency needs to add their route info to Google Maps.

If you want directions in an area with ride or taxi services, you can compare ride services with transit and walking directions. Learn how to request a ride .

Directions to multiple destinations, or waypoints, aren’t available for public transit or flight searches.
Learn more about how to search for flights .

Learn how to get directions for motorcycles .

Add multiple destinations

You can get directions to multiple destinations for all modes of transportation except public transit or flight.

Add a starting point and a destination.

You can add up to 9 stops.
Click on a route to get the directions.

Tip : You can search for places along your route.

To change the order of your stops:

Find the destination you want to move.
Drag the destination.

Preview directions in Street View

On your computer, under the route you want, click Details.

Point to a step in the directions. If Street View is available, you get a preview photo.
To get Street View for other steps in the route, in the bottom-left box, click Previous step or Next step.

Customize your route

Choose Options .
Check the box next to "Tolls" or "Highways."
Get directions.
After you get your directions, click Leave now .
To change your travel dates or times, select Depart at or Arrive by .

When you enter a destination in Google Maps, we show you how to get there using different travel modes, like driving, cycling, or walking.

Sometimes, the transport options we show you are ranked according to a combination of objective factors designed to help you find relevant and useful information. These factors can include duration, distance, price, your mode preference, or the relevance of a mode to your query. Generally, the most important factors are your mode preference, trip durations, and sometimes price.

Where available, we also show you other mobility services like public transport, scooter or bicycle rentals, and vehicle ride services. These mobility services are provided by third parties who have made their transport data publicly available or who have a partner agreement with us. Any partnerships or business relationships we may have with any transportation service providers do not influence the ranking of these services.

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"The Google Maps integration is excellent and we can easily print off a whole itinerary before we leave, or use the app when we get there to help us get around and have a smooth journey. I would recommend Pebblar to anyone planning an upcoming trip." Rufus Holmes

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12 Google Maps Secrets All Travelers Should Know

If you’re only opening google maps for driving directions, you’re not leveraging the app’s full potential. here are 12 other ways travelers can use it to improve their trips, in advance and on the fly..

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As a travel editor, I use Google Maps daily. These are some of the most useful features for trip planning I’ve found.

Photo by Mojahid Mottakin/Shutterstock

I’m a nerd for maps. As a kid, they inspired me to want to travel, and as an adult they’re my comfort reading. My colleagues at Afar even let me make a podcast episode about them . But of all the maps I love (Middle-earth included), the one I spend the most time with these days is Google Maps. I’m betting most of you can say the same thing. I’m on that app every single day. I use it for work (for the research I need to do in my job here as an editor and writer), I use it for fun (I can spend hours armchair exploring remote islands in the middle of oceans), and I use it, most invaluably, for trip planning. If you’re only using Google Maps for directions, you’re missing out. Here are a dozen ways I use Google Maps for smarter travel.

Collaborate an itinerary with friends

I make Google Maps lists of everything: I have one for vegetarian restaurants, another for ice cream shops—I even have one that’s a cocktails and cookies trail. (I created that last one with my cousin when we celebrated her 21st birthday.) More often, I use lists as a trip-planning tool. As I’m researching things to do in whatever destination I’m headed to (recently Argentina, Nairobi, and Manchester ), I create a list, add places of interest (museums, restaurants, shops, libraries, etc.) and share it with my travel crew so that they can weigh in on my picks and add their recommendations. While that’s useful, it’s only 101.

In the past year, lists have leveled up: Now, for each place listing, your friends can react with an emoji (heart, smile, fire, thumbs down, or flying money) and add their tips and suggestions into a comments field (e.g., “I read that dulce de leche is the flavor to get!” or “Let’s go here after our street-art tour on Monday.”). I especially like that I can customize the order of the items on the list; for example, I could make them match the path of cookies I plan to follow, or I could arrange our collective Argentina picks chronologically so that the list doubles as our itinerary. A fun bonus is that you can assign any emoji to the whole list so that all of the places show up in map view with that themed icon—say, the Argentina flag or an ice cream cone.

Walk like you know where you’re going with navigation

Google Maps screenshot of a phone showing Glanceable Directions feature, which is a minimap and directional arrow on your lock screen

The Glanceable Directions feature puts a minimap on your lock screen.

Photo by Billie Cohen

Turn-by-turn navigation isn’t just for drivers. Google Maps offers it for walkers and bikers too. Once you type in your destination, select “directions,” then “walking,” then “start navigation,” and the app will speak out loud to guide you, the same as if you were in a car. When I’m in a new city, I use this with one earbud in so I don’t have to keep looking at my phone (because I will inevitably trip and fall over).

If you prefer to look at your phone, you can follow your route in both 2D (that little blue arrow moving on the map) or in 3D Live View. In this mode, you point your camera at the real world to get the app situated and then follow arrows and directions overlaid on the IRL view of the streets that you see through your phone. (Another settings option allows you to tilt your phone to enter Live View rather than tap.) Even more helpful, the recently released Glanceable Directions feature shows a minimap and navigation on your lock screen, so you don’t have to open the app and turn on comprehensive navigation mode to get the benefits (toggle this feature on in settings). Conveniently, it’ll automatically reroute if you take a different path.

Use augmented-reality Lens to find what’s nearby: shops, restaurants, ATMs, and more

Google Maps screenshot showing Google Maps Lens feature, which puts icons on top of buildings as you look at them on your phone. This picture shows a street in Manhattan with castle-like brick library buildings and a pop-up dialog box that names the building as Jefferson Market Library.

When in the Lens function, Google Maps puts street names and building information on the view around you.

In addition to navigating with augmented-reality Live View, you can also use an augmented-reality (AR) function called Lens in Maps to see what’s around you, including restaurants, public transportation stops, and landmarks. When in Maps, tap the little camera icon in the search bar, then point your phone at the street, and you’ll start to see icons on the buildings. Note that this feature works only for select locations, but new cities are consistently rolling out. In the meantime, all of this information is still easily available in the app: Right under the search bar, you’ll see popular search categories, including gas, restaurants, hotels, and groceries—and be sure to scroll all the way over to the “More” button. Tap that to see a couple dozen additional, and very specific, categories, including ATMs, libraries, live music, hospitals, pharmacies, and even EV charging stations.

Plan your EV charging route

Speaking of EV charging stations, Maps has expanded the info it provides on electricity pumps. To find them while you’re on an EV road trip , type or speak “charging stations” into the search field or tap the “More” category button directly under the search bar. You’ll immediately see red pins with a little lightning bolt inside them populate the map. In the information card below, the app will tell you which kind of chargers a station has (fast, medium, slow), how many are available, and whether they’re compatible with your car.

Check what’s open right now

When I was in Manchester last year, my friends and I went to a concert that let out late, and instead of heading directly to bed, we wanted to go out for a drink and a bite to eat. That’s when I pulled out Maps to check what places were still open around us. In the app, look for “open now”—it’s one of the options right under the search bar.

Use photos to get a sense of a place before you go

Nearly every listing in Google Maps has photos now, culled from public reviews and the establishments’ owners. Admittedly, this isn’t so much of a secret—but it is a secret weapon. You can use those photos to evaluate hotels, to check if a coffee shop is comfortable for laptop working, to see if a restaurant is likely to fit your big group or your mood, and to view images of menus. A recent AI-powered update uses those photos to give more travel inspiration. Try typing something like “cherry blossoms,” “public art,” or “swimming holes” into the search bar, and the results will include a carousel of photos and videos culled from public uploads, under the headline “Discover through photos.”

See the future, and plan for it

Google Maps screenshot of phone showing Immersive View of the Brooklyn Bridge over the East River in New York City. The screen has an overlay of the temperature outside, the time, and a slider so you can change the time and see views of the bridge at different times of day.

Immersive View uses AI to compile video clips of certain sites, like the Brooklyn Bridge, and show what they’ll look like a few days into the future.

Google Maps’ Immersive View is photos on steroids. Well, on AI. For more than 500 landmarks around the world (including the London Eye, the Empire State Building, and Tokyo Tower), the search results include what looks like a video labeled “Immersive view.” What you’re seeing is actually a ton of photos that the app stitched together to create not just an image but a whole knowledge roundup of a particular destination. Want to see what traffic will be like on the Brooklyn Bridge tomorrow morning? Want to see the view from the Eiffel Tower as the sun sets tonight? You can do it now, through Immersive View. A small icon in the bottom right corner shows the weather and a clock—tap it to change the time of day, up to four or five days into the future, and the view will change too: the number of cars on the bridge, the clouds over Paris.

Share your real-time location to stay safe

When I am traveling solo , I always keep my location services turned on for safety (and also to ensure that my 7,000 photos of street art, grocery-store finds, and random architectural details are geotagged for later reference). But even if I’m traveling with friends or family, I use real-time location sharing when I head off on my own so that people know where I am. This is especially helpful if I’m running late, because they can see my arrival time and use that to make important decisions, like whether to order appetizers without me. On the map, you can tap your blue dot to see sharing options or go to your account icon in Maps and open location sharing to choose who and what you want to share. Bonus hint: Tapping the blue dot is also how you get to the option to save your parking location.

Download an offline map

If you’re concerned about eating up mobile data—or if you’re going to be in a location where you won’t have good internet service, Google Maps has you covered. Tap your circular account icon at the top right of the app and go to Offline Maps to select the region you want to download; it will work the same as the live version. Whenever I travel, I download a big swath of the area I’m going to, even if I think I’ll have plenty of internet access. You never know when you’ll be in a dead spot.

Use overlays to get more information out of your map

Maps are like ogres and onions—they have layers. To find those layers, go into the app on your phone or desktop and click the icon that looks like a stack of tiny squares. You may already know that Maps can show you a satellite view layer, a terrain view layer, and the default cartoonish view layer. (The local weather forecast is always available too—look for the small icon on the left side of the screen just under the search bar.) But did you know that it can also overlay public transit routes, traffic statuses, bike paths, wildfires, and air quality? The public transit overlay is one of my favorites, whether I’m traveling or at home in NYC—the subway lines are even correctly color-coded.

Discover the Easter eggs

You’ve seen Google Maps’ little orange Pegman, right? He’s the icon that lives at the bottom right of the screen in the desktop app. Drag him into the map and you’ll see a street view of almost any location. But in some spots around the world, he hides an Easter egg. Navigate to Loch Ness in Scotland, and when you pick him up, he’s wearing a Nessie costume. At Area 51, he turns into a UFO. And in the Galapagos Islands, he has a mermaid tail. Can you find any others?

Stay tuned for more AI-powered features in the future

Google is working on bringing generative AI into its maps , and one project that’s underway is a feature that will allow users to ask questions like “What are rainy-day activities I can do with kids?” When the feature is available (expected later this year), the map will show indoor suggestions such as bowling alleys and movie theaters. Google’s community of more than 300 million “local guides,” as they call their contributors, are working to test this now, and I’m already lining up my questions: Hey Google, what are some places that cartography nerds would like?

The silhouette of a visitor in front of purple, illustrated projections at ARTECHOUSE in Washington, D.C.

Google Maps travel tips to navigate and learn about places you visit (even without Wi-Fi)

"Easy Travel” is a ten-part series focusing on how to reduce bumps during vacations, anticipate roadblocks and be ready when things aren’t going your way. If you'd like to contribute to our future reporting and share your experience as a source, you can click here to fill out this quick form .

It goes without saying, but gone are the days of paper maps for navigating. We mostly all have phones in our pockets that can show us where to go, which comes in especially handy when traveling to a new place, even when reception isn’t guaranteed.

USA TODAY Travel reporters Zach Wichter and Kathleen Wong teamed up to share some of their favorite digital map tips to help travelers on their journeys.

Street navigation and offline map access

Zach: I’m a little map-obsessed myself. The post below on X, formerly Twitter, really speaks to me. So, before I visit a new place, I typically spend hours looking around on Google Maps to familiarize myself with the geography.

Learn more: Best travel insurance

It’s not just natural features I’m interested in, either. Google Maps comes in super handy for learning the basics of a new city’s transit system and other ways to get around. Especially if I’m arriving after an overnight flight, I like to know exactly how I will get to my lodging. I often take screenshots of transit directions for that first trip so I don’t have to worry about bad service or lack of airport Wi-Fi to get where I’m going.

However, I may want to start using the app directly more often.

Christina Tong, a senior product manager at Google, said "Live View" directions are available everywhere that Street View imagery exists.

“It’s a really new capability that is helping you navigate in augmented reality and be able to search your surroundings,” she said. Live View allows Maps users to see turn-by-turn directions overlaid on street view. Tong said the feature can be especially helpful for orienting yourself when you come out of a subway station and need to get your bearings.” You can even use it in some indoor locations like certain shopping malls and airports for more detailed wayfinding.

Live View is accessed through the camera icon on the walking directions tab. To use it, you must have an active internet or data connection.

Tong pointed out that the Maps team is also rolling out bike and scooter directions in many cities.

“This bike and scooter information is available on Google Maps in more than 500 cities globally,” she said, adding that information about vehicle availability, dock locations and battery levels for e-bikes and scooters is also provided in the bike directions tab.

Another cool feature that’s especially helpful when using Google Maps abroad is the option to download offline maps. Doing that allows you to navigate and find some basic information about popular sites where you’re visiting, even if you don’t have cell service outside of the U.S., like when I went on a reporting trip to Hamburg this spring. or are traveling somewhere with poor reception.

“Two cases for me: I’m about to go camping or take a road trip and I’m going to be driving through a place that has less phone reception coverage, or if I’m traveling internationally and my phone doesn’t cover a data plan,” Tong said. “This was actually one of our most requested tools and I’m really excited to share that with travelers.”

To download offline maps:

Tap your profile picture or the initial icon in Google Maps
Then tap “offline maps” and choose the select your own feature
Zoom in on the area you want to save, and then hit download

Cruising Altitude: Is airplane coffee safe to drink? I'll try to put the rumors to rest.

Customizing your map for a trip, collaborating with friends

Kathleen: When I travel, I always employ Google Maps – and not just for directions. The online tool helps me easily visualize my destinations to develop an efficient game plan.

I’ll include Google Maps in my research when I check out accommodations to book. I’ll scroll around to explore neighborhoods and see what businesses are nearby. (For obvious reasons, it’s important that a good coffee shop is within walking distance of my hotel or Airbnb.)

If a business catches my eye, I’ll save it to My Maps . Usually, I’ll make My Maps for different categories, like shops or bars I want to visit, and mark them with a color or icon.

To make your layered custom map, sign into your Google Maps account and open or create a map.
Add and name a layer, like "cool bars," then explore and save certain businesses to your layer. You can even add different colors and icons to your layers.
When you’re done, hit share or preview to see your custom map.

The Google Maps interface makes it easy to see the address, operating hours, contact information and if you can make reservations or order online. I’ll also do a quick look through reviews and photos. Based on how many reviews a place has, I can gauge if a place sounds popular – and will probably be busy. The digital tool also helps me support diverse businesses . You can see if a place is women-owned or LGBTQ+-owned, among other identities.

Tong also pointed out that hundreds of places are also getting added to Google Maps’ new Immersive View feature, which can help you better understand things like crowds and weather to plan your visit more precisely.

“Immersive view uses AI to fuse together billions of images and create this multidimensional view of a place,” she said.

If I’m traveling with friends, we’ll work together on marking places to visit and share the map link with each other, where all the pins live. When my New York-based friend visited me in Honolulu in 2021 for the first time, we brainstormed a map of spots that I wanted to take her to and others she wanted to visit ahead of time. We could even add notes, like saying if an eatery is a must-visit. When creating our daily itinerary, we looked at our custom map to see what was in the same vicinity so we could make the most of our time and not backtrack.

These custom maps also help me in the moment when I’m traveling. If it’s been a long day and I need to grab some dinner, I can open up Google Maps to see what spots I had previously vetted without having to frantically search for a place. Then, Maps will direct me right to the restaurant. (This is especially useful for those with dietary restrictions, so you already have a rolodex of eateries before the hanger kicks in.)

Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and columnist for USA TODAY based in New York. You can reach him at [email protected] . Kathleen Wong is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Hawaii. You can reach her at [email protected]

9 essential Google Maps tips for your Summer road trip

Hit the road with Google Maps this summer

Departure times
Share location
Offline maps
Reservations
Avoid tolls
Fuel-efficient routes
Save parking

If you’re heading out on a road trip this summer, odds are you’ll be using an app like Google Maps to find your way around. It doesn’t matter where you’re going, or how long you plan to be on the road, it always helps to know where you are and how to get to wherever it is you need to be.

But there’s more to Google Maps than getting yourself from A to B. There’s loads more that this app can do, and if you’re going to be on the open road for an extended period of time you’d be wise to take advantage of them. But, of course, that requires knowing what Google Maps actually has to offer. Fortunately we can point you in the right direction.

Here are 9 Google Maps tips to help prepare you for your summer road trip.

1. Hands-free control

9 essential google maps tips for your summer road trip

Google Maps has pretty strong ties to Google Assistant , so if you need to control the app while driving you can do most things using your voice. Android users can use the “Hey Google” command if it’s set up, or if you’re using Android Auto.

iPhone users can do this too, but you’ll need to go into Google Maps Settings then Navigation and toggle on Access your Assistant with OK Google. It’s a lot easier than trying to get stuff done in Google Maps with Siri and it only applies to Google Maps while navigation is active. Alternatively both platforms can trigger the voice command interface by tapping the microphone button on screen.

2. Plan your departure time

Traffic levels are always dependent on when you’re actually on the road, and predicting that by yourself is pretty much impossible. Fortunately Google Maps has libraries of historic traffic data at its disposal, and can estimate what traffic levels on your route will be like at specific parts of the day.

Just punch in your destination and hit Directions. The route preview screen will pop up, at which point you need to hit the three dot menu and tap the set depart or arrive time option. Set the time and day you plan on traveling, and Google Maps will give you a rough idea of how long the trip will take and what the traffic levels will be like along your route. So if they’re bad, you can alter your schedule to something a little more reasonable.

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3. Add extra stops

Need to go to multiple locations on your drive? You can add them all to a trip on Google Maps, either before or after you set off driving. Before is nice and easy: type in your final destination and press Directions. Once the route preview screen is open, press the three-dot menu followed by Add Stop. You can then search for places to add to the trip, be it a restaurant, gas station or something else. Just make sure to rearrange the order by pressing and holding the two parallel lines icon at the end of each stop.

The easiest way to add stops mid-drive is with voice commands. Ask Google Maps to add a gas station and it’ll show you a bunch of options. Tap the one you want on screen and Google Maps will add it to your trip after a few seconds. Alternatively press the magnifying glass at the top of the screen and you’ll be able to type in what you want — or choose from a number of popular pre-set options.

4. Share location and trip progress

If there’s someone waiting at the end of your drive, or you want someone back home to know you’ve arrived safely, then you can share your trip progress with Google Maps. Once navigation is active, swipe up the bottom menu and select Share trip progress.

Pick a contact to send it to — be it an email, text message or any number of other options — and the recipient will be sent a message with a Google Maps link. Opening this link shows them where you are in real time, what your estimated time of arrival is, and what route you’ll be taking. There’s also a battery life toggle, and sharing will automatically stop once you reach your destination — though you can switch it off anytime from the drag-up menu.

5. Offline mapping

You can’t always guarantee that there’s going to be any cell signal where you’re going, and you don’t want to be cut off from your navigation system just because Google Maps lost its data connection. Fortunately Google Maps will let you download routes and maps for offline usage.

The good news is that Google Maps will automatically download a route as soon as you pump in your final destination — so you won’t lose directions mid-way through a drive. However this doesn’t account for times you need to make a diversion, or need to move onto a different spot after you arrive in a dead spot. So, you can download mapping data for a much larger region.

Simply search for an area or city, any area or city you like, and pull up the bottom menu. From there tap the three button menu in the top-right and choose Download offline map. This brings you to a map with a large blue square around it, which marks the area you’ll be downloading mapping data from. Zoom in and out, or move this box around to cover a different area and hit Download once you’re done.

6. Reserve a table or a hotel

Not only does Google Maps include the ability to find restaurants and hotels, it also lets you check availability on any given day and book yourself a table or room from within the app itself.

Typically, trying to book something takes you to a third party website, be it a businesses official site or a third party booking service like Experia or OpenTable. However some of these businesses let you make reservations without having to leave Google Maps — saving you a little bit more time in the process.

7. Avoid tolls, ferries and highways

Unless explicitly told otherwise, Google Maps will direct you down what it considers to be the best possible route — which is usually either the fastest or shortest option available. But that may send you to some places you don’t want to be. Whether you’re skipping the cost of toll roads or ferries, or would rather a more scenic route than highways can offer.

Thankfully it’s very easy to tell Google Maps to avoid one or all of these things. Simply open up the Settings menu and scroll down until you find Navigation settings. The menu will give you a bunch of options, and you want to scroll down until it says Route Options.

Here you can tell Google Maps to avoid toll roads, highways and ferries. Toggle them on, and then head back to the main screen to get your directions.

8. Fuel-efficient routing

Gas is expensive, and EV charging takes a long time — even at a rapid charger. The last thing you want is to take some convoluted route that burns through more fuel than absolutely necessary.

Fortunately Google Maps is able to figure out the most energy efficient route for your car, based on the kind of fuel you use. Head to the Google Maps Settings menu then scroll down to Navigation settings. Scroll down this menu until you find Route Options and underneath the toggles to avoid tolls and highways is an option called Prefer fuel-efficient routes.

This should be enabled by default, but it pays to make sure it is switched on. Right below is an option called Engine type which will let you choose between Gasoline, diesel, electric and hybrid — because different engines’ efficiency varies depending on the kind of road you’re on.

9. Save your parking spot

Nothing is worse than being lost in a parking lot, unable to find your car. So make sure to take advantage of this Google Maps feature that will save the location of your parking space and stop that disaster from happening. Once you park up simply hit the Blue dot that represents you on the map itself and tap the Save parking button on the menu.

Google Maps then drops a yellow pin with a large P in the center, marking your parking spot. This spot will also be saved in your recent history, and appears at the top of the menu when you tap the search bar. Simply tap that and Google Maps will fly to it, and give you the option to get directions to that spot.

More from Tom's Guide

Google Maps is getting a big upgrade in time for your summer vacation
Google Maps vs. Apple Maps: Which navigation app is best?
9 hidden Google Maps features everyone should know

Tom is the Tom's Guide's UK Phones Editor, tackling the latest smartphone news and vocally expressing his opinions about upcoming features or changes. It's long way from his days as editor of Gizmodo UK, when pretty much everything was on the table. He’s usually found trying to squeeze another giant Lego set onto the shelf, draining very large cups of coffee, or complaining about how terrible his Smart TV is.

7 biggest app annoyances — here’s what drives us up a wall with mobile apps

Google Maps is getting a makeover — here's everything you need to know

How to grow hydrangeas from cuttings — easy steps to get more blooms

How to Get the Most Out of EV Features in Google Maps

Google Maps has heaps of features for EV users, so you'll never run out of juice again.

Quick Links

Know How Many Charging Stations Are Free for Use
Know the Power Capacity of Charging Stations
Choose Charging Stations That Suit Your EV
Find Exactly Where a Charging Station Is Located
See Nearby Charging Stations When Your Battery Is Low
Plan Your Stops on a Road Trip

Key Takeaways

Google Maps provides info on the availability & power capacity of charging stations to ease EV trip planning.
Choose the right charging station with the correct plug type for your EV to avoid issues.
Utilize Google Maps & EV apps to plan road trips, extending battery life & ensuring a smooth journey.

With precise navigation and increased flexibility when planning long road trips, Google Maps' new features for EVs should make planning your next trip much more convenient.

At the very least, you won't worry about running out of charge!

1 Know How Many Charging Stations Are Free for Use

Electric vehicles have increased greatly in popularity since the first one rolled out of the factory, and so have their numbers. So much so, in fact, that they far outnumber the charging stations built for them.

If you’re not sure whether a particular charging station has charging ports free or in use, you can now find out before you travel there. Just look up a charging station directly to see how many charging bays are open.

It’s best to have this information before you plan your route to the closest charging station because they might be in use for a while.

2 Know the Power Capacity of Charging Stations

The higher the power output of an EV charging station, the faster you can charge your car. So, when searching for a bay to plug into, make sure you’re looking at the power capacity, too.

Just tap a particular option from the available charging stations on the map to take a look at the capacity that it offers.

Be wary, though, of using a station that is over-powered for your car, because DC fast-charging can affect your EV’s battery .

3 Choose Charging Stations That Suit Your EV

Now that electric vehicles have caught on, there is more diversity than before. It’s not just a number of auto-makers and battery types we are seeing; this diversity is also found in the plug design used for charging an electric car.

There’s no use getting to a charging station only to find that it doesn’t have the right kind of charger for your model. But you can choose the plug type your EV uses in Google Maps to filter out those stations that aren’t helpful.

When looking for a charging station on Google Maps, click on the Any plugs option toward the top-right.
Click on the Add plugs button.
Choose the plug that fits into your EV from the list. You’ll see just those stations offering that specific plug type.

4 Find Exactly Where a Charging Station Is Located

It’s not always easy to find a charging station, even if you’ve narrowed down its general location. EV charging stations often have their own designated areas in parking lots and multi-level parking garages, making them difficult to locate precisely.

Google Maps will use AI to help in this regard. It will scour millions of user reviews to give you exact directions to a charging station.

The AI built into Google Maps might even encourage you to provide more information about your experience, including the type of plug you used and your wait time, so that this may benefit others looking for a spot to charge their cars.

5 See Nearby Charging Stations When Your Battery Is Low

If you have Google built into your EV, you might be surprised to see nearby charging stations showing up on the in-car map. This is perfect for when your battery is running low, and you need to quickly pick the closest charger to top up.

This in-map intel will also provide details in real-time on the number of ports available and their charging speed. Based on location and power, pick the station that suits your charging needs.

Driving on a battery that’s close to running out is not a good position to be in. Extend your EV's battery life by taking care of it properly.

6 Plan Your Stops on a Road Trip

Planning a long road trip with an electric vehicle can get complicated. Their limited range and lengthy charging times (compared with gas-powered cars) mean stops can be more frequent and longer, a challenge that may lead to a return to less eco-friendly options.

But if you have Google built-in, this should be much simpler. Plan a multi-stop trip, and Maps will suggest the best charging locations based on your battery level. Use this information in conjunction with the EV filter on Google Travel to find hotels with on-site EV charging.

Another way to get the most out of a long road trip is to get yourself a few excellent EV apps to plan your route .

If you have an EV, be sure to use all Google Maps’ resources at your disposal to plan long trips and find the right charging station when your car is almost out of juice. Your time on the road just got a little easier.

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IMAGES

How To Plan Your Road Trip With Google Maps (Tutorial With Examples
How To Plan Your Road Trip With Google Maps Tutorial With Examples
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2. Create a new map through the home screen. At the top left of the "My Maps" home screen, you'll see a red box with the text "+Create a New Map.". Click on it to be redirected to a map screen. [3] 3. Give your map a descriptive name. To keep yourself organized, give your map a name to remind you what it contains.
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Plan a multi-stop trip, and Maps will suggest the best charging locations based on your battery level. Use this information in conjunction with the EV filter on Google Travel to find hotels with on-site EV charging. Another way to get the most out of a long road trip is to get yourself a few excellent EV apps to plan your route.
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How soon can I link my tickets from my trip?
Since your trip is coming up real soon, I also recommend making sure you have advanced dining reservations for any restaurants on your must-do list. I love to add at least one character dining experience to every trip I take to Disney World for the opportunity to meet several Disney friends while I relax and enjoy a fabulous meal.

How to Make a Travel Itinerary with Google Maps

Setting Up Your Map

Creating an Itinerary and Planning Routes

Expert Q&A

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How to use Google Maps as a trip planner and make a full itinerary

How to use Google Maps as a trip planner

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How to Use Google Maps to Plan Your Next Road Trip (Step-By-Step Tutorial With Examples)

GOOGLE MAPS TRAVEL PLANNING OVERVIEW

WHY GOOGLE MAPS IS THE BEST TRAVEL PLANNING TOOL FOR YOUR NEXT TRIP

IT CREATES A VISUAL REPRESENTATION OF YOUR ROAD TRIP

GOOGLE MY MAPS HELPS YOU FIGURE OUT WHERE TO SPEND YOUR TIME

YOUR GOOGLE MAP IS HIGHLY CUSTOMIZABLE

IT HELPS YOU NAVIGATE AND PLAN YOUR ROUTE

IT’S EASY TO COLLABORATE AND SHARE YOUR TRIP

YOUR MAP IS EASY TO SHARE BETWEEN DEVICES

HOW TO CREATE A CUSTOM MAP IN GOOGLE MAPS: A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE

CREATE A NEW GOOGLE MAP

2. ADD LOCATIONS TO YOUR GOOGLE MAP

HOW TO ADD LOCATION PINS

3. CUSTOMIZING LOCATION PINS

. 4. CREATING MAP LAYERS TO PLAN YOUR TRIP IN GOOGLE MAPS

HOW TO ADD LAYERS

. TIPS FOR USING LAYERS TO PLAN YOUR ITINERARY IN GOOGLE MAPS

WHEN TO MAKE SEPARATE MAPS

5. ADDING DIRECTIONS TO YOUR GOOGLE MAP

VIEW STEP-BY-STEP DIRECTIONS

ADJUSTING YOUR ROUTE

. 6. HOW TO ACCESS CUSTOM GOOGLE MAPS ON YOUR PHONE

1. To view your maps in the Google Maps app:

2. To export your custom map to Maps.me:

7. CREATE A SHARED GOOGLE MAP

8. BONUS: CALCULATE GAS MILEAGE

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How to Plan a Road Trip with Google Maps: A Step-by-Step Tutorial

How to Use Google Maps to Plot Your Road Trip Route

Step 1: Open Google Maps

Step 2: Plot Your Road Trip Route

Step 3: Reorder Road Trips Stops

Step 4: Move the Driving Route

Step 5: Send the Driving Route to Your Phone

Google My Maps: The Best Road Trip Planning Tool

What is Google My Maps?

Why is Google My Maps the Ultimate Road Trip Planning Tool?

What Are the Limitations of Google My Maps?

How to Use Google My Maps to Plan a Road Trip

Overview of Google My Maps

Google My Maps Layout

Location Markers

Three Ways to Add Markers to Your Google My Map

Color Code and Change the Icons of Your Markers

What are Map Layers?

How to Add Layers

How to Plan a Road Trip with Google My Maps – A Step-by-Step Tutorial

Step 1: Create a New Google Map

Step 2: Create Layers for Different Types of Markers

Step 3. Add Markers to Your Map

Step 4: Determine Your Route / Itinerary

How to View Your Google My Map on Your Phone

How to Use Your Google Map to Get Directions During Your Road Trip

How to Export Your Map for Offline Access

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