planning a trip using google maps

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How to Use Google My Maps to Plan a Trip (Ultimate Guide)

Note: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive a commission at no additional cost to you. More details are  here .

I love a good map. I’ve got maps hanging on my walls. I go to the bookstore to read maps. Whenever I navigate my way home using only a map, I feel like I must have some innate bushcraft skills. And if you’ve read my posts about traveling in Maine , you’re probably sick of me talking about the DeLorme Atlas by now.

But while reading paper maps will always inspire a sense of get-up-and-go adventure for me, I’m not totally opposed to using tech for planning my trips and navigating on the ground.

And one of my favorite techy solutions? A secret little trip planner called Google My Maps, buried inside of everyone’s favorite map tool.

Google My Maps lets you create shareable custom maps with multiple layers, plus location pins with icons and notes. It’s a great way to brainstorm travel plans or create a trip itinerary from a desktop. And since the map can be viewed in the Google Maps app, you can use it to navigate on the go. 

To give you an example of what this post will show you how to do, here’s one of the custom Google Maps I’ve created for a trip.

Keep reading for an overview of how to use Google My Maps to plan a trip, plus a video tutorial of how to set it up—all updated in 2023. I’ll also share answers to commonly asked questions and some lesser known tips to help you get the most out of this tool. 

A quick note: Creating a custom map in Google My Maps is distinct from Google Lists of saved places. Check out our Google My Maps vs Lists comparison to see all the differences and our full guide to using Google Maps Lists .

8 Top Google My Maps Features

(AKA Why It’s Awesome)

Google My Maps allows you to see your trip itinerary. 

This is so helpful, especially if you’re a visual person or enjoy using maps. But even if you’re not, it’s still really useful to see where everything is in relation to each other as you plan your trip, vacation, or holiday because it helps you be realistic about your plans.

It connects with other Google apps. 

Setting aside my (ahem, very rational) fear that they may take over the world soon, I love all things Google. My Maps stores a copy of the map in whatever Google Drive account you’re using. (Am I the only one who has six of these?) So if you like to create Google Docs or folders to store trip planning information, documents, photos, or itineraries, it’s nice to have your map easily accessible in the same folder.

You get additional location information since it’s part of Google Maps. 

If a location is on Google, you can see their website, phone number, address, reviews, and website when you add it to your custom map. (Note that you can’t see this information when clicking on your saved pin from the Google Maps app, but you can from desktop.)

You can add your own extra notes and photos.

Customize your map even more by adding notes, photos, or videos. Use the notes during planning to add website, hours, or tips. If I hear about the location from a particular website, I usually add that link and what was noted in the article about the location (e.g., it’s a great sunset spot, which dish on the menu is recommended) so I can reference it later.

You can view your route by creating a layer with directions. 

When I traveled to Burlington, Vermont, I wanted to see the length of the bike trail on the map, so I used the directions feature to show the whole route. (Check out the Burlington travel guide for an example of the travel map I created that includes the bike path route.) And while I haven’t done this yet, you could also use Google My Maps to plan a road trip itinerary for a longer adventure. 

Caveat: As I’ll discuss later, you can’t use directions layers to get turn-by-turn directions (but I mention an alternative below). For this reason, I only use these layers to visualize my route.

It’s highly customizable. 

Don’t mind me while I swoon over the color coding and organization options over here. Use custom icons, layers, and colors so it’s easy to see what things are at a glance. For example, you can give different locations individual styles: a coffee cup icon for cafes, a bed icon for hotels, and a swimming icon for beaches. You can also use layers in many different ways, such as one layer for each day of your trip or one layer for each category (like dining, lodging, and things to do).

In-depth planning on your computer. Easy, on-the-go access from your phone. 

While you can’t edit the maps from the Google Maps app on iPhone or Android, you (and anyone you’ve shared them with) can view them. You can click on icons and see your notes, as well as navigate to those locations. 

Note that there used to be a dedicated My Maps app on Android, but this has been deprecated. 

It’s easy to share it with a friend or with the world. 

If you’re planning a trip with other people, it’s easy to share the map with others . And if it’s something you want to make available to everyone (like I do on my travel guide posts), just change the privacy setting and share the link or embed it on a website.

3 Ways to Use Google My Maps

Brainstorm and store ideas for future “maybe” trips. 

I often come across a really interesting hotel, restaurant, or fun thing to do in destinations I want to travel to in the future, and I want to make sure I don’t forget about them. I have so many bookmarks in so many places (Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram), but Google My Maps is the place I’ve started storing ideas for future trips.

Plan your trip itinerary. 

Want to use Google Maps for route planning? When you’re ready to plan an upcoming trip, plot it out visually by using Google My Maps to create your itinerary. If you like structured itineraries, you can easily create a detailed day-to-day plan. 

Or, you can use a looser itinerary structure like we usually do by adding all the places you might like to go. 

For example, on a day trip to NYC, we added tons of places to eat on the map (thank you, Tiktok). As we were walking around doing other activities and started to get hungry, we were able to easily see which saved restaurants were closest to us. 

Navigate on the go.

Whether you’re using your map loosely for ideas or for a structured itinerary, you can pull it up on your phone anytime and get directions to your next location. 

Not sure what you want to do today, or want to see what the closest restaurant from your list is for dinner? Pop into your custom map to jog your memory from the notes you made or to get directions to your next location.

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How to Use Google My Maps to Plan a Trip

How to create a new custom map.

Go to Google My Maps from your desktop browser . Check the Google icon in the top right corner to make sure you’re using the Google account you want to. Click “Create A New Map” and a window will open with a blank map. To give your map a name and description , click the map name (“Untitled Map”).

You can also change the color and style of the base map if desired. At the bottom of the layer panel on the left, click the arrow next to “Base Map.” You’ll get a window with nine options, including terrain, light political (a very light version of the standard Google Maps), satellite, and some different colored versions. Note that changing the base map style on desktop won’t change anything when viewing on mobile in Google Maps.

How to Add and Edit Layers

When you create a new map, the first layer will already be created, so you’ll probably want to rename it. To give your first layer a title , click directly on the title name like you did with the map name, or click the 3 dots next to “Untitled Layer” and then click “Rename Layer.” Clicking these 3 dots next to a layer title is also how you can delete a layer if you add one accidentally or change your mind. In this example, I’m changing my first layer to “dining” and will add all restaurants to this layer.

You can use layers any way you want to, or simply stick to one layer if you don’t need multiple. To add new layers , simply click “Add Layer” in the gray section below the map title and description.

To move a pin between layers , click the pin on the layer and hold down the mouse, and then drag it to the desired layer.

How to Add Location Pins

There are various ways to add location pins to a layer. First, make sure the correct layer is chosen by clicking anywhere in the white area on the layer. You’ll see which layer is selected by looking for the blue bar on the left of the layer.

• In the map search bar, type either a place name or an address. Click “Add to Map” to add a pin for this location . This is how I add most pins.
• If you don’t need an exact location or don’t have an address , you can click the pin marker button below the map search bar (“Add Marker”). It will turn your mouse into a T and you can click anywhere on the map to add a blank pin. You’ll immediately be prompted to add the pin title and description.
• If you’re dealing with very remote locations (or you just like geeky map stuff), you can also use latitude and longitude coordinates in the search bar.

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

A few tips and best practices for adding pins:

• If the place you’re searching for does not have a listing on Google, you’ll have to use an address. One thing to note is that sometimes Google Maps listings aren’t correct or don’t take you to the right place, so you may want to double check the location if you’re not using a street address to add the pin (especially if it’s a small business without a website).
• I have also found that hiking trail heads are frequently on Google Maps, but they’re not always correct in terms of navigating there by car. I usually add them to my map to get a basic idea of where they are while planning, but I use a paper map or atlas to find them while traveling.

How to Customize Location Pins

To change the title and add notes to your listing, click on the pin on the map, and then click the pencil icon (“Edit”).

To change the color and icon of the pin , click the paint bucket icon (from the pin itself or directly in the layer). Click “More Icons” to view all the icon options. You can color code by type of activity, by layer, or any way that makes sense to you.

To add photos or videos to a pin , click on the pin on the map, and then click the camera icon (“Add Image or Video”). This is another way to make your map interactive, especially after you’ve visited a location and want to share it with others.

How to Add A Directions Layer

I find that directions layers are helpful for showing the route of a walking tour, bike path, or road trip you want to take, but I don’t find them useful for directions while traveling since I can simply use the maps app to navigate. 

I use directions layers whenever I want to show an entire route on a map , rather than a specific location. Think of this as the 2024 version of mapping out a trip with AAA paper maps and a highlighter (if you’re old enough to remember).

Click the arrow icon underneath the search bar, which will create a new directions layer. On the legend, click “Driving” if you want to change this to walking or biking directions. Add a location name or address to Points A and B in the legend. If you find that the pins are not exactly where they should be, you can drag the points on the map.

Continue adding points by clicking “Add Destination” on the map. You can either type the information into the legend or hover your mouse to a spot on the map and double click it. (This is especially useful if you’re tracing a route on something like a bike path or hiking trail that won’t have an address.)

Rearrange the order by dragging the items around in the legend. Just like altering directions on Google Maps navigation, you can click on part of the route and drag it to a different road if you want to change part of the route after it is complete.

If you need to access the directions so you can see the distance of your route or the time it will take, click the three dots on the layer and click “Step-by-Step Directions.” Note that you can’t actually use this to get turn-by-turn directions in Google Maps.

How to Share A Google My Map

There are several options for sharing your Google Maps trip plan.

Open up your map, then click the share button in the gray bar above your layers. To allow others to view your map (which includes embedding on your website), click “change” under the section “Who has access.” For embedding, you will need to make this setting public.

Otherwise, if you want to allow others to edit your map, add their email address in the “invite people” section.

How to View Your Custom Map in Google Maps (iPhone or Android)

Open Google Maps and go to the Saved icon at the bottom. Scroll to the bottom of this screen and click “Maps.” Choose the My Map you want to view. The layers with your custom icons will now be visible on your Google Map. You can click on any pin to view your details (such as description or photos), as well as to navigate there. 

To close a map, click on a pin and then click “View Map Legend.” There, you can click the Close icon.

From the Map Legend, you can also toggle layers on and off, and then backing out to the main map (don’t click Close—just the back arrow or back button).

How to Navigate with a Custom My Map (iPhone or Android)

To navigate to one of your pins, open your map, find the pin for where you want to go, click it, and then click “directions.” When you do this, you won’t see your custom map anymore but will be looking at the regular navigation of Google Maps.

You can’t use a My Maps “directions layer” for navigation. If you’re looking for that functionality, I recommend just creating a route in Google Maps and sending it to your phone (or sharing with others). See here for more details. 

How to Import Locations from Google Sheets, CSV, or Excel

Importing locations to a My Maps layer can be helpful in a few scenarios:

• You have a significant amount of locations to add to your layer
• Your data is already in the form of a spreadsheet
• You want additional fields included besides the default Name and Description
• You want to create groupings of pins (for example, a list of 50 restaurants could have a column for “Cuisine,” which will give you the option to group and style the pins by cuisine)

The process is simple, and you can import a variety of file types, including CSV, Excel (XLSX), or directly from Google Sheets. There are also special file formats that import map data from other programs, but this section is focused on spreadsheet-type files that you create and format.

Create a spreadsheet with the desired column headers. At a minimum, you need place names and either addresses or latitude-longitude information . 

If you want to group your pins by some type of categorization, you should include that as a column. Other columns you could include: website, phone number, description, or notes. While Google Sheets allows you to include photos in a cell, Google My Maps will not import photos in this way (it will include the column as a field, but will be blank). 

Once your spreadsheet file is ready, click “Import” on a blank layer (if your map already has layers, you will need to add a new layer to see this option). If uploading a CSV or XLSX, do this from the Upload tab. If using a Google Sheet, click the Google Drive tab and choose your file. 

Choose which column has location data (address or latitude-longitude) and click “Continue.” Choose the location name column next and click “Finish.” 

To change the icons individually, click “Uniform Style” next to the paintbrush on your layer. Under “Group Places By,” choose “Individual Styles.”

To change styles by a category column (such as Cuisine), click the link next to the paintbrush and choose to group places by the desired column. You can then give each category its own color or icon.

You can manually add new pins to this layer, and they will include all the fields you imported from the spreadsheet columns. 

You can also add more items to your spreadsheet, and import this new data. Click the three dots on your layer. Under “Reimport and Merge,” click “Add More Items” and choose your file. It will add the new rows to your layer.

How to Import a Route from Google Maps Timeline History (KML) or GPS Data From a Fitness App (GPX)

Google My Maps can import routes and locations you’ve already traveled to via special file types that are very easy to download from certain apps. This could be useful if you want to share a walking, biking, or driving route that you’ve taken without having to recreate it on a directions layer. 

Note that this only works as well as the GPS satellites were able to track your location while you were traveling.

If there are a lot of clouds, dense forest, buildings, or anything else blocking the GPS signal, your tracked route will be much less precise. I’ve noticed that Google Maps sometimes has my route showing somewhere I couldn’t have walked or driven. 

If you have your location history turned on in Google Maps, you can download a KML file from a trip, which will include the route traveled and location pins for any stops. Sometimes it misses a location name or adds a pin in the wrong place, but overall it’s pretty good.

Go to your Google Maps Timeline and locate the day you want to export. Click on it, and you should now see your route highlighted along with any stops you made. Now click the gear icon on the bottom of your map, and click “Export this day to KML.” Go to your My Map and on a new layer, click “Import.” Choose the KML file you just downloaded. You can now edit each portion as needed—changing the color and thickness of the route line, changing the location icons, as well as adjusting the route where desired.

If you have other apps that track your location, such as fitness apps, you may be able to download a GPX file that shows the route you took. The instructions for doing this will vary from app to app, but I was able to easily find it in Samsung Health by looking at the detail of a particular workout/walk and clicking the three dots to download a GPX. The import process to Google My Maps is the same as above.

With both methods, you can make adjustments to points/stops along the way or even add more pins. With the Google Maps KML file, you can also adjust your route by moving the small white dots.

Google My Maps Tutorial

Here’s a walk through video to show you how to use Google Maps to plan a trip, along with several of my own Google My Maps itinerary examples. Coming soon: a 2024 update!

Google My Maps Examples

Here are a few more examples of My Maps I’ve created for sharing recommendations, trip ideas, and actual vacation planning.

Google My Maps FAQs and Tips

As great as Google My Maps is for planning a trip, there are some limitations to using it. Lots of questions have also come up about more specific uses and ways to use its features. Thanks to all the readers who have asked or shared tips in the comments as I’m always looking to make this a more robust guide. I’ve organized the questions and tips here since it makes it easier than scrolling through the comments.

How many layers can you add to a map?

Google My Maps limits you to 10 layers. If you are planning a longer road trip and want to create a layer for each day, this limitation may prove frustrating. 

Here are a couple of workaround ideas: You can create 2 maps, and have the entire master route as 1 layer on each (showing the very basic route for all 12 days—say from city to city) as a reference. Then build individual layers for each day. As a second option, you could add multiple days to 1 layer and change the titles to start with the day they correspond to (so it would be “1 – Name of Place” instead of just “Name of Place.”) However, this option may not be ideal since you can’t see the titles until you click when you’re on the phone.

How many location pins can you add to each layer?

You can add up to 2,000 pins per layer, and the entire map cannot exceed 10,000 lines, shapes, or places total. I haven’t tested the limits, and it’s possible adding this amount of items could slow things down. My guess is that most travelers wouldn’t need anything so large, but it is possible according to Google . 

Are custom Google My Maps available offline?

No, but keep reading for a workaround and alternative. 

One of the biggest complaints about Google My Maps is that you can’t download your custom map and pins to use offline, unlike the rest of Google Maps. 

However, I have been able to use it in areas with spotty reception. I pulled the map up when I did have reception, and I left it running in the background. It would stay loaded in the app and I was able to pull it up to look at it later when I was out of reception. I’m not sure I would rely on this as a surefire workaround, but it can work in a pinch.

Another alternative, especially if you’ll be traveling in another country where you’ll be completely offline, is to use Google Maps Lists, which can be edited from desktop or your phone but don’t offer the option for separate layers, unique icons, or adding photos. 

Is there an app for Google My Maps?

There is no separate Google My Maps app, but you can view your maps within Google Maps. Just make sure you’re signed into the same account, and all your maps will sync. 

(There used to be a dedicated My Maps app on Android, but this was deprecated in 2021.)

Can you create or edit maps from your phone?

No, the maps cannot be edited from the Google Maps app. Google My Maps can only be created or edited from the desktop version of the site. This is another huge advantage Google Lists has over Google My Maps because Lists allow you to add new places or entire lists from any device—iPhone, Android, tablet, laptop, or desktop.

Is there a bridge height filter?

No. For RVers and others who need to plan ahead for height limitations, there is no bridge height filter available in Google Maps. Since I haven’t had to use this feature myself, I am not confident in an alternative to recommend. However, from a bit of digging around, there are some apps and GPS units for truckers that may be a good place to start looking if you have an oversize vehicle.

What is the difference between Google Maps Lists and Google My Maps?

They both allow you to create custom maps with pins, but there are some key differences, such as offline access, layer capabilities, customizable pins, and creating/editing within the app. Check out the details on how Google My Maps compares to Lists (including a features comparison table).

How many stops can you add on a directions layer?

You can only add 10 stops per directions layer. This is also the maximum number of stops you can add for navigation in Google Maps. As some readers have pointed out, this can be limiting when you want to use this feature for a long road trip.

Can you use the directions layers on your phone for navigation purposes?

No, you cannot create a directions layer and then access those turn-by-turn directions for navigation in the Google Maps app. 

So…are directions layers totally useless? What’s the point of having a Driving Directions layer in My Maps?

Personally, I still like to use these layers, but only to show a route for my very visual brain, rather than to actually create custom directions. 

Can you send a custom created route (layer) to someone else so that the other person will take that specific driving route on google maps?

No, you can’t do this from My Maps, but there’s a workaround I can suggest.

Forget My Maps, and use Google Maps from desktop or mobile to plot a route. You can add up to 10 stops, and then you will be able to share your custom directions. 

From desktop, there’s an extra step in first sending the directions to your phone. If you’ve created the directions in the mobile app or once you have them pulled up there, you can share them with anyone by clicking the 3 dots next to your list of locations (sharing must be done before clicking “Start”—if you’re already in the navigation, you need to back out of it to share). When you share, it will list all the steps as well as send a link for the other person to open the directions in Google Maps directly. 

An important caveat to sharing custom routes: Google Maps will reroute the directions as it normally does according to current traffic at the time of driving, so this method cannot be relied upon if you’ve mapped a specific route for bridge clearances. As a workaround, you can add “stops” on the desired interstate (zoom in and add this literally on the road itself so navigation doesn’t try to take you off an exit), which will force Google Maps to take the driver that way. This is what I do when driving south from Connecticut to PA because Google Maps always wants me to take its beloved George Washington Bridge and I always don’t want to. I add a stop to force my route across the Tappan Zee Bridge. However, I’m not sure I would rely on this workaround as a sole method for RVs or truckers.

Can you see how much time the directions will take?

Yes, on desktop you can view the details if you want to know the distance or how long a route will take. To view distance and time for a directions layer, click the 3 dots on the laye, then click Step-by-Step Directions. 

Of course, this doesn’t really help when you want to get this information on your phone or use the directions for navigation. As mentioned elsewhere, the “directions” layer functions best as a way to visualize a route. If you need turn-by-turn directions, see the steps mentioned above to save and send directions in Google Maps. 

This post was originally published on July 27, 2017 and has been updated in May 2023.

Travel Photographer | FAA Certified Drone Pilot

Naomi is the coffee-loving, crazy-about-Latin-America writer and photographer behind everything here. She's guided by curiosity and a belief that every place has a story to tell–whether it’s through the intricate details of nature, history that has shaped a culture, or the people who call a place home. Learn More

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.

Step 2: Plot Your Road Trip Route

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

Then enter your starting point and your first destination.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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 .

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.

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

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 USE GOOGLE MAPS TRIP PLANNER IN 7 STEPS

Google Maps Trip Planner allows you to create detailed travel plans while simplifying those confusing things related to travel planning.

Planning a trip often seems like trying to put together a million-piece puzzle. It is understandable that a trip to a place that we’ve only ever seen through a laptop screen can be confusing.

But it won’t be that way when you start planning a trip on google maps.

Most of the confusion related to travel planning is because we have no sense of orientation for that place or destination that we’re about to visit. All we have is a bunch of ideas – places we want to go and see, hotels we like, activities, but we have no idea where those things are located.

Creating a trip plan on google maps puts everything into perspective because it gives you a visualization of those things on a map.

When you have those ideas clearly pointed out on an organized google maps travel plan, it will be easier to choose the area you want to stay (and eliminate the surprise of booking a hotel in the middle of nowhere) , group together certain activities in a practical way and you can also plan a route in google maps for your daily itinerary.

Basically, planning a trip on google maps will make travel planning a whole lot easier. And best of all, it’s free and pretty simple to use.

Before we start, you may want to save the URL link to this post in case you need it for future reference.

Ok then let’s get right to it.

If you want to know something specific about creating a travel plan in google maps you can skip straight to what you want in the table of contents below.

1. CREATE A NEW GOOGLE MAP

2. add all your ideas to google maps, 3. changing the pins colors and icons, 4. categories a google maps travel plan, 5. access you google maps travel plan on mobile, 6. use maps offline, 7. share map with friends.

Do this if you’re soon going on vacation or planning a trip.

Before you go on vacation make sure to purchase travel insurance. I know, most times it seems like a waste of money. But the thing is, you don’t know you need it until you do so it’s good to minimize those risks that you could face while traveling. Keep in mind, that medical bills or hospitalization can cost 1000’s of $$. And

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In this guide, we are laying out a step-by-step guide to create a travel plan using google maps on desktop (laptop). Although it is possible to create a map on your smartphone, the options are limited. But don’t worry, the map created on your desktop will be synced to all your devices, even mobile phones and tablets.

If you already have a Google account (Gmail), go onto your search engine (Google, or whatever you usually use) and type in google maps. Or you can click here to get started.

You will need a google account so that your maps will be saved and also so the maps that you create can be accessed from all your devices like mobile phones and tablets.

If you don’t have a Google account click on this link to create one. Don’t worry it’s free and only takes about 5 minutes. Once you’ve created an account you follow the same steps from above.

Make sure that you’re logged in before you start creating a new google maps trip plan. If you’re logged in there should be a round icon with your initials on it in the top right corner of the screen. If there isn’t you’ll see a sign-in button.

After signing in, first go to the hamburger icon near the search bar on the map. It’s in the top left corner. And then click on your places, the first option in the drop-down menu.

In the menu click on MAPS , the last option on the right. This is where all the maps that you create are saved. So, if this is the first time that you’re creating a google map, this section should be empty.

At the bottom of the current menu, click on CREATE MAP .

Ok then, great the map has now been created.

All you need to do now is to give your new google maps a title and a description. If you only have one map, you barely need a title let alone a description. But as you create more maps, those titles and descriptions will help you easily find the map you’re looking for rather than searching through a bunch of unorganized maps.

In the menu in the top left corner of the screen, Click on Untitled Map . And in the text box that pops up, give your map a title. Think of giving specific names to your maps. For instance, if you’re making a map of New York, instead of just writing a title “New York”, write “New York Trip – October 2021”. And write a description, like places I have to visit, or the best hotels, restaurants, activities, for example.

Not everyone follows the same steps to create their personal travel plan on google maps. For example, our favorite way is to start off by putting all our ideas on the map.

We start off by making a list of places that we want to go, activities that we want to do, hotels and restaurants we like, and anything else that comes to mind that we could possibly consider while in that destination.

Because you can visualize Adding all our ideas onto a map offers a visualization of that destination and puts everything into perspective. For instance, if certain activities are too far away we can determine

For instance, we can easily understand if an activity is too far away or maybe choose a hotel that is centrally located in the middle of the things that we want to do.

Seeing all those places on a map will help you understand what you can realistically do within your trip duration. For instance, you will be able to determine if certain activities are too far away. Or if a hotel you like is in the middle of nowhere.

Adding all those ideas to the map is straightforward.

Step. 1. Go to the search box in the middle of the screen and type in the name of the place. You can search for anything you want, like hotels, restaurants, beaches, waterfalls, parks. Basically, on google maps you’ll find almost every place you look for. If that place doesn’t come up in the search, you’ll need to type in the street address.

Step. 2. Once you’ve found the place you want, a green will come on the map in the location of that place. And a small description box will be next to it.

Step. 3. To save that place to the map, click +add to map in the description box.

Repeat these 3 steps for all those places that you want to add on you new Google Map travel plan.

TIP: if only the green pin comes on the map, click on the green pin. When you click on the pin the description box will come up and you can add that place to the map.

Too many ideas but not much time? When we plan short trips, sometimes we book tours or at least we book a tour if they’re any good. Tours save us time because they combine the must visit spots in the destination we visit. And surprisingly, some tours have cost us less than if we did everything by ourselves.

Whenever we are considering a tour in a popular destination, we always make sure to book with a reputable company and also to book in advance. Because you know, the good things easily run out. Below are links of 2 companies that we personally use.

PRE BOOK & GET THE LATEST DEALS WITH VIATOR HERE

OR PREBOOK WITH KLOOK FOR THE BEST DEALS ON TOURS & TICKETS IN ASIA

At this point, we have a good idea of where all those places – like activities, tourist spots, hotels, restaurants – are located. And by default, all the pins will be in blue color.

But having a load of identical pins isn’t a great way to visualize a google maps travel itinerary.

So now, what we need to do is to give meaning to each pin by color coding and/or changing the pins into icons.

Color coding the pins or changing them into different icons will make your google map a lot more visually understandable.

For example, what we do is color code each place into different categories. For example, if we have beaches we make yellow pins, for hikes we use brown pins, for restaurants red pins, and so on.

And we also customize the icons. Don’t worry, both color and icons are pretty straightforward.

How to color code pins in google maps

Step 1. Click on the pin that you want to change the color. A description box will open up.

Step 2. Next click on the style, the icon resembling a tipping paint bucket. The first icon at the bottom of the description box.

Step 3. A small window with color samples will open. Choose a color that will help you easily identify that specific place.

How to change pins to specific icons

Changing those identical pins into icons that actually mean something will further help you visualize what those places are on your google maps trip planner.

For instance, if you have a beach add a palm tree or an umbrella. If you have a restaurant, add a knife and fork icon.

Color coding and icons work simultaneously. So don’t worry, you don’t need to choose either the icon OR the color.

To change icons follow steps 1 and 2 from above. When the window with color samples opens, there will also be a number of icons to choose from. However, you can further expand that icon window by clicking on more icons.

TIP: alternatively you can change color or icons of pins when you’re adding your ideas to the map. After you click +add to map

Adding layers in google maps trip planner is a key feature because it allows you to categories your trip itinerary into different sections.

Creating different layers is a way of grouping together certain things on the map. Because although you may have defined all the pins with specific colors, the map still doesn’t have much organization. It’s like having a bunch of pins with not much value.

The way in which you group together the pins will depend entirely on your choice and also on what is the purpose of the google maps that you’re creating. We’ll give a few ideas on how you could categories all those pins.

We group together our pins in 3 ways, depending on what makes the most sense for that specific travel plan.

If we want an easy to follow travel itinerary, we group together pins in days. So if a number of things can be done in a day, we group those together and call that a day plan.

Or, when we go to countries made up of loads islands like Indonesia or the Philippines, we categories all the pins by islands.

Or, we create a different layer for each different type of place that we want to visit. For instance, we make categories for hotels, restaurants, malls, historical places, activities, etc.

How to add layers on a google maps travel plan

Step 1. In the menu, in the top left corner, click on add layer. You can add up to 10 different layers.

Step 2. Categorize each layer with a title. Click on Untitled layer . A text box will open up and here you can write the title for that layer. If you don’t see the text box, click again until it comes on the screen.

Step 3. All the places that you had previously added to the map will be in the first layer. Once you’ve created different layers, all you need to do is to click on the place you want to move and drag it into the layer/category that you want.

Make sure the box next to each layer is ticked. If next to the layer title there is no tick, it means that layer is closed and you won’t be able to see the things in that layer when use the map on your mobile phone.

Now that you’ve created your Google Maps travel plan you will need to be able to access that plan easily with your mobile phone.

To access your plan on mobile phone go to google maps (make sure you go to google maps and not maps go) and click on saved at the bottom of your screen.

In the next window scroll all the way down and click on maps on the bottom right side of the screen. This is where the maps you create are saved.

Now choose the map you and click on it.

Now you can access your google maps travel plan when offline. And also use google maps to get directions even if you don’t have a connection.

So from now on it won’t really matter if you’re connected to the internet or not. You can easily find google maps travel plans and get directions even in remote places with unreliable wifi service.

You’ll need to plan these things ahead because the only way to access your maps or get directions is to download what you need in advance.

I will explain exactly how to download google maps for directions and how to download your google maps trip planner.

Accessing Google Maps travel plan offline

• Download Google Earth App on your mobile phone.
• Go to your google maps travel plan on desktop and click on the 3 dots next to the title.
• In the pop up box click export to KML/KMZ. In the next pop up leave the boxes unchecked and click download.
• Send a downloaded copy to yourself by email.
• Now, on your phone go to that email, click on the file and open it with Google earth.

And follow these steps to use Google directional maps offline

• On your mobile phone, open the google maps app. Be sure the app is Google Maps and not “Google Maps Go”.If you haven’t got the app on your mobile phone you can download it here.
• In the top right corner of your mobile screen you will see a round icon. Click on the icon to access your account and go to offline maps.
• On the next page click “select your map”. This will open the page where you download your map. By default, the area of the map will be of your location. However, you can scroll to find whichever part of the world you want to download.

Keep in mind that for google to work offline you need to download the map over a connection. By default, maps will only download over wifi connections. If you want to include mobile data for downloads head to the settings wheel on the “select your own map” page and go to download preferences.

Whether you are planning a trip with google maps or not you should always share your travel plan with someone you trust.

Especially if you’re traveling solo, someone should always know what your plans are. At least, if something happens in those places you’re going to visit someone will know where you are.

Besides safety reasons, you can also share your google maps and let friends or your travel buddies contribute and give their own input on things they want to do.

Follow the steps below to share your google maps travel plan:

• To share from desktop go to the map you want to share and under the main title click on the share button. In the pop up window click the button next to “anyone with this link can view”. Copy the link and share it either by email or message.
• To share on mobile open google maps mobile app, click saved at the bottom of the screen. In the next window scroll all the way down and click on maps. Open the map you want to share and click on “view map legend”. Click the share option and choose how and to who you want to share that google maps travel plan.

Sharing your map will give your loved ones some peace of mind. At least, if they don’t hear from you they will know where you were at that time.

Using google maps to create detailed travel plans takes out a lot of the unnecessary stress of travel planning. It also makes a travel plan organized and easy to understand because of the visual aspect of planning a trip on a map.

So I hope this article gives you a better understanding of how to plan a trip with google maps. But if you have any other ideas or alternate ideas on certain things we mentioned please let us know in the comments below. There is no better way to improve than to get ideas from other travelers.

Our love for travel started off in South East Asia and continues to attract us each year. If you want you can read a bunch of interesting articles about beaches, waterfalls, food, itineraries by clicking the link below.

CLICK HERE TO READ A BUNCH OF INTERESTING ARTICLES!!

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The articles you write help me a lot and I like the topic

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——— ABOUT US ———

We're Jackie and James, now in our late 30's, we've been traveling on and off for 5 years now. After living our entire lives on a tiny island named Malta, we set off to explore Asia on a budget while writing detailed guides about awesome destinations. We hope our travels help you realize that traveling doesn't have to cost a fortune.

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How To Use Google Maps Trip Planner

With so many different travel apps and websites available, it’s now easier than ever to keep yourself organized while planning a trip. One of my favorite tools to use, regardless of where I’m going, is Google Maps Trip Planner. 

If you’re the type of person that gets easily overwhelmed when putting together an itinerary , you’ll want to follow this step-by-step guide which details exactly how I use it. Google Maps Trip Planner is not only a highly-visual way to get your bearings of an area, but it’s extremely useful for figuring out where you can realistically travel to during the duration of your trip.

It’s a fantastic way to use Google Maps for multiple stops in a single itinerary , and also comes in handy if you’ve received a TON of recommendations from friends, because you can add destination after destination, and then refer back to the map as you’re out and about exploring.

For example: if you’re visiting NYC and find yourself in Soho looking for a cute cocktail spot , rather than endlessly scrolling through Yelp or TripAdvisor, you’ll be able to pull out your trip planner to see if you’re near places that your friends have recommended! It’s also a particularly handy tool to use when creating a road trip itinerary.

Here’s the step-by-step outline that we’ll go over:

• Create a new Google map for your destination.
• Choose categories for your map.
• Start adding your locations and ideas.
• Customize and color-code your map.
• Decide which activities to group together.
• Plan your day-by-day itinerary.
• Download the Google Maps app on your phone.
• Share your map with friends.

This will all make more sense once I walk you through everything with screengrabs.

Whether you’re thinking about a girlfriends getaway or a honeymoon , Google Maps Trip Planner will be a game changer for you. Take my word for it! Here’s a step-by-step guide to using Google Maps to coordinate your next getaway — with a completely flawless travel plan.

How to Use Google Maps Trip Planner

1. make a new google map..

To get started, you’ll need to create a new Google Map by visiting this link .

It will take you to the main maps page, which you’ve likely seen before. (Make sure you’re logged into a Google account, and if you don’t already have one, you can sign up for free here .)

Once you’re signed in, simply click on the three bars icon in the top left corner and select “Your Places” from the menu.

Next, you’ll want to click on “Maps” in the far right corner of the menu.

You won’t see anything listed yet, unless you’ve created a map previously.

Click “Create Map” (which is at the bottom of the menu.)

After that, you’ll be directed to an untitled map that you’ll want to name and add a description to.

Do this by clicking on “Untitled Map” and a text box will appear and allow you to fill out this information. Remember to be as specific as possible so you stay organized throughout the entire planning process.

2. Categorize Your Map.

Create a list of all the things you want to spend your time doing on your trip. Here are the categories I typically use:

• Restaurants & Bars
• Cities & Towns (this is good if you’re road-tripping or visiting multiple destinations during a single trip)
• Hotels (I’d only use this category if you’re staying in more than one)
• Activities (beaches, hikes, Instagram spots, etc)

Now that you have your category ideas solidified, you’ll create a “layer” for each one by clicking on the “Add Layer” button on the left hand-side of your screen.

Be sure to name each individual layer by clicking on “Untitled Layer” text box, just like you did when you first named your map. I named my first layer “Hotels” as an example.

More: How I Use Points & Miles to Travel for Free

3. Add Your Ideas to the Google Map.

If you’re planning a trip to a destination you’ve been thinking about visiting for a while, it’s likely that you already have some things on your bucket list, whether it be from friends, bloggers, travel sites, or Instagram.

This is your chance to put those thoughts in one organized space and see which ones you’ll be able to make time for. (Shameless plug: I have guides for Tokyo , Maui , New York City , Thailand , Mykonos , Santorini , Positano , Miami , St Barths , and more. Feel free to use them for inspiration should you be heading to any of these locations!)

To add an idea you have for your trip, click on the layer (the category) that you want to add a location marker to.

For example, I added this hotel to my map by checking the box on my “Hotels” layer and then typing the hotel name into the search bar. When the place you’re searching for pops up on the menu, click “Add to Map” and you’ll see that a marker is placed on the map. You’ll also notice that the name of the location is added underneath the layer description on the left side of the screen.

• If you accidentally put a location into the wrong layer: not to worry. You can easily drag the location and drop it into the correct category.
• If the place you’re searching for doesn’t auto-populate: it’s probably because Google hasn’t made a location for it yet. But don’t fret! You can just as easily add that spot to your map by typing the address into the search bar and writing the location name manually.

Need some trip inspiration? Check out my travel guides, go-to airport looks, and carry-on essentials here.  

4. Customize Your Map.

One of the best ways to keep things visually organized is by color-coding your markers by their category.

To do this, click on the paint bucket that’s located at the bottom of the location marker’s pop-up window.

You can also add additional notes about a location (i.e. “LindsaySilb’s favorite bar; order their signature Bloody Mary) or write down other ideas that you have for that place by clicking on the pencil icon directly next to the paint bucket.

To remove an idea from your trip, just click the trash can icon that’s on the same panel.

There are a number of ways to use color coding:

• For example, you could mark all the restaurants that were on your “Must Visit” list in red, the ones you’d like to go to in yellow, and the ones you would stop by if you have the time in green. This will help you make sure that you get everything checked off of your “must-see” and “must-do” list first.
• For example, pricier sit-down restaurants can be marked in blue, while casual “grab and go” places could be labeled in green.
• You might have just one layer named “Activities” but instead of color coding all those places green, for example, you could mark the museums in purple, mark parks in blue, and stores in gray.

Pro tip: Even if you don’t want to color code everything, I recommend changing the default color from blue to something brighter, like red or yellow. In my experience, the blue location markers can be a bit hard to find on the map.

When you’re done organizing your categories, hit the save button and you’ll notice that they all show up underneath their accompanying layer.

Each location should be saved along with its phone number, address, and website information. This is super helpful because if you decide you want to make a reservation at a restaurant or purchase tickets to a theater show, you have all the tools you need to get there in one space.

5. Decide Which Activities to Group Together.

At this stage, you’ll be able to see a zoomed-out version of the map, with all of your points of interest plotted.

This might help you make decisions about which neighborhood to stay in, which hotel to book (if you’ve been debating between a few), which restaurants you can walk to, or which activities should be grouped together.

It’s nice to see your entire itinerary on a map and use a process of elimination approach to determine which pitstops make the most sense on which days. Seeing things on a map also makes it easier to keep track of the amount of time you’ll need to dedicate to get from place to place.

6. Plan Your Day-by-Day Itinerary.

I like to create a Google Doc that has a little outline of each day of the trip. I also use the doc as the place to store hotel confirmation numbers, car rental info, and flight info.

If you’re planning on driving when you get to your destination, you can easily pull up directions to your first stop by clicking on the arrow icon on the bottom of the pop-up’s panel.

This will automatically create a new layer on the left side of your screen with the location’s name on it. You’ll need to type in your starting location, like the airport, in the text box above it that’s labeled “A” and then click on the icon with the three dots to get step-by-step driving directions.

7. Download Google Maps on Your Phone & Log In.

Finally, to make the map you created accessible on your phone while you’re traveling, you’ll need to have Google Maps downloaded if you don’t already.

Then, be sure to sign in with the same Google account that you used to first create the map. Once you’re signed in, go to “Your Places,” and scroll to the last tab on the right called “Maps.”

8. Share Your Map with Friends and Travel Buddies.

One of the best parts about using Google Maps Trip Planner is being able to share the map. If you’re traveling with a group, sharing the map ahead of time will ensure that everyone is on the same page about where things are located.

And better yet, after you’ve returned from your trip, you now have a full list of everything that you can share with friends who are headed to that location.

To share the map on desktop, simply open the map like you’ve done previously. You’ll notice the “share” button directly underneath the title of your map. Click it, and you’ll have the option to share via Twitter, Facebook, or email.

To share the map on mobile, open the Google Maps app, then click the three bars > your places > maps. Select your preferred map, then select “View Map Legend,” and finally click share. You’ll be able to share your map via text, airdrop, Facebook, Twitter, email etc.

If you’re feeling particularly generous, I recommend going back into the map and adding notes about places that you went, what to order there, places that were worth skipping, etc. Your friends will thank you for it!

The verdict? This tool is a travel game changer .

Rather than sifting through an endless number of routes on Google Maps each time you want to go somewhere, using this process will help you streamline all of your travels. You can put together so many trip itineraries by using Google Maps Trip Planner, and it honestly offers the perfect way to plan a road trip.

Are there other apps or hacks that you use to plan trips? I’d love to hear about them. Drop your suggestions in the comments below.

Pin this post for later:

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10 comments.

I do that all the time Lindsay! Since 2009, believe it or not! I always add a google maps to my travel posts so that people can follow exactly what I did. It’s so helpful!

This is the best thing ever! I love Google maps for making places I want to go but they were always just on my”normal” map and it really bothered me that I couldn’t colour code. I won’t be doing any work today I’m the office, just rearranging my whole maps! Thank you for this amazing tip & detailed guide!

Lindsay Silberman

yay!! So happy you found it helpful!

I had no idea about this, wow!!!! Incredible. Thank you, Lindsay 🙂

I love this and the Visit a City app, which figures out the grouping for you!

This was a great write up explaining the how to… only thing missing is multiple people cannot edit the map.

Actually, multiple people can edit: Just share your map with editor rights

How can you share the map with editor rights? I’m trying to do this right now, and I can’t quite figure it out! Thank you!!

How do you view all maps at once ?

love this tutorial!! thank you

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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.

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”

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 :

• 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.

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. .

. 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: 

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”.

. 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).

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.

. 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!

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.

[…] Krawiecki, J. (n.d.). How To Plan Your Road Trip With Google Maps. The Adventure Atlas. Retrieved from How To Plan Your Road Trip With Google Maps (Tutorial With Examples) | The Adventures Atlas  […]

[…] that an SUV or an RV is better suited for the whole family. Once you’ve secured your vehicle, map out your route, research the stops that you want to make, and make a list of the things that you’ll need to […]

[…] You won’t have service once you get there though, so I suggest downloading offline Google Maps of the area before you go. To learn how to download offline Google Maps, visit my blog post on How To Plan Your Road Trip Using Google Maps […]

[…] How to Plan Your Road Trip Using Google Maps […]

[…] How to Plan Your Trip Using Google Maps […]

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!

Hi Nicole – I’m SO glad to hear you found this post helpful!

[…] How to plan a road trip using Google Maps […]

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!!

[…] How to Plan Your Road Trip using Google Maps […]

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 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

A Step-By-Step Guide to Plan a Trip With Google Maps

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Planning a trip is equal parts fun, exciting, and exhausting.

There’s a never-ending list of things to do:

• Book flights
• Find accommodation
• Look for things to do
• Decide how many days to spend in each place
• Figure out public transportation
• Pay deposits 
• Book airport transfers
• Relay all this information to everyone else coming with you the trip

It’s almost like a second job to plan out the perfect getaway!

Over the years, I’ve run through tons of trip planning methods, but I haven’t found one that can hold a candle to Google Maps (and good old spreadsheets, but I’ll save that for a separate post).

It’s ridiculously easy to plan a trip with Google Maps, and it will save you hours (both before and during your trip).

If you’re over feeling overwhelmed by putting together an itinerary, this is the guide for you. I’m walking you through exactly how I use a Google Map planner to set the groundwork for my trips, decide where to book a hotel, and map out the logistics of all the activities and sights I’d like to see along the way.

Whether you’re spending a weekend away or using your hard-earned PTO to take a mega vacation, here’s my step-by-step guide for Google Maps trip planning.

RELATED: Road Tripping Like a Pro – Planning Tips to Help You Stay Sane on Long Drives

Why You Should Plan a Trip With Google Maps

Wondering how a map tool can help you plan an entire vacation? Here are five reasons why I think Google Maps is an underrated MVP, whether you’re like me and genuinely enjoy the puzzle of trip planning, or not!

The Google Maps Trip Planning is a Visual Brain Dump

What I love most about Google Maps trip planning is I can SEE everything in one place. After hours scrolling through Pinterest, Instagram, and countless guides around the web, I always come up with an extensive list of things I would love to do wherever it is I’m going.

Then, with Maps, I can take all that hard work and dump it into one centralized place. With a tap or swipe of my finger, I can quickly see a list of all the restaurants I want to visit and how far specific attractions are from one another, and go from there.

Having all my places of interest laid out gives me a crystal-clear idea of where everything is and helps familiarize myself with a new destination (or a road trip route).

Do you have a bunch of attractions clustered in one area, like in a specific neighborhood or on the coast near the beach? That’s your first clue on where to look for hotels if you don’t already know where you’d like to stay! 

See How Many Days You Need to Spend in Each Destination

Do you struggle with figuring out how many days to spend in a country or each city? Google Maps trip planning can help with that, too.

With all your must-sees (and must-eats) on a map, you can see which areas have the most markers. You’ll want to spend more days in places with a high concentration of pins to give yourself enough time to see everything.

If you see that you have pins further away, you can do two things:

• Nix those from your Google itinerary if you don’t have time for detours.
• Sacrifice other things on your itinerary to make room for a day trip.
• Explore whether there are easy tours you can book to take you there without the added logistics of renting a car or navigating public transportation (unless that’s your jam!) 

Get All The Information You Need in One Place

It happens to the best of us.

You’re exploring a new city, and you forgot to check the opening times for the museum you want to visit.

When everything you want to see is on Google Maps, you don’t need to waste time finding any of that information over and over again. 

All you need to do is click on the listing, and you’ll instantaneously get:

• Hours of operation
• Phone number

Plus, you can see peak visitation times! This is super useful if you’re hoping to visit a popular attraction like the Tegalalang Rice Paddies in Bali and want to avoid the crowds.

P.S. Did you know if you tap on “Directions” and select the “Rideshare” icon, you’ll get a list of operators in the area with links to take you directly to the corresponding app for ride-hailing? Here’s to never putting in the wrong address into Uber again!

You Can Customize Your Google Maps Trip Planner 

Maybe this is a minor thing for some people, but as a type-A personality, I love obsessing over customization details. From my office essentials to my Keep notes, everything is color-coded and carefully selected. And you might’ve guessed where this was going – on Google Maps, there’s actually a lot more customization capabilities than people realize! 

You can make custom labels, icons, and color codes. It helps you get super organized and find things faster when you’re in a rush.

For instance, I might color-code free attractions versus the ones that cost money or require a reservation. Or, I might label the places I know I’d like to spend more time in for photography. The options are endless and entirely up to you.

It Saves You Time

Trip planning is TIME-CONSUMING. Did I say that already? 

And it’s especially time-consuming if you have other people involved. 

When you create a Google Map to plan a trip, you can effortlessly share it with your friends and family. From there, everyone can add their interests and preferences, and you save yourself from the pain of going back and forth with everyone as you narrow down your agenda.

It also makes you a much more organized and efficient traveler. By grouping areas with higher concentrations of pins, you can see more and save yourself from unnecessarily traveling back and forth from one end of the city to another.

Lastly, it makes you adaptable. Did an attraction close for maintenance? No problem. Whip out your Google Map, and you can make changes to your itinerary on the fly. Once again, saving you time and giving you more options in a pinch!

How to Use The Google Maps Travel Planner to Create an Itinerary

Creating a Google Map for your next trip is easy (and it can be really fun!). Let the planning commence!

Step 1: Make a New Google Map

The first step to create a trip in Google Maps is to visit the Google Maps home page. Click on the hamburger menu icon in the top left-hand corner. 

Select “Your Places” from the dropdown menu.

Select “Maps” in the far right-hand corner menu. If you’ve created custom maps in the past, you’ll see the list here.

Click on “Create Map,” and it will redirect you to an untitled map. Add the name of your map and a description.

Tip: You need to sign in to your Google account for this to work.

Step 2: Create Categories for Your Map

Next, you want to break down everything you want to do in “categories.” Some of the ones I use are:

• Restaurants
• Coffee shops
• Fun photo spots / Photoshoot locations
• Activities (beaches, attractions, hiking trails, etc.)
• Hotels or campsites

Think about your interests and how you like to spend your trip. Are you all about feasting on the best vegan food from a city? Maybe you love shopping at markets and bringing home souvenirs. Whatever it is, use what you like to start planning your trip and creating categories around your top priorities.

Once you have your categories, you’ll create a layer for each one.

Click on the “Add Layer” button on the left-hand side of your screen.

Click on “Untitled Layer” to re-name the category and keep your map organized.

Step 3: Start Adding Your Trip Inspiration to Google Maps

Now it’s time to put all your research and endless scrolling to good use! Gather all your trip inspiration and start adding it to the map.

When I plan a trip with Google Maps, I go through all the blog posts I’ve saved as well as my “Saved” folder for a destination on Instagram. It makes the whole process so much easier and saves me from researching a place from scratch.

Here’s how it works for me:

Let’s say I want to go to Utah . I’ll go through a first-timers guide to Park City itinerary (shameless plug) and add all the places I want to visit onto the map. If I saw a friend recently visited a restaurant in Park City and saved her post on Instagram to refer to later, I might add that to my map as well.

How to Add a Place to Your Map

Step 1 : Select the layer you want the pin to be added to.

Step 2: Type the place’s name into the search box and select the listing from the dropdown list.

Step 3: Click on the “Add to Map” button, and you’re done!

Tip: If you accidentally add a location to the wrong layer, you can drag and drop it to the correct one.

What happens if the place you want to visit isn’t on Google Maps? As long as you have the address, you can manually add it to your map.

Step 4: Customize Your Map

As I mentioned earlier, I love how you can customize the Google Maps trip planner. There are dozens of options to keep things organized, from changing pin colors, to adding icons, to including images.

• Click on the “paint bucket” icon at the bottom of a location marker’s pop-up window to customize a listing.

• To add notes, click on the “pencil” icon next to the paint bucket.

• To remove a place from your Google itinerary, click on the trash bucket icon in the same panel.

How to Use Color-Coding to Plan a Trip with Google Maps

Option 1. Color-code things by priority: Mark your must-visit locations in red. The ones you’d like to see can be yellow, and things you don’t mind visiting if there’s time can be green. 

Option 2. Break down your category: Under your “Activities” layer, you can color-code all hiking trails green, museums blue, and monuments yellow. This really helps you find what you’re looking for so much faster when you’re on the go.

Step 5: Create Your Google Maps Itinerary

With all your points of interest now included on your map, you can zoom out and see where you have the highest concentration of pins.

This will help you decide which neighborhood is the best fit for your trip, which hotel makes the most sense (with budget and location in mind), which restaurants are the easiest to start booking reservations for, and which activities you should group together.

Then, you can start the process of elimination.

• Which activities don’t make sense to keep included, given the time you have available? 
• How long is it going to take to get from place to place?
• How many days would you need to see everything?
• What are “must-do” activities, and what are good back-ups if your plans change?

As you start answering these questions, you’ll see your itinerary start to come to life.

Step 6: How to Plan a Road Trip on Google Maps

For road trips , plotting your route on Google Maps helps you plan everything from fuel stops to attractions to see along the way. You’ll have a good idea of how long to spend in each destination, where you might need to spend a night, and what you don’t want to miss in between.

Your custom map can also show you how far things are from one another.

Click on the location you want directions to and select the arrow icon next to the trash icon.

A new layer for directions will be added to your map.

Add in your starting point, and you’ll see a blue path connecting point A to point B.

Click the “Add Destination” button to add multiple stops on Google Maps.

Tip: Select the transport icon on the layer to change the directions from driving to walking.

Step 7: Access Your Google Maps Trip Planner on Your Phone

Whew! You’ve made it.

All your planning is done, and you officially created a Google Maps itinerary for your next trip.

Next, you want to make sure you can access it on your phone. To do that, download Google Maps onto your phone and log in with your Google account.

When you’re signed in, tap on the “Saved” tab at the bottom of the screen.

Tap on “Maps” and select the map you want to view.

What happens if you’re exploring the streets of Rome, you get lost, and you’ve run out of data? Google Maps to the rescue!

You can make all your maps available offline.

 Here’s how to access Google My Maps offline:

• Download the Google Earth app
• Go to your custom map on your desktop and select “Export to KML/KMZ.”
• Leave all the boxes unchecked and download it to your desktop.
• Email the download to yourself and open it on your phone.
• Open the file with the Google Earth app.

Tip: Information like addresses, opening times, and directions aren’t populated. You’ll need to add these manually to the notes section of each listing to see it on the Google Earth app.

Ready, Steady, Start Planning a Trip with Google Maps!

Congrats! You can officially plan a trip with Google Maps.

All that’s left to do now is click the “Share” button to share your map with your friends and start booking your accommodation .

Have you tried Google Map trip planning before? Got any tips? Let me know in the comments.

Read This Next:

• Road Tripping Like a Pro: Planning Tips To Help You Stay Sane on Long Drives
• 5 Websites I Use to Book Cheap Flights
• 11 Actionable Tips to Travel More this Year, Even If You Work Full-Time
• Checklist: 11 Things To Do the Day Before You Go on Vacation

Pin For Later:

Hey there! I’m Rachel, a travel writer and a full-time advertising / marketing expert. In 2019, I traveled more than 25 times while working 9 to 5, and since then I’ve committed myself to living a more adventurous life, even if it means bringing my laptop along for the ride. Are you hungry to travel more, but overwhelmed with how to juggle work and play? You’ve come to the right place!

Recent Adventures:

Top Woman-Owned Travel Companies That Should Be on Your Radar

Los Angeles Staycation Idea: Two Days in Palos Verdes, California

How to Ask Your Boss for More Vacation Time (The Right Way)

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• Updated on: July 16, 2021

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How To Plan A Trip With Google Maps: 7 Easy Steps

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Wondering how to plan a trip with Google Maps? Below, we’ll show you how we plan all our trips on Google Maps – get ready for every Google Maps hack you’ll ever need!

There is a lot that goes into planning the perfect trip. What are you going to do? Where will you stay? How are you going to plan your days? How long do you even need to see everything? It’s overwhelming!

I love travel planning. As you can see on this website, I kind of made my career out of it. Because I want to make the most out of my trips (and write the best possible guides about the destinations I visit), I take travel planning pretty seriously. 

There is so much research that goes into it, and I couldn’t do it without my favourite travel planning tool: Google Maps. In this guide, I’m sharing how I use Google Maps as a trip planner, along with some handy hacks to help you on your next adventure. Let’s take a look!

Add Directions

Embed your map on your site, 3. it is easy to plan your driving miles/time.

7 Steps to Plan a Trip With Google Maps

Here is how to use Google Maps trip planner:

1. Create a Map

To create a map on Google, you do need a Google account. Once signed up/logged in, go to this page .

Click on “ Saved” >> “My Maps “, which will take you to your maps. If you have created any maps in the past, you will also find them here. As you can see in the screenshots below, I’ve already created quite a few!

Alternatively, you can go to this page , where you see and access your maps in an instant.

To create a new map, click on “ Create Map ”. This will open a new tab with an empty map. 

By clicking on “ Untitled Map ”, you can give your map a name and a description. And ta-da! You’re ready for some travel planning on Google Maps. Time to create the perfect itinerary .

2. Add Locations

Now it’s time to start brainstorming. What do you want to do and see on your trip? There are so many ways to find the best places to visit.

For starters, you can find things to do by reading travel guides, blog posts , and itineraries from other travel bloggers. It’s also a good idea to go through Instagram hashtags and location tags. And, of course, good old printed travel guides (by Lonely Planet and Rough Guides, for example) are always a good shout too.

You don’t have to worry about how to plan out your days in detail. For now, you simply want to get an idea of what you want to do on your trip.

Whenever you find something that seems interesting, you can add these to your map by typing the location into the search bar. This can be the name of the location or the address, or you can use the coordinates. Usually, you’ll see a drop-down menu with suggestions as you type.

By pressing enter or selecting one of the options, Google Maps will take you to the location. Here, you can add these locations to your maps. Simply click on “ Add to map ”. Afterwards, you’ll see it appear on the Untitled Layer .

Alternatively, you can use the “ Add Market ” tool (shown in the screenshot below) to add a marker on the map. You can use this when a location isn’t on the map but you don’t have the coordinates, for example.

Before adding all your locations, make sure to read step 3. We explain how to customize your pins on Google Maps, making it much easier to plan your daily itineraries later on.

Planning a road trip on Google Maps? Start by adding the places you want to see/visit. Later on (see step 5), you can add directions to help you find the fastest routes. You can create on Google Maps for the overall road trip, and make another map for daily itineraries of your road trip.

3. Customise Your Categories (Icons and Colours)

The customisation options are another reason why planning trips on Google Maps is one of the best travel planning tools out there. By using colours, icons, pictures and notes, your map will be even easier to navigate.

These options let you break down your locations into categories, such as things to do, photography spots, restaurants, cafes, hotels, shops, etc.

You can change the colour of your pin and add an icon under the “ Style ” option – it looks like a paint bucket. There are hundreds of different icons to choose from.

At this stage, it’s best to stick to changing the icons for now. I normally change the colours to divide the days on my itineraries. Obviously, you can completely style this the way you want.

You can also change the colour and icon of your pins in the side menu.

When clicking on the “ Edit ” icon, you can change the title and add a description for your location. This can be handy to help yourself remember any specifics about this place, such as good photography spots, opening times and whether you need to book a ticket in advance or not.

You can add an image or video to your pins, too. And lastly, you can delete the pin by clicking on the trash icon.

4. Create Layers 

Now you’ve added all the things you want to do and given them some icons, it’s time to take a look at the layers. You can add a layer by clicking the “Add layer” option in the sidebar. This automatically creates a brand new untitled layer on your map.

You can rename and delete the layers by clicking on the three dots next to the name of the layer.

You can make layers invisible by unchecking the box next to the name of your layer.

To move points of interest from one layer to another, you can simply drag them over with your mouse.

Layers are an easy way to categorize and organise the locations on your map. There are multiple ways to do this, and you can choose a way that works best for your trip. For example, you can create one layer for restaurant options in Tokyo, one for sightseeing in Tokyo, one for hotels in Tokyo , etc.

When I’m planning a big trip, I like to use layers to break down my individual days or cities. This way, I can quickly see what I’m doing every day while I’m travelling. To make it even clearer, I change the colours of all my pins to match the different layers.

5. Plan Your Itinerary (with Directions)

After following these steps, we should have a good overview of all the things we want to do and see during our trip. This will make it much easier to break down the trip into days.

For the Tokyo itinerary I’ve been planning as part of this Google Maps tutorial, I’m going to spread it out over two days.

I created two layers to match my time in Tokyo in Google Maps. 

Because I can see where all my hotspots are located, I can see which activities and sights I want to pair together. This way, I can efficiently plan what I want to see each day. You can even make squares to group things together with the “ Line Drawing ” tool. 

For example, it makes sense to group these pins together per day – this will save me a ton of time travelling from one place to the other.

Always check whether these things actually work together, though. Sometimes, a ton of restaurants are located near each other, but there’s no point in planning to visit four restaurants on the same day.

Sometimes, there are museums that take way too long to visit alongside other sights or you can combine certain parts of the city in one day.

Take a look at your itinerary and plan it accordingly. As mentioned before, I like to use the colour tool to add the same colour per day to make it even easier to spot. My Google Map itinerary turned out like this:

If you’re planning a road trip on Google Maps or want directions for walking from one point to another, you can use the direction tools. Click on one of the locations and select “ Directions to here ”. 

This will create a new layer on your map. From here, you can add different locations to create a route. You can select points of interest on your map to easily add them to your route. Click on “ Add Destination ” to add more stops.

You can also change whether you want directions by car, bike, or on foot by clicking on the car icon. This opens up a small window with a car, bike and pedestrian. Changing the mode of transport will automatically change the directions to find the best route for you.

This tool allows you to create road trip itineraries or city walks with just a few clicks. I find this especially handy to plan a road trip with Google Maps, as it allows me to estimate the driving time and the amount of money I’ll have to spend on petrol.

By clicking on the three dots next to the name of this direction layer, you can click on “ Step-by-step directions ”. This will give you detailed directions, distances, and an estimation of how long it’ll take for you to get there. Super handy!

6. Book Your Hotels 

Now you know exactly what your daily plans are for our trip, it makes it much easier to pick the perfect location for your accommodation . Since you know what parts of the city you’ll be visiting, you can pick a spot that’s near these locations. This will save you so much time (and money), as you won’t have to travel too far to go to start your daily itinerary.

I usually book hotels on Booking.com . The website’s map feature makes it perfect for choosing the location. Because I have my itinerary ready on Google Maps, I know exactly what area of the city I prefer to stay in.

Once you’ve booked your accommodation, you can add the location to your map too.

7. Share Your Trip & Access it on Your Phone

Once you’ve finished your map, you can share it with your travel buddies and download it onto your phone. Here is how to do it.

Access Your Map on Your Phone

To view the map on your phone (with an internet connection), simply download the Google Maps app. Log into your account and click on the “ Saved ” button at the bottom.

Then scroll down and click on “ Maps ”. This will take you to all the maps you created. Click on the map you want to access, and all your saved spots will appear.

Share Your Map

To share your map with your travel company or friends, click on the “ Share ” button. Make sure to enable link sharing , which will allow you to copy the shareable link. You can share this link with friends, who can then access your map and download it themselves.

If you’ve read any of my itineraries or travel guides , you have probably noticed some Google Maps. As I always use these maps for my own trips, I try to include them in my articles for you to use. If you want to embed your map onto your site, click on the three dots >> “Embed on site” . 

This will give you a code that you can include on any site for an interactive map to appear.

Why Use Google Maps for Trip Planning?

Google Maps is one the best travel tools because it’s so easy to use for both planning your trip and using it during your trip. We use it for planning city trip itineraries and road trip routes, plus it allows us to save our favourite locations and hotspots.

Whenever we come across a location on social media that we’d like to check out, we add it to a bigger map so we can organise it into smaller itineraries when we’re ready to visit.

Here are some of the main reasons to use Google Maps:

1. It Allows You to Access Your Maps Anywhere

You can access Google Maps anywhere you want. After creating a map on your desktop, you can open it on your phone or tablet. Plus, you can download it so you can access it without being connected to the internet. This is especially handy when you’re abroad and internet access isn’t a given.

2. It Makes it Easy to Find the Best Hotel Location

Using Google Maps to plan my city breaks gives me insight on the perfect location for my accommodation. Because I have a visual representation of all the things I plan to do during my holiday, I know exactly what the best hotel spot is. I compare the map from Booking.com and my own map, and ta-da!

When planning road trip routes on Google Maps, you can easily estimate the time it takes to drive from one place to the next. You can use this to properly budget your trip in terms of petrol cost, too. And when on the road, you can use the directions from your own map while driving.

Conclusion: Using Google Maps Trip Planner

That concludes my tutorial on how to plan a trip with Google Maps. I hope this has shown you all the amazing features this tool offers and how easy it is to use when planning a road trip or city break. 

Ever since I started using it, I’ve never looked back. It has saved me so much time and always takes away a ton of travel planning stress. I hope it can do the same for you!

Nele (Nay-la) graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University with an English and Creative Writing Degree and has lived in the UK for nearly 10 years. She has had an interest in Japan and its culture for as long as she can remember. Since her first trip in 2018 surpassed all expectations, she has continued to return to Japan to explore more of all it has got to offer. You can read her full story here .

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10 thoughts on “How To Plan A Trip With Google Maps: 7 Easy Steps”

WOW!! I had no idea this resource existed. Your detailed steps and screenshots make it easy for me to take the plunge and start using this tool. Thank you.

Thank you so much for the lovely comment, Anne! So glad the post was able to teach you a few things – it’s such a great tool to use for planning trips!

Hi, Thank you for sharing this interesting feature. I was looking for a hard copy of a plan for my travel in Malaysia.

Great guide, exactly what I was looking for, Great work, Thank you!

• Pingback: Blogs To Read This September - Bournemouth Girl

This was very helpful. Thank you 🙂

Amazing tutorial! I am so glad you came up in Google search just as I was looking for this kind of resource. And best of all its free and a tool that I am so used to. How did I not know this before about G Maps?!

So glad to hear the tutorial was helpful! It’s been such a useful tool in my travels, hopefully you can use it on your next trip too!

Very detailed explanation and very well explained too. Thanks for making this blog…

Great post! I recently planned a trip to a nearby city using Google Maps, and it was incredibly helpful in navigating unfamiliar roads and finding the best routes. I especially appreciated the feature that allowed me to save my route and share it with friends. Will definitely be using this method for future trips!

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How to Plan A Trip With Google Maps in 4 Easy Steps

by  Annie  

Published:  March 8, 2022

Google Maps is a powerful tool that can help you save time when you’re putting the pieces of your next adventure together. My personal maps are full of places I want to visit and I create custom maps for my clients when helping with their itineraries. Learning how to plan a trip with Google Maps is super easy and, when you're done, you’ll have everything you need right at your fingertips while you’re out exploring!

There are a number of ways to customize your Google Maps . You can add routes between destinations, color code your location pins, and create multiple layers so you can change what you see on the map. In this article, you’ll see how to do each of these with simple steps and screenshots so you can easily follow along. Below are the basic steps you’ll use to plan a trip with Google Maps. 

How to Plan a Trip With Google Maps in 4 Steps

Create bookmarks regularly. Add them to your “Favorites”, “Want to Go”, “Travel Plans”, or “Starred Places” list or create a new list.

Create a custom map for your trip by going to Your Places > Maps > Create Map. 

Add the starting point for your trip to the custom map. Then add your next destination and the driving route. Do this until all destinations are added to the map. 

Create new layers for each destination and bookmark sights, accommodations, restaurants, etc. Customize each type with a color and icon so it’s easy to see. 

Download your custom map in your Google Maps app and have a great time!

*** This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase using the link, I receive a small commission at no additional charge to you. This helps me keep the lights on around here. 🙂 I ONLY recommend products and services I personally use and love. * **

Tips for Customizing Your Google Maps

If you’re anything like me, you’re constantly coming across new places you want to visit! Maybe it’s a pretty picture on Instagram, a destination you read about, or a place you saw in a movie. You want to make sure you don’t forget them so start bookmarking them in your Google Maps!  

The images below will show you how to create bookmarks for the places you want to visit. You can put them all on the same list or make customized lists to organize them however you want. I put all of mine in the “Starred Places” list and then organize them when I’m making a custom map for a destination, which we'll cover in a bit.

This is what it looks like when you add bookmark places on your Google Maps.

When it’s time to plan a trip with Google Maps, you’ll already have a head start if you’ve been bookmarking spots! When you’re deciding where to go and how much time to spend, you’ll be able to see if there are places in the area that you’re already interested in visiting. It’s also helpful to add bookmarks as you’re researching your destinations so the highlights are already on your map when you arrive. 

Planning an Itinerary With Google Maps

One of the hardest parts of putting together a trip is choosing a route and timeline. It’s one of the travel planning elements I help clients with most often. You can use Google Maps to show your different options in one place and get a picture of your trip! For the rest of this article, we’re going to say we have two weeks to spend on a trip and that will start in Berlin, Germany and end in Prague, Czechia. 

Choose a starting point. There are few ways to choose where to start your trip -- find a cheap flight to a destination you’re excited about, use these questions to help you narrow down your bucket list, or choose based on what type of indie traveler you are and the experience you want to have. 

Brainstorm routes. Look at the map and bookmark or make a list of places you’d like to visit along the way. You can make a loop if you want to start and end in the same place, or choose another destination to fly home from and choose stops along the way. You can also choose somewhere to base yourself and take day trips from there! I recommend planning at least 2-3 nights in each place, if you have multiple stops. Packing up and moving every single day gets old! 

Step 1 to Plan a Trip with Google Maps: Create A Custom Map

Google Maps lets you create your own maps! Create a custom map (screenshots below) and then we'll start putting in the routes from your brainstorming session. You can change the name of your map and add a description if you’re going to be sharing it with others later.

Start by searching for your beginning destination and adding it to your map. Click on the “directions to here” icon to start building your first route.

Step 2 to Plan a Trip with Google Maps: Add Your Major Stops

Now you’re ready to finish building your first route! Continue adding places along with the driving directions. As you continue to add places and directions, you can drag them up or down to put them in any order you’d like. Google Maps will adjust the routes to match the order of destinations. Unfortunately, you can only choose driving directions and not public transportation but this will give you an idea of distance and travel time between stops.

Once your first route is built, create your next route using the same steps. Click on your starting point again and when you add driving directions, it will begin a new layer for you to create another route.

Once you’ve created the additional routes, you’ll see them all on the map at once. You can choose to turn a route on or off by clicking the checkmark next to the name of that layer. Rename the layer by clicking on the three dots at the end of the name.

You can see the step-by-step driving directions, distance, and driving time between destinations for each route. Click on the three dots at the end of the name and choose “step-by-step directions”. At the top, you’ll see the total distance and drive time for your route. Next to each major stop, you’ll see the information between the current stop and the next.

Once you’ve chosen a route for your trip, it’s time to create a customized map for each stop along the way!

Step 3 to Plan a Trip with Google Maps: Add Destination Info

One of the other great features that helps you plan a trip with Google Maps is the ability to color code and customize sights, restaurants, etc. Your original starting point will still be on the map, making it easy to get started. Start by deleting the city marker because you’ve already built your routes.

Now we’re going to add in the places we want to visit in our destination. Start by renaming the layer to match the destination so it's easy to see which city you’re viewing. Search for each attraction, restaurant, etc. in the search bar and add it to the layer. Adding similar places together will make them easier to customize as a group. We’ll start with museums so you can see what that looks like.

To customize the color and icon, hover over the place and click on the paint bucket you see at the end.

Choose the color and icon (click on “more icons” to see additional options) you want. If you choose an item from “more icons” you’ll see it there when you customize the next one, making it quick and easy to use it on similar places.

You can do as much or as little of this as you like. You can drag items up and down to put them in any order you want. Once you’ve finished adding places to your map, you’re ready to share and download! To share your map with others, simply click on the share option next to “Add Layer” and choose the settings you want. 

Download the map onto your phone by going to your Google Maps App. Click on “Saved” (the little bookmark) and choose “Maps” at the bottom. This will pull up customized maps you’ve created. Choose the one you want to see and you’ll see your map in addition to the usual Google Maps.

Step 4 to Plan a Trip with Google Maps: Outline Your Itinerary

Now that you have your route selected and a personalized map of your destinations, it’s time to nail down your itinerary. Start by deciding your “must see'' places. These are the spots you’re not willing to leave the destination without visiting. This is the hard part, my friend! You’re not going to see it all so make peace with that now. It’s okay. You’ll either go back or go somewhere new, but there’s no way to see every single thing unless you’re going to spend weeks or months in a place. 

Your custom map will help you decide how many days to plan for each stop. I recommend no more than two major attractions in a day. Yes, you can see more, but you will want some unplanned time to wander aimlessly, get a coffee in the cute little cafe you find in the morning, or have a picnic in the park. I promise, many of your most memorable moments will come from the things you didn’t plan. Leave room for the magic to find you instead of running from one thing to the next.  

When you plan a trip with Google Maps you’ll have everything right at your fingertips. Once you finish at one of your “must see” spots, check your map to see what else is nearby. Walking from place to place is a great way to see more of your destination too!

Now that you know how to plan a trip with Google Maps, have fun with it! On the weekends, I love to get a cup of coffee and see what kind of amazing itineraries I can dream up with this tool. Yes, I’m a travel nerd through and through! 🙂

If you’ve enjoyed this article, sign up for emails so you’ll know when I publish new ones! While it does take some time and effort to put your own international trips together, there are some additional tips and resources that can make it easier. Below are some of the most popular articles to help with travel planning!

• 7 Tips for Finding Cheap Flights to Anywhere You Want to Go
• 5 Different Types of Accommodations that Can Save You Money on Your Next Trip
• How to Plan a Travel Budget + Tips to Save Money on Indie Travel
• Planning A Europe Trip: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Trip You’ll Love

If you don’t have the time to plan every single bit of your trip or would like to get insight on your plans, check out these consulting services created specifically for indie travelers like you. I’d love to stay connected! You can find me on Instagram and Facebook too. If you’ve made it this far, thanks for sticking around!

Now get out there. The world is waiting for you!

Did you learn anything new about Google Maps in this article? What are some of your favorite tools for planning itineraries and mapping your travel routes?

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About the author 

Fun Lover. Food Eater. Bold Explorer. Big Dreamer. Annie is a fiercely independent traveler who loves to create unique and interesting experiences. She thrives on finding the magical moments and hidden gems waiting around every corner. Her passion for helping others make their travel dreams come true fuels her work as a travel planner, consultant, educator, and community builder.

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That was a super helpful post, Annie.

I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

I love Google Maps and it’s such a Godsend while traveling! That said, you’ve given me some new insight into other neat features – I had no idea you could customize the color of the icons!

I totally agree! Google Maps has made getting around new cities SO much easier. I’m glad you learned some new tricks too. 🙂

Wow, Annie, this is so helpful and detailed. I use Google Maps for all my trip planning and thought I knew a good bit but you just blew my basic knowledge out of the water and I love that! I had no idea every little detail could be customized. I will be coming back to go through this as I finish my next trip. I appreciate the step-by-step instructions, it will ensure what I learn sticks with me! Thanks for sharing!

Ah, I’m so glad it was helpful! I love to play with all the fun features in Google Maps. Have fun! 🙂

I never could figure out how to use Google Maps to make up my itineraries- thanks for the clear instructions.

You’re so welcome! I’m glad they were helpful. 🙂

So how do you add saved locations (from Favorites or Travel plans lists) to the map?

If you search for the place on Google Maps, you’ll see a little bookmark icon that says “Save”. If you click on that, you can add it to a pre-made list or create a custom one of your own! 🙂

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How To Plan A Trip Using Google Maps (+ BONUS Tips)

Regardless of where we’re going, our travel planning process looks the same pretty much every single time. And it all starts with a custom map using Google My Maps. 

Read on to discover a complete video and written tutorial to show you how to plan your trips using Google Maps. Along the way, we’ll also share some bonus travel planning tips with you based on our 10+ years of travelling together as a couple.

Video Tutorial

Learn how to plan a trip using Google Maps by joining me as I start planning our next trip to Madeira in this walkthrough video. You’ll also find some written instructions below the video:

Psst! Do you like the trip planner we showed you at the end of the video? You can grab a copy of it right now via this link ! Don’t worry! We’ve also created some training videos and tutorials to show you how to use it, which you’ll get access to if you decide to buy our trip planner.

Written Instructions & Screenshots

If you learn better through reading, please find some written instructions and step-by-step screenshots below to help you plan your trip .

Step 1. Open Google My Maps and create a new map.

Google My Maps is slightly different from the standard Google Maps feature that we’re used to using for, say, driving directions. Instead, the Google My Maps feature allows you to create your very own tailored map that’s just for you. Navigate to Google My Maps and click “Create new map”.

Step 2. Search for your first place and add it to your map.

First things first, you’ll want to give your map a title like 7 day Madeira itinerary or 4 days in San Francisco .

I like to add my top must-sees to the map first. Then, as you plan your itinerary, you can drag and drop them into your chosen days. 

Start by searching for your first place. Once that pops up, click “Add to map”.

You can also change the symbol and colour of it to help it stand out. I usually change the colour of it because the default is a dark blue colour that’s far too similar to other markers already on the map, such as bus stops and grocery stores. 

Bright yellow or purple are often a good shout. I also give it a star symbol at this point so that it stands out on the map better. 

Step 3. Create your first layer and add some more of your must-sees.

When you first add something to the map, you might notice it goes into an “Untitled layer”. Let’s rename that to “Must-Sees” or something similar by clicking on the title of the layer and renaming it.

Now, all your must-sees will appear as a list within this layer. Continue adding your other must-sees to the map.

Step 4. Add new layers to start creating your itinerary.

Once you have all your must-sees in a handy list, it’s time to start building your itinerary. Click “Add layer” and call this “Day 1”. Add another layer and call that “Day 2”. 

Continue until you’ve added all your days. 

TOP TIP: You can’t add more than ten layers to a Google Map. If your trip is for two weeks or longer, you’ll need to set up the layers to cover several days each. For example, “Days 1-2”, “Days 3-4”, “Days 5-6” and so on.

Now it’s a case of dragging and dropping your must-sees into their relevant days. You’ll need to be patient with it because this step is sometimes a bit slow and clunky.

You might also want to change the colours to correspond to different days so it’s easier to see things at a glance. Especially how close things are to each other and whether it’s physically possible for you to do everything you’ve selected in one day. You might have to play around with things a little until you’re happy with your itinerary. 

Step 5. Print your custom map or share it around.

Once you’re happy with your itinerary and map, you can share it with the person you’re travelling with. You can even print it out if you want to.

IMPORTANT: To access your map during your trip, you’ll need to go to the link you’ve created for the map. Unfortunately, the data doesn’t transfer to the default Google Maps view. But you can easily navigate between the two by selecting the “Menu” button in Google Maps followed by “Saved”. Click the “Maps” tab underneath this and you’ll see the custom maps you’ve created.

Bonus Tips For Planning Your Itinerary

1. aim for a maximum of 2-3 main activities per day..

When it comes to planning itineraries , focus on a maximum of 2-3 main activities per day. The reason for this is that you don’t necessarily know how long things are going to take you to do. By planning a small number of things for each day, you’ll have more flexibility to add other things later if you have the time.

2. Take particular note of where places are in relation to each other.

The reason we like to use Google Maps when planning itineraries is because of the visual side of it. You can quickly and easily see where things are in relation to each other and whether it’s feasibly possible for you to do the activities in the order you’ve planned them. You can double-check walking and driving distances by using the next feature mentioned below.

3. Don’t forget to add walking and driving directions to your map.

If you click the “Directions” button, another layer will be added to your map. You can then select whether you need walking, driving or cycling directions either between different places you’ve added to your map or between other places you’ve not yet added.

If you click the three dots next to this layer, you can double-check the journey times and distances between those points. With this, your custom map becomes your own personal road trip planner or walking tour guide! You can also toggle the directions on and off to show or hide them from view.

4. Make use of the colour coding and symbols features.

We’ve talked about colour-coding the different points on your map according to what day of your itinerary they belong to. But you might want to instead colour code things based on what type of place they are. Green for parks or purple for museums, for example. You can also use various symbols to quickly see things at a glance, such as a plane symbol for an airport or a knife and fork symbol for restaurants.

5. Add notes to the points on your map to serve as helpful reminders.

If you click the “Edit” pencil icon on any place you’ve added to your map, you can rename them or add notes. One good use case for this would be to add flight departure and arrival times to any airports you’ve added to the map.

6. Use your map to find restaurants and cafes near where you’ll be.

Zoom in on the map wherever you’ve added some points of interest and you’ll probably find nearby amenities like restaurants and cafes. Why not add a few of these to your map so you can quickly find them when you’re actually sightseeing?

Discover more travel planning tips in our complete guide >>

Once you’ve finished building your own custom map and itinerary in Google Maps, you have a couple of options.

You could use this map on the go or print it out to serve as a reminder of your itinerary. The downside to this is you’d still need a separate place to keep all your booking confirmations, important documents, expense sheets, packing lists and other essential travel info. 

This might mean having to flip between different tabs in your Internet browser to find the various information you need. Thankfully, there is another way! 

Introducing The Wanderer’s Trip Planner

We’ve recently created our very own trip planner , which serves as a central system for your itinerary, expenses, packing list, trip checklist, booking confirmations and more. It even comes with a free mobile app, so you can easily see all this info while on the go!

While it doesn’t have a map feature, you could include a link to your custom map within the “Useful Links” tab of our trip planner. Pretty cool, eh?

Learn more about our custom trip planner >>

We’ve also designed a Madeira travel planner >> (with more destination-specific ones on the way soon!)

Read More About Travel Planning

If you enjoyed our tips on how to use Google Maps for planning your trips, then you might also enjoy some of our other blog posts, such as:

• The Complete Travel Planning Guide for Couples
• 24 of the Best Travel Planning Apps
• How To Plan A Trip To Europe For The First Time
• How To Plan The Perfect Destination Proposal

Alternatively, why not “steal” one of our tried and tested itineraries ? We have lots of them on the blog for all kinds of different destinations we’ve enjoyed travelling to.

We can also create a custom itinerary just for you. Check out our travel planning services to find out more >>

I hope our tutorial video and tips on how to plan a trip using Google Maps come in handy. We’ve saved so much time over the years planning our trips this way.

Did you enjoy this tutorial? Why not pin or bookmark it now so that you can refer back to it later?

Justine Jenkins

Justine is one half of the married couple behind the Wanderers of the World travel blog. She lives in Bristol, UK and has travelled extensively within Europe and beyond since 2013. After her trips, she shares detailed travel itineraries, helpful travel guides and inspiring blog posts about the places she's been to. When she's not travelling overseas, you'll find her joining her husband, Scott on various day trips, weekend getaways and walks within the UK, which she also writes about on Wanderers of the World. Aside from travelling and writing, she also loves reading, crafting and learning about nature.

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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

Google Maps

• Google Travel

How to get ready for a road trip using Google’s travel site and Maps

Due to the pandemic, travel has been slow this past year, and you might be a little rusty when it comes to picking up and traveling somewhere to visit friends and family or just planning a getaway. Whatever the case, Google has a few helpful tools in Google Maps and Google’s travel site to help you get started on making those plans and staying safe along the way.

Table of contents

Getting started with google’s travel website, using google map’s road trip feature, planning a trip around covid-19 restrictions.

Google’s travel website is meant to be a companion site that can help you plan all of the details of your trip. You can use it to book flights, make an itinerary, and even explore interesting places to visit at your destination. If you have a Gmail account , there’s a good chance that any flight reservation you make will automatically appear the next time you use Google’s travel site, making it that much easier to plan the trip’s details. If not, Google Travel may suggest locations based on your search history and interests. While that may be a little creepy, it can also be pretty helpful.

If no destination has been chosen yet, Google will suggest locations in the “Explore” tab. You can filter these locations based on flight and hotel cost, giving you a pretty good idea of where a nice place to go would be. After choosing a destination, Google gives you a few options as far as what you’d want to know. There’s a “Discover” section that will break down various points of interest. In bigger cities, you may find the number of things to do or see endless. Fortunately, you can filter out locations and activities based on your personal interest.

If there are a few places that pique your curiosity, or you already know you want to go there, Google allows you to save them to the trip and pin them to the trip’s detail page. This serves as a sort of to-do list when you get where you’re going.

If you don’t plan on flying and want to avoid certain COVID-19 hotspots, Google Maps is probably the way to go. Just this year, Google added a feature to the Maps website that allows you to add stops along the route when planning the trip. Previously this was possible on mobile, but it didn’t lend itself well to planning out a road trip to be shared with friends and family. Adding stops along the way with Google Maps on mobile was best for impromptu stops.

Once you’ve defined a starting point and destination, you can add stops along the way. You can add anything from a city to rest stops and gas stations. You can do this by either manually entering a stop you already know you would like to pause at, or by choosing one of the criteria towards the top of the screen. Google Maps lets you narrow down your search by these criteria:

When selecting from one of these criteria, Google will also suggest a few filters. For instance, choosing hotels will bring up a “Guest rating” filter, as well as an “Amenities” filter, so you make sure that you’re getting free wifi. Of course, if none of these fit the bill, you can always just search for what you want. The nice thing is that these suggestions can add a little flare to the trip by suggesting something you would have never thought about, making the road trip that much more exciting.

Once you find a point of interest, hit add stop , and Google Maps will automatically insert it in the right spot on the planned route. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a way to define how much time you plan on spending at that stop, so the trip time might have to be calculated manually. Besides that, Google Maps has become a handy road trip planner with enough tools to get you where you’re going and let you have some fun along the way.

The major caveat to traveling right now is the looming risk of COVID-19. Fortunately, the travel website by Google and Maps both supply some great tools for managing risk and assessing where you plan to go.

On the travel website, you can find up-to-date COVID-19 information for your destination pretty easily. You can access this information by searching for and clicking on the destination . Under the main card that lists the date of your trip, area name, and weather, there will be a COVID information section. This section has useful information like the CDC’s travel advisory website, COVID-19 stats for that specific area, and the number of local cases.

Clicking on the “Travel advisory” button brings you to the CDC’s COVID-19 map. This map is a risk assessment of most destinations in the world, color-coded depending on how risky it is to travel there. The second button will search Google for COVID-19 information on the location you’re traveling to, detailing data like news, statistics, and testing locations. The “Local cases” button will show even more detailed information about active cases, vaccines administered, and deaths in the area. All of this is fantastic information to have when traveling and comes in handy when planning your trip.

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The Ultimate Guide to Planning a Trip Using Google Maps

Google Maps is an incredibly useful tool for planning trips. Not only does it allow you to see a map of your destination, but it also provides detailed information about specific areas and attractions.

In this guide, we will show you how to use Google Maps to create a complete trip itinerary. We'll walk you through the steps involved in creating a custom map, adding destinations and attractions, and more. Let's get started!

What is A Travel Itinerary?

If you've ever been on a long trip, you know that one of the most important things is to plan your itinerary. You need to know where you're going and how to get there, or else you'll end up wasting a lot of time.

A travel itinerary is a detailed plan of your entire journey. It includes all the places you'll visit, what activities you'll do at each location, how long you'll stay in each place, and more.

Just as a map is essential for a road trip, a travel itinerary is essential for a vacation. By plotting out each step of the journey in advance, travelers can avoid getting lost, missing important landmarks, and making wrong turns.

Similarly, a travel itinerary helps to ensure that travelers make the most of their time by planning for activities, attractions, and dining options.

By taking the time to create a detailed itinerary, travelers can avoid wasting time on vacation and can instead focus on creating lasting memories.

What Makes An Itinerary a Good One?

When it comes to planning a trip, there are a lot of different factors to consider. So, what makes a good itinerary? Here are a few tips to keep in mind:

Make sure it's realistic.

Remember, you can't do everything in one trip. So, sit down and figure out what your priorities are, and then plan your itinerary accordingly. Don't try to pack too much into one day or one week. You'll just end up feeling overwhelmed and stressed out.

Be flexible.

While it's important to have a plan, you also need to be willing to adjust it as necessary. If you find that you're not enjoying yourself or that something isn't working out the way you'd hoped, don't be afraid to make changes on the fly. After all, this is supposed to be a fun experience!

Do your research.

Before you finalize your itinerary, take some time to research multiple locations available to you. Read online reviews and testimonials , talk to friends and family who have been there before, and check out travel guidebooks. This will help ensure that you're making the best choices for your trip.

Also, be sure to include your flight info, backup plans, and other important information.

Ultimately, the best itinerary is the one that YOU enjoy. So, go ahead and plan something that sounds fun and exciting to you. It doesn't matter if it's "traditional" or "original." If it sounds like something you'll enjoy, then go for it!

Creating Your Perfect Travel Itinerary with Google Maps

Itinerary planning can be a ton of fun, but it's also one of the most overwhelming processes. There are so many different things to think about when making your next big adventure happen - where should I stay? How many days, what mode of transportation should I take??!! 

It seems impossible sometimes! That's why we're going over an underappreciated tool that makes this whole process easier and more enjoyable than ever before: Google Maps.

The best part is that it's free, accessible to anyone with a computer and smartphone, and it's simple to use once you know the basics.

Whether you want to use this tool as your vacation itinerary planner, a trip route planner on a road trip, or just as a way to save ideas for a future adventure, Google Maps is your best friend for planning your next trip.

Create Your First Google Map

Creating your own Google Map is easy and only takes a few minutes!

To get started, open Google maps or visit this link and sign in to your Google account. Then, click on the hamburger menu in the top left-hand corner and select “Your Places” from the dropdown.

Now, you're probably wondering how to create your own map. Well, it's easy! Just click on the "Create Map" button on the Google Maps screen.

Finally, click on the three dot icon beside "Untitled Map" and give your map a name and description. Voila, you're all set!

Select Categories for Your Google Itinerary

A well-planned trip starts with a solid outline, which includes dividing your desired destination into categories. This will help you focus your inspiration and come up with a realistic itinerary.

This way, you can gather your inspiration more easily and color-code each item as you input it, instead of organizing later on.

Then, collect all of the different places you want to go on your trip. Are you looking for a city break or a beach holiday? Do you want to go somewhere exotic or visit a well-known tourist destination? Your interests must inform the categories you and your travel buddies choose for any maps.

In Google maps, here are some example of categories you can use:

• Sites and attractions
• Photography spots
• Food and drink

Remember though that Google Maps only allows 10 layers per map, so limit your categories to 10 as well.

To add your categories, click on "Add Layer" and then name that new “Untitled Layer” with your category of choice.

Add your must-see destinations onto your map

Once you have an idea of the type of trip you want to take, start gathering inspiration for your destination. Look at travel blogs, Google Reviews, Pinterest boards and Instagram accounts to get ideas for things to see and do. Once you have a list of places that interest you, add them to your map.

To add a location (i.e. museum) to the map, type in the name into the search bar and hit enter. When it appears on the menu, click “Add to Map”. In this step, you can also begin to add hotels that are close to the city you're staying.

The location also has a description box where you can add important details you want to remember. In this example, we've added "No admission fees" for a popular spot in South Korea.

You can also add other notes, such as "Closed on Mondays" or "bring cash" for a popular restaurant or even include a budget to know how much you will spend.

Customize your location markers

Now that you've added all your locations to the map, it's time to start customizing! There are several options available, including changing colors and adding icons, notes, videos, and images. You can do all of this using the buttons on the bottom of each location marker's pop-up box.

Changing the color of a location marker is a great way to highlight important locations or make them stand out from the rest. To change the color of a marker, simply click on click on the paint bucket icon that comes up at the bottom of the location marker’s pop-up window.

A priority system can also help you get the most out of your trip. By labeling "things I must see" in green, "places I want to visit" in yellow, and "things to see if I have time" in orange, you can ensure that you don't miss the sights that are most important to you.

If you want to add an icon to a location, click on the "Add Icon" button and choose from a wide variety of icons. You can also add notes, videos, and images by clicking on the "Add Note," "Add Video" or "Add Image" buttons.

Once you've finished customizing your map, it's time to save it. Now, you’ll have all the information you need right at your fingertips!

Start building out your itinerary

Now that you have a ton of cool spots to explore in your next destination, use the map you’ve built and create an epic itinerary.

The first thing you can do is break down items by neighborhood and their proximity to one another. Group attractions, restaurants, and activities into a single day. This will help you create a more efficient route to get around town.

You can also use Google Maps as a tool to figure out the best way to get around. For example, you can see how much time it will take you to get from point A to point B by foot, public transportation, or driving. Doing this will help you visualize your itinerary and help you make any necessary adjustments in these multiple stops.

Next, you're going to plan and finalize your itinerary. This is the time when you will find:

• The neighborhood and hotel you're staying in
• The airport or other transportation station you're traveling through
• The destinations or activities you need to group
• Where to rent a car or book an Uber
• Whether some attractions are within walking distance

To plan your itinerary, you're going to create your DIY routes. Here, you can make your own driving, cycling, or walking routes.

Start by clicking the "Draw line" icon. Then, you'll see the following options:

• Add a line or shape
• Add driving route
• Add cycling route
• Add walking route

After choosing, click "Add direction," which will automatically add a new layer to your map. After that, all you have to do is select Point A and Point B.

You can then add multiple stops (up to 10) in your route, which will help you calculate your drive times or even walking times. If you want to change or rearrange your routes, you can simply drag the white circle to the new route you want.

To get the complete breakdown of travel time in minutes between each stop you want, just select "step by step directions." This Google Maps feature comes in handy especially if you're going to walk through the trip.

You might want to share this itinerary with the ones you're going to travel with. To do so, simply click on the "Share" button and add their emails. Then you can customize who can see your map and what they can do with it.

Access your Maps on your phone

Congrats! Now, you've created your own personalized trip itinerary. To make sure you don't forget it, there's an even easier way to stay organized: access your maps on your phone.

All you need to do is download the Google Maps app, then log into your account . You'll be able to get an easy access all of your saved maps. Keep in mind that if you make any changes to your map on the web version, it will be updated on the app as well.

Plus, you can access the Google Maps app offline – so no need to worry if you don't have an internet connection while you travel.

With that said, here's our final trip when it comes to trip planning with Google Maps...

Plan, but don't over plan

Every successful trip needs some wiggle room. To make sure you're prepared for any surprises, leave some gaps in your day – just make sure that your must-see destinations are worked into your itinerary. Trying to fill every minute of every day is like trying to run a marathon without any water.

Sometimes, going with the flow is the only solution in case the weather is bad or the place you want to see is closed for some reason. You don't want to be stuck in a place that you don't want to be, as it will take away from your overall trip experience.

And above all, remember to have fun and enjoy the ride. Slow down and actually enjoy the moment. After all, that's why you planned the trip in the first place!

Google Maps Makes Trip Planning Simple!

Planning your trip doesn't have to be a headache. With Google Maps and its trip planning tool, it's easier than ever to create an itinerary that fits your needs and tick off your bucket list.

So don't let the planning process overwhelm you or stress you out. Instead, enjoy the ride and make your trip as fun and memorable as possible!

Now that you know how to plan a trip using Google Maps, it's time to hit the road – and start discovering the world! We hope you found this guide useful. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to reach out – we'd love to hear from you!

If you'd like some inspiration and travel planning tips for your next vacation, check out our list of the vacation ideas here.

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How to Plan a Route with Google Maps

Last Updated: August 10, 2022

On a Browser

On the mobile app.

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, volunteer authors worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 107,291 times. Learn more...

Google Maps can be useful to navigate through a new location or place. You can also use it to find the best route or route alternatives, and plan your trip accordingly. You can get turn by turn directions, and different routes depending on your method of transportation. You will also be able to tell how long it will take you to get to your destination.

• A list of possible results will drop down. Click your selection, and the map will automatically expand to show you the routes from this starting location to your destination.

• Repeat this step for all the other stops you will make in the same trip.

• For driving—If you’re driving, click the car icon on the toolbar. This is generally the default route.
• For transit—If you are commuting via bus, train, subway, or other public transit, click the train icon on the toolbar. The routes on the map will slightly change to accommodate all public transit routes.
• For walking—If you’re walking, click the pedestrian icon on the toolbar. The routes on the map will slightly change to accommodate walking routes.
• For cycling—If you’re biking or cycling, click the cycling icon on the toolbar. The routes on the map will slightly change to accommodate safe biking routes.

• Metro—You can identify metro or subway stops by the blue “M” icon on the map.
• Hotel/motel—You can identify hotel and motels by the brown bed icon on the map.
• Coffeehouse—You can identify coffeehouse locations by the orange coffee cup icon on the map.
• Restaurant—You can identify restaurant or fast-food locations by the orange spoon-and-fork icon on the map.
• Bank—You can identify bank locations by the blue dollar icon on the map.
• Shopping center—You can identify shopping center or store locations by the blue handbag icon on the map.
• Market. You can identify grocery or market locations by the blue shopping cart icon on the map.
• Church—You can identify church locations by the brown church icon on the map.
• Park—You can identify park locations by the green tree icon on the map.
• Hospital—You can identify hospital locations by the red “H” icon on the map.
• School—You can identify school locations by the brown hat icon on the map.
• Library—You can identify library locations by the brown book icon on the map.

• A list of possible results will drop down. Tap your selection, and you will be shown the best transportation method and route from your starting location to your destination, with the total distance and time. Most of the time this will be via car or rail, since these are the faster options.

• Driving—If you’re driving, tap the car icon on the toolbar.
• Transit—If you commuting via bus, train, subway, or other public transit, tap the train icon on the toolbar.
• Walking—If you’re walking, tap the pedestrian icon on the toolbar.

• Hotel/motel—You can identify hotel and motel locations by the brown bed icon on the map.
• Restaurant—You can identify restaurant or fast-food locations by the orange spoon and fork icon on the map.
• Shopping center—You can identify shopping center or store locations by the blue hand bag icon on the map.
• Market—You can identify grocery or market locations by the blue shopping cart icon on the map.
• Hospital—You can identify hospital locations by the red H icon on the map.

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How to Use Google Maps Trip Planner in 2024 (6 Easy Steps)

• Last Updated: January 25, 2024

• Google My Maps can help you plan a travel itinerary with a multi-stop route plan.
• It offers real-time traffic information, alternative routes, and step-by-step driving directions.
• Inaccuracies and the number of stops are some disadvantages of using Google Maps.
• In case you have more number of stops, switching to a route planner could be an ideal option.

If you’re looking to plan a trip solo or with friends, having a reliable trip planner can make all the difference. Why not take that trip with Google Maps? When you want to fulfill your traveling goals but don’t know how to reach your destination, Google Maps could be your perfect trip planner.

Google Maps is accessible from anywhere and it helps you organize your itinerary. So, if you are the type of person who likes to travel frequently, Google Maps Trip Planner has got your back covered.

In this blog, we will discuss how to organize a trip using Google Maps along with its pros and cons.

Table of Contents

How Google Maps App Helps You Plan a Travel Itinerary?

How to create a trip plan on google maps [step-by-step guide], reasons why google maps is the most preferred trip planner.

• Limitations of Using Google Maps
• Why You Should Make a Switch?

Final Thoughts

Google Maps is best used for adventure trips to find a number of stops located in-between the route. It helps you find related information and the time taken to reach the destination. Also, it gives you multiple routes to reach the desired location along with the live traffic on the road.

Using Google Maps , the user simply needs to enter an address on the map search bar and it will assist you to get there by offering step-by-step driving directions. When you create a map on Google Maps, you will know about the rest stops, toll roads, or hotels availability.

Moreover, it allows the user to apply color coding on multiple attractions meaning you will find it easier to differentiate all of them. For instance, let’s say you generated a new google map where you have multiple attractions like churches, beaches, and restaurants. These attractions can be marked in different colors of your choice.

Below is the step outline to create your own map with the help of Google Maps.

Step 1: Open Google Maps

Firstly, you need to log in with your Google account to let Google Maps know the user profile. Then, to create an untitled map , go to Saved > Maps > select the ‘CREATE MAP’ button from the bottom of a pop-up window. In this process, you will automatically get redirected to Google My Maps.

Step 2: Add location pins

Now, you can add location markers or location pins in Google My Maps by selecting the location name from the dropdown menu to find the exact address. Or else, you can add locations to lists by entering latitude and longitude from the pin icon. Google My Maps also gives you the functionality to add layer for several separate lists of locations to the same map by clicking on “Add layer.”

Step 3: Customize pins by changing icons

After selecting the address, Google My Maps will then mark it with a green location pin. At this point, you can customize the pin by tapping the edit button (pencil icon). Then, as soon as you complete the location searches and click the save button, the location marker will change its color based on category. For example, you can color-code restaurants coming on your way.

Step 4: Review your customized route map

Next, you should review the route plan to double-check trip itineraries if the multiple stops are added or not. Also, make sure your route plan has the list of the best possible routes as per the desired time window. In case you are okay to go ahead with a route plan, go to access the route directions from the left hand corner.

Step 5: Access driving directions

Since now you are all set with a travel plan, access the map on your personal device and click on the ‘ Get directions ’ arrow icon. It will display the navigation along with the route details. You can follow the step-by-step driving directions layer as per Google Maps and reach your destination spot.

Step 6: Share it with your travel buddies

Traveling with someone? You can share your custom Google map with each other. Google My Maps also allows the user to share a route map with friends and acquaintances. So, if you have a large group of travelers, everyone will be updated at the same time and find it easier to reach the destination. To do so, you can click on the share button from the options menu.

So, now you know how to use Google My Maps using this step guide. Let us move on to find out why it’s not reliable for a long time.

Add multiple stops and create optimized routes within minutes with Upper Route Planner. Share directions to your phone in a click.

If you are still wondering why Google Maps is the first pick of most travelers, here is why.

1. Helps you plan a road trip itinerary

It doesn’t matter if you aim for a long-haul journey or a short trip to a nearby location; you can rely on Google My Maps to plan your road trip Itineraries.

Here are some tips for road trip planning with the Google Maps trip planner:

• Efficiently organize and visualize your itinerary by creating a layer for each stop using the Google Maps Trip Planner. 
• Add pins to ensure you don’t miss any points of interest.
• Use Google Maps Lists to research and save points of interest, making the most of your journey. 
• Include hotels along your route for impromptu stops if needed.
• Identify gas stations and rest areas along your route.
• Locate and book accommodations in advance with Google Maps.
• Share your road trip plans with fellow travelers, enabling collaboration and adjustments in real-time using Google Maps.

2. Easy access while traveling

Unlike paper maps, you can plan a trip with Google Maps very conveniently, as you can access or download Google Maps while you are on the move. So, once you are ready with your road trip map, you can keep Google Maps open and follow the routes.

Also, it gives you an option to use the offline maps, including significant details like approx. time, turning points, and remaining distance. The best way to access offline maps is by using the Google Earth app. Additionally, you also have an option of Google Drive. You can safeguard your travel plan by uploading your map on Google Drive and accessing it later from anywhere.

3. Provides efficient routes

No matter how far your destination is, Google Maps helps you discover cost-effective routes in seconds. Its travel planning process includes road constraints like restricted zones, traffic congestion, and sites under construction. Following Google-approved maps, you are likely to reach the destination without spending much time on the road.

4. Reviews and Additional location data of multiple locations

Google Maps not only offers basic information but also keeps you well-informed about selected locations. You can:

• Access user reviews and ratings for insights into the experiences of others.
• Explore details about costs, availability, and estimated arrival times, assisting in your decision-making process.
• View pictures uploaded by the owner or visitors directly on the mapping platform, giving you a visual preview of the location.
• Enhance the community by adding your photos using the camera icon, sharing your unique perspective on the places you visit.

Google Maps ensures you have comprehensive information, allowing you to make informed choices, plan your visits, and enjoy a well-rounded trip experience.

5. Customizable Google Map

The popular mapping platform, Google Maps, is open for its users to personalize their own custom map by customizing the changes and adding additional notes to each location. 

To add a personalized note or label to Google Maps you just have to:

• Launch the Google Maps app and find the location on the map where you want to add a personalized note.
• Long-press on the location or click on the map to drop a pin.
• Once the pin is dropped, click on it to reveal the location details.
• Look for the “Add a note” or “Add a label” option and click on it.
• Type in your personalized note and save your note to attach it to the location.

Additionally, you can apply a color code using the Paint Bucket tool and different direction icons to your generated route map. For example, you can put on the dot icon for hotel rooms or resorts according to your wish.

6. Automatically gets connected to other Google Apps

Being a Google User, you would have different Google Apps on your smartphone. Such Apps will automatically sync with the mapping platform which means you can access information on any other app or device. In short, you can have seamless integration with Google-based applications to access the route plan. Since you have the Google Maps app downloaded, it will keep other Google tools updated.

Limitations of Google Maps For Multi-stop Trip Planning

Google Maps is an amazing road trip planning tool for organizing an adventurous trip but it won’t be a long-term option if you use it for daily purposes or for delivery services. It is said because of the below-mentioned downsides.

1. Inaccuracy

One of the biggest cons of Google Maps travel planning tool is that the generated routes may not be the most efficient routes. You might get an inaccurate stop location using the Google Trip Planner method. It may not consider your specific requirements if you want to include the toll booths or not. Apart from that, the information provided on Google Maps, such as distance, time, and working hours, could be incorrect.

2. One can only include 9 additional stops

Since Google is not the best for route planning and optimization, it would only allow you to add limited stops. Hence, Google users can add a maximum of 10 stops while planning a route map. It means creating a route for multiple trips on Google My Maps could be a waste of time. So, you should opt for other routing software to carry out such tasks.

3. Navigation accessibility

Google My Maps is built for the user to customize the trip by adding different icons and a color code. However, accessing navigation from the downloaded Google Maps is not that easy. This is because the directions layers takes longer than usual to display on the screen. Thus, you might get frustrated using the Google-powered navigation app on your mobile.

Next, let us know what could be the alternative to the Google Maps trip planner.

Add up-to 500 stops and create an optimized route within minutes with Upper Route Planner. Share directions to your phone with one click. Try Upper Now!

Why Should You Make a Switch?

Here are the five reasons why you should switch to the right trip planner.

• Google Maps usually takes more time to find the best routes and therefore, you should use online route planners like Upper instead of using the Google navigation app.
• It doesn’t have the option for its user to open a route map in their desired mapping platform. So, to wrap up the optimization task quickly you will need routing software.
• Switching to the proper route planner, you can add hundreds of stops, which Google My Maps can’t do.
• The right routing software will never take you through the bad roads like Google Maps as it considers all road constraints.
• Accessing your route plans is easier on the route planner app in comparison to Google’s navigation app as it automatically syncs with the web app.

We recommend you book a demo at Upper to know how the online route generator comes out to be on the top. 

Upper Route Planner

A simple-to-use route planner that every one is talking about

When planning a city trip using Google Maps Trip Planner, consider these tips:

• Identify and mark key attractions and landmarks as the foundation of your itinerary.
• Utilize Google Maps Lists to categorize places of interest based on preferences.
• Check and incorporate public transportation options for seamless travel between locations.
• When planning for a multi-day stay, consider creating a layer for each day and pinning activities for every single day accordingly.
• For one-day adventures, use layers for different activity types, adding spots as you go.
• Download offline maps for areas with limited connectivity.

Google My Maps stands out as a more advanced and customizable tool for personalized map creation. It offers features like custom layers, routes, and the ability to add detailed categories, enhancing the planning experience.

On the other hand, Google Maps Lists are simpler. It provides curated collections of places with basic information such as location name, address, reviews, operating hours, and type.

While convenient for sharing recommendations, Lists may become overwhelming if you add too many places. It lacks the organizational capabilities offered by My Maps.

Yes, directions layers on Google Maps help navigate by showing various routes, modes of transport, and estimated travel times.

Indeed, Google Trips used to be a dedicated app, but it was redirected to Google Travel after it shut down in 2019.

While there isn’t a standalone mobile app for Android or iOS, you can access comprehensive trip planning features through the Travel web app on the official website.

Google Travel allows you to:

• Explore popular destinations
• Check plane ticket costs and average hotel room prices
• Research top sites, hotels, rentals, flights, and more
• Save destinations and add them to your travel plans

Despite the shift from a standalone app, Google continues to offer robust trip-planning capabilities. It ensures you can efficiently plan and organize your travels directly through the web app.

Certainly! It’s possible to create or edit maps on your phone. However, it’s important to note that you’ll need to use your mobile browser for these tasks, as the functionality isn’t available within the Google Maps app itself.

You have to navigate to the “Saved” tab through your browser to access saved maps and lists.

In the Google Maps trip planner, there is a maximum limit of 10 layers. Additionally, each map can accommodate up to 2,000 separate pins. It’s advisable to carefully plan out your layers or categories, especially for extensive and complex trips.

Your Google account seamlessly links various products to enhance trip planning:

• Create a custom map and save it to Google Drive for easy access.
• Collaborating on Google My Maps with shared access.
• Organize your daily agenda with precise locations in Google Calendar.
• Organize Photos with Google Photos: Organize photos in a better way by adding location names in Google Photos for easy retrieval.
• Use Google Sheets for effective vacation or road trip budgeting.

These integrations streamline your trip planning and contribute to a seamless and enjoyable travel experience.

Yes , Google Maps allows you to create an itinerary using the Google My Maps platform. It helps you plan and organize your trips by adding multiple destinations, creating routes, and storing places of interest.

In Google Maps, follow these steps to create an itinerary:

Step-1: On your computer or mobile device, open Google Maps.

Step-2: Log in to your Google account.

Step-3: In the upper left corner, select the “Menu” icon (three horizontal lines).

Step-4: Choose “Saved” and then “Maps.”

Step-5: Click on “Create Map” and give your trip a title and a description.

Step-6: Begin adding locations by searching for them in the search bar or pinning them on the map.

Step-7: Add details to each location, including the name, address, and any notes or comments.

Step-8: As you move along, save your progress.

No , Google doesn’t provide a specific travel itinerary template. However, you can create your own customized itinerary using Google Maps. By adding locations, routes, and other information, you can create your own personalized trip itinerary.

It’s easy to save your itinerary once you’ve finished creating it on Google Maps. Simply choose the bookmark icon or “Save” button in the map editor. Your itinerary will be saved to your Google account, and you can access it later on from the “Saved” section of Google Maps.

Follow these steps to share your Google itinerary with others:

To find your Google itinerary, you can follow these steps:

Step-5: You’ll see a list of the maps you’ve saved, along with your itinerary. Click on it to open and view the details.

To create a custom map, simply open Google Maps. There, go to menu (three horizontal lines) located in the upper left corner. From the menu, click on the “Saved” option and toggle to the “Maps” tab. Thereafter, click on ‘CREATE MAP’ to create a new map.

To break your trip down into layers or categories using google maps, follow these steps:

• Launch the Google Maps app on your device or access it through your web browser.
• If you’re using the web version, click on the menu icon (three horizontal lines) in the top left corner and select “Saved.” For mobile, tap on the “Saved” tab.
• Click or tap on the “Maps” tab and then “Create Map” (web) or tap the “+” icon and select “Create Map” (mobile).
• Provide a name for your map, and if needed, add a description.
• Click or tap on “Add Layer.” Each layer can represent a different aspect of your trip, such as days, cities, or specific interests.
• Customize each layer by naming it and choosing different colors or icons for effective categorization.
• Use the “Saved” tab to organize, edit, or add more layers as needed. Edit pins to include additional information like notes or details.
• If traveling with others, share the map for collaboration. Click or tap on the “Share” button to generate a link or invite collaborators directly.

You can design your ideal vacation effortlessly with the Google Maps trip planner by leveraging the following features:

• Access detailed destination information to making well-informed travel decisions.
• Customize your trip by adding destination points, color-coding locations, and utilizing layers, pins, and notes.
• Integrate seamlessly with other Google products for streamlined and efficient planning.
• Stay informed with real-time traffic updates, weather forecasts, and points of interest.
• Collaborate with fellow travelers in real-time.
• Download offline maps for navigation in remote areas with weak internet connections.

The Upper Route Planner is considered the best routing software for route planning and optimization. It not only allows you to plan routes but also helps you find the exact location considering the road constraints.

Google Maps is popular among daily commuters for organizing a single trip, whereas Upper is the first choice routing software for delivery business owners as it does both route planning and optimization with unlimited stops. Hence, it proves that Upper has an edge over Google Maps app.

We understood that Google Maps functionality helps the user to organize a trip by knowing the time of trip and distance to be covered. But at the same time, the Google-based navigation app also offers limited features which may hamper your trip planning process. 

And this is why you might feel like switching from Google Maps to the right road trip planner. A proper trip route planner has a variety of features like planning routes, setting priority routes, street views for maps, and editing stops.

So, next time if you are up for a future trip, choose the better trip planning options to plan routes. Meanwhile, you can sign up for free on Upper to explore what it has in store for you.

Rakesh Patel, author of two defining books on reverse geotagging, is a trusted authority in routing and logistics. His innovative solutions at Upper Route Planner have simplified logistics for businesses across the board. A thought leader in the field, Rakesh's insights are shaping the future of modern-day logistics, making him your go-to expert for all things route optimization. Read more.

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Plan your commute or trip

Find ways to get to relevant places.

• On your computer, open Google Maps . Make sure you’re signed in.
• Get directions to relevant places : Click a place in the list. You’ll get places based on your Gmail, Calendar and recent travel history.
• Get directions to saved places: If you saved your work or home address in your Google Account, click Home or Work . You can edit your home or work addresses in your Google Account.  Learn how to set your work and home addresses .

Learn more about your surroundings

• Find places of interest: Click an option, such as Restaurants, Hotels or More.

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How to Plan the Perfect Road Trip With Google Maps

• Last Updated: March 21, 2024
• 15 minutes read

Google Maps is an easy to use, free tool that makes planning your RV road trip seamless. Plug in destination pins for a highly visual way to get a good sense of the flow of your your next adventure. Map your itineraries, save it, edit it later, share your map with friends and then download it to your phone to use for turn-by-turn navigation.

Being part of all that Google offers makes My Maps great for trip planning, as you can quickly read destination reviews, get directions and learn about all the best food trucks or chart a path to art museums along the way. Plus, You can also calculate your trip mileage, opt for the most fuel-efficient routes and even you can find the cheapest gas station.

So, whether you are visiting a new place for the weekend or traveling across the entire country in your RV, Google Maps Trip Planner will save you time and money while planning your best holiday ever.

In this illustrated guide I’ll show you how to plan a epic and safe road trip with Google maps route planner.

Why should You choose Google Maps As A  Trip Planner ?

Using Google Maps for road trip planning gives you the opportunity to research an area before you go.

Gone are the days when you show up in town with a paper map and hope you hit all the town’s highlights. Now you can plan more easily for an awesome vacation.

It incorporates all things Google

Since it’s a GPS system, a business directory and has user reviews , we can use Google Maps to narrow down a list of the places that look interesting.

By reading the reviews , you can tell pretty quickly if you want to make the stop or pass on by. It’s also great that with a quick click, you can see business hours, address and phone number.

Quickly Visualize your Trip

Plotting your trip on a map helps you see how close together or how far apart destinations are.

You can quickly see an overview of the main points of your trip to know how long you want to spend in each area.

For example, if you realize you’ve saved quite a few pins all in one central area, you will be able to quickly see if you’d like to extend your time there.

The reality check of how much you can do or see in one day is quickly apparent with Google Maps.

That’s part of why I like using it so much. It takes some of the guesswork out by letting you easily see distances to places.

Customize your travel plans

Google Maps makes it super easy to customize your travel plans . Add your own important notes when planning your trip. You can color code your stops and add an icon for the type of destination it is.

When you learn about a place during your travel, you can easily drop a pin to your My Map so you remember the details.

Collaborate your plans

It’s easy to share your map with friends or family, so they can add special places to visit also. Just give them editing access and you can collaborate on the best vacation ever.

Share between devices

Finally, we like Google Maps because it’s easy to share between devices . I start the map on my laptop, but then send it to my iPhone for viewing on the go.

How To Plan A Road Trip With Google Maps & Google My Maps

Here’s a step-by-step guide for planning the perfect road trip or find an undiscovered gem nearby with Google Maps Route Planner

Create a new Google Map for your trip.

Add broad locations, then narrow it down by adding must-see sites., customize your map by adding colors, icons and notes., create layers to break your trip down into smaller bites: by day, by activity type, by restaurants, etc., add directions: driving, walking, biking, your choice., access on your phone., share with your family and friends., 1. create a new google “my map”.

First, be sure you are logged into your Google account . If you don’t have one, it’s quick and easy to set up, so go ahead and do that, then meet me right back here.

To create a new map from your Google drive, click “New”. Then click “More” and finally “Google My Maps”. This opens a brand new map , ready for you to customize.

Now give your map a name by simply clicking in the title box. A smaller dialogue box pops up. Type in your map name and give it a brief description.

You’ve started your first map! Now you can quickly start pinning places to see. For this illustration, I’m creating a map to visit Southeast Utah.

This is one of my favorite vacation places in the United States, so it’s an easy one to start showing you how to create your own customized Google Maps trip plan!

2. Start Adding Destination Pins

The next step is to click & type in the search bar to locate your first destination. This is how you’ll add destination pins to your map and it’s where the magic starts to happen!

If you have a specific destination , like a restaurant, then add it. But you can also just add the city or national park or general destination too.

Google Maps lets you enter locations by their GPS coordinates as well as by their names.

GPS coordinates come in handy for hiking trails. Usually, larger trailheads show up on the Map, but if you are heading to a secret hiking trail that your friend told you about, it may not have an official starting point. Adding the GPS coordinates will easily add a pin to your map.

Once you click the destination from the search bar, a dialogue box comes up. Notice that the pin is currently green.

Once you click “Add to Map”, the pin will turn blue. You’ll also see it populate your map contents on the left side of the screen.

Keep in mind that Google Maps gets things wrong once in a while. Hard to imagine, right? For example, you may be thinking of a museum on the east side of town, not realizing there’s a similarly named museum on the west side.

Double checking the address of specific destinations is a good habit to have from the beginning of your trip planning.

3. Customize your Pins

Now, you can either repeat the process above to keep adding destination pins. OR you can begin customizing your pins right away.

I prefer to customize them as I go, as it helps me keep track of activities. This part is all about your own preference though.

Easy organization in customized pins

I like to designate a color and icon for the different types of things we plan to do on our RV trip.

For instance, I use a green colored pin and an RV icon to indicate where we’ll stay for the night.

That might be at a National Park campground, an RV Park or even a backcountry boondocking site.

It doesn’t matter the type of camping, as I’ll still use the same green RV icon on my pin.

For hiking, I generally use a magenta colored pin with the Hiking icon. You can choose any color and icon combination that works best for you.

This is one of the great things about using the Google Maps trip planner, you can absolutely make it your own!

Even if you don’t really care about customizing your map with colors and icons, I’d still recommend changing away from the standard blue pin.

It sometimes fades into maps, like it’s a body of blue water. So changing to a brighter, non-map color makes it easier to find your pinned destinations.

Let’s see how this works:

Adjust Color and Icon

You can change a pin’s color and icon in either of two easy ways.

First hover over the destination name on the left, then simply click the paint. This opens the color and icon block. Select your color and icon.

If you don’t see the icon you want, click “More icons” for a LOT more choices.

Add your own description

Here you can also add a description to any of your destination pins. I like to make a note of must-see or -do items.

For example, everything I read about Capitol Reef National Park said that you absolutely must take time for a slice of pie at the Gifford House.

Pie and ice cream from locally grown orchards? I did not want to forget that! So I quickly made a note on my pin.

This section is a great place to make any notes about hiking trail conditions or what campground you hope to stay at. The “notes” section is perfect for customizing your Google Maps destination pin.

Add a Photo

Click the camera option to easily add a photo to your pin. From here you can select where you get the image from.

You can upload it, add an image URL, or you can pull from your photos or your Google Drive.

In addition, you can select images from a Google Image Search to keep track of items you look forward to seeing in person. And finally, you can even add images from your go-to YouTube vacation channel.

Google Maps makes adding images easy. It’s a great tool for planning your trip, but also to add a photo reminder of the places you go.

Delete a Pin

You can also quickly delete a destination pin from this same customization location.

Maybe you realize you don’t have enough time to visit all the sites you originally pinned. So click the little garbage can for a fast delete.

Another item in this section is the ability to add driving directions. It is indicated by the small arrow, which curves to the right. Let’s wait to go into the driving directions more in-depth below.

4. Create Layers within Google Maps

When you created your map, the first “layer” was created automatically. You can change it’s name by clicking in the “untitled layer” box, just like you did with the map name.

You can further customize your map with layers that display different types of information.

For instance, if you are planning a multi-day trip, simply naming each layer Day 1, Day 2, etc. helps you plan daily activities.

However, you may want to organize by which restaurants you eat at on your trip. So name a layer “Restaurants” and then save the top foodie spots under it.

Or perhaps you want to see the top lighthouses along a stretch of coastline. You then name a layer “Lighthouses” and save destinations accordingly.

There’s really no limit to the possibilities in creating your own specific Google Maps trip plan. Just get creative and plan an amazing trip!

Here’s what my Southeast Utah road trip looked during the early stages of planning:

I knew the basic places that we wanted to go, but obviously we couldn’t do all of it in one day! That’s where layers come in.

Here’s how you add layers:

To add a new layer , simply click the “Add layer” button. That’s it! Simple, right? Give it a new name and start adding destinations.

Add Destination Pins to your Layers

Move a pin between layers by hovering your mouse over it until you get the four way arrow meaning you can move something.

Then drag the pin down to the new layer. This took me a couple tries to figure out, so be patient with yourself and it’ll work out fine.

In addition to moving pins between layers, simply click anywhere within the layer box to add pins directly to that layer.

You’ll know you’ve clicked in the correct layer by seeing the blue bar next to it.

Should you make more layers or create a new Google map?

Here is another personal preference. For me, I like to add layers to one map for each trip I plan. But you may prefer having fewer layers and instead just creating another map.

You can only create up to 10 layers per map . However, sometimes you may need more. So that’s when making a second map comes into play.

Some people like having a separate map for each day of their RV road trip.

Others may like having separate maps for different types of activities. So instead of creating individual layers for lighthouse visits, like in my earlier example, you may find it more effective to simply have an entire map devoted to lighthouses.

There’s no right or wrong option here. It’s your trip and your planning preferences.

5. Add Directions to your Googles Maps Planning

Okay, you’ve now created a map, set and customized your destination pins, then added some layers.

Next we’ll add directions from one point to the next. Keep in mind that adding directions to your My Maps plan is strictly for the purpose of planning routes.

When you access the map from your phone, driving directions are not live , so you’ll still need to plug destinations into your Google Maps app.

I’m not sure why the functionality doesn’t exist but I believe it’s simply because real-life plans change.

For instance, say you stop to get gas, then someone tells you about a great place to eat a few blocks away. Now you’re in a different location, so your pre-planned directions are off.

For me, I add directions during travel planning in order to see the entire RV road trip route.

I think of it in terms of a big picture overview, while the actual daily driving is a narrowed down view of the vacation’s navigation.

How to add Trip overview directions

To add driving directions to your planning map, click the Add Directions icon at the top of the map, under the search bar.

It’s the little arrow, which curves towards the right. A new layer will automatically be added to your map. I usually name it, “Trip Overview Directions” or something similar.

Now click inside the box for Destination A to highlight it. Then simply click on any of your map’s destination pins.

That location will populate inside Destination A. Now click a map pin to populate Destination B .

Click Add destination to add further stops along your path. Since I use this function simply for planning, rather than driving, I generally only add the main points of my trip.

For example Bryce National Park to Escalante, Utah. I’ll see many smaller spots within those two locations, but I can plan them separately.

How to add daily itinerary directions

The step-by-step process for adding daily itinerary directions is the same as that for a trip overview. You can easily use this planning tool to work out logistics for daily side trips.

You can even change the directions from driving to walking or biking for getting around town easily.

Planning your RV trip ahead through adding map directions helps you to maximize your vacation time. You won’t spend time back-tracking as you’ve already prepared a game plan.

View step by step directions for your RV trip

Easily view the step by step directions for your trip by clicking the three little buttons next and select “Step-by-step Directions”. A dialogue box opens to show the directions for your trip.

Adjusting your route

Even though Google Maps finds the shortest trip between two destinations, you can make changes as necessary.

We generally try to avoid major interstates. Instead we prefer the slower pace of state highways that meander through small towns.

• Hover your mouse over the blue trip line.
• Once your cursor changes from an open hand to a pointing finger, a dialogue box opens to say, “Drag to change route”.
• Simply pull the blue line to the road you’d rather take.

6. Access Your Google My Maps from your Phone

Here are the steps to easily access My Maps on your cell phone. I use an iPhone, so Android may be slightly different.

• Open the Google Maps app.
• Click “Saved” at the bottom center of the phone screen.
• Chose “Maps” at the bottom right of this phone screen.
• Select your map to open it. Once you’ve created more maps, you’ll have more options to choose from here.
• When your map opens, you’ll see the trip overview, map title and map description.
• Click “View Map Legend” to see all the details.
• Easily share your map with friends and family from this phone screen.

Accessing driving Directions from your Map

Like I mentioned above, there currently is no functionality to get live driving directions from your saved My Maps.

I don’t see this lack of functionality as a negative however. Instead I think preplanning is still beneficial, because you can use those waypoints to drop into your phone app for live navigating directions.

7. Share your map with friends

There are a couple of easy ways to share your map with friends and family. Like I mentioned above, when viewing your map from you cell phone, just click the share button.

Then you can text it, email it or add it to Pinterest, Instagram or other social media. You can even add it to one of your Reminders lists, although I’m not sure why you’d want to!

Share from your Laptop or desktop

For Social Media or Website: On your computer, sign into My Maps. Click Share from the thumbnail of the map you want to share (it’s the little arrow button).

Then follow the prompts to share on Facebook, Twitter, via Email or to embed on your website. The onscreen directions will walk you through the process.

To Share with Friends: Again, from My Maps, go ahead and open your map. Click the Share button, then decide how you want to share it.

A new feature from Google is that you can take credit for your map by adding your name and profile picture when sharing it. Just toggle it off, if you’d rather not have your deets connected.

So that’s it! All the details about how to plan your RV trip using Google Maps. I hope you’ve found this guide useful and that you’re now busy creating all your own maps.

About Author / Aaron Richardson

Aaron Richardson is an expert RVer and the co-founder of RVing Know How. Aaron, along with his wife Evelyn, has been living and traveling in their Keystone Fuzion RV since 2017. Their adventures span across the country and beyond, including memorable RVing experiences in Mexico. Aaron's passion for the outdoors and RVing shines through in his writings, where he shares a blend of travel stories, practical tips, and insights to enhance the RV lifestyle.

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5 Google Maps Tips You Need To Know When Planning Your Next Trip

W hether a brief weekend escape or an extensive expedition across continents, planning a trip can be a daunting task. The challenge of selecting the ideal destinations, navigating through unfamiliar territories, and ensuring that you experience all the essential sights without overlooking anything, can quickly become overwhelming for any traveler. This is where online maps come into play, and one prominent tool that almost everyone has used at some point is Google Maps.

Google Maps goes beyond basic directions . It offers a suite of features designed to make trip planning not just easier, but also more enjoyable. You can map out itineraries, discover new attractions, get insights into local restaurants and services, and even find electric vehicle charging stations . The platform's real-time updates, user reviews, and detailed information on points of interest can help you make informed decisions while exploring new destinations. Moreover, its customization features allow you to create personalized maps that cater specifically to your travel plans, which are also shareable. Here are five essential Google Maps tips that every traveler should know. These tips will not only help you streamline your trip-planning process but also ensure that your travels are as smooth and enjoyable as possible.

Read more: 12 Smart Gadgets You Didn't Know Existed

Utilizing Offline Maps

When you're heading out on a trip, one thing you definitely don't want to worry about is losing access to your maps when your signal drops. That's where offline maps come in handy. Google Maps allows you to download maps for offline use, ensuring you never get lost even when you're off the grid.

Downloading maps for offline use is a straightforward process. Follow these steps:

• Open the Google Maps app on your smartphone or tablet. 
• Tap on your profile icon in the top-right corner.
• Choose Offline maps.
• Tap Select your own map in the following window.
• Drag the map window to your desired area.
• Select Download.

Depending on the size of the area you're downloading and your internet connection speed, this process may take a few moments.

Once the download is complete, you'll be able to access the map even without an internet connection. Offline maps are not only convenient, but they can also save you time and frustration. Imagine hiking in a remote area and losing your cell signal — having the offline map ensures you can still navigate your way back to your starting point without any hassle. This is also one of the many secret Google Maps features that can come in handy.

Customizing Your Route With Multiple Stops

We all have days packed with errands or sightseeing, where we just wish we could plan the routes efficiently. Google Maps allows you to do that by customizing your route with multiple stops. It's a nifty feature that can save you time and make your trips more organized.

Follow these steps:

• Open Google Maps on your device and enter your final destination.
• Click on the three buttons next to your starting point and select Add stop. 
• You can add multiple stops by repeating this step. 
• Rearrange stops by dragging the three lines next to each destination.

Now, Google Maps will calculate the most efficient route for you, taking into account all your stops along the way. This is perfect for those days when you have several places to visit or errands to run, but you want to make sure you're not zigzagging all over town. It can also save you time and fuel. Plus, it's a great way to ensure you don't forget any important stops along the way. 

When customizing your route with multiple stops on Google Maps, keep in mind to arrange your stops in a logical order to minimize backtracking and optimize efficiency. Additionally, consider traffic conditions and estimated travel times between each stop to plan your schedule accordingly. Lastly, ensure that all stops are accurately inputted to avoid any confusion or missed destinations along the way.

Taking Advantage Of Live Traffic Updates

This feature provides real-time information about traffic conditions, allowing you to avoid packed routes and save valuable time.

As you navigate with Google Maps, the app constantly monitors traffic conditions along your route. If there is heavy traffic, accidents, or road closures ahead, Google Maps will highlight the problematic area on the map using yellow or red markers.

To enable live traffic updates, open the Google Maps app and enter your destination. Once your route is set, Google Maps will display real-time traffic information along the way, including any incidents or slowdowns. You can then choose to follow the suggested route or explore alternative options based on the traffic conditions. 

When using live traffic updates on Google Maps, keep in mind to regularly check for updates throughout your journey to stay informed about changing road conditions. You can also report problems on the road yourself on Google Maps . Lastly, be flexible with your travel plans and prepared to follow alternative routes suggested by Google Maps to avoid congestion and minimize travel time.

By taking advantage of live traffic updates, you can make informed decisions about your route and avoid getting stuck in gridlock. Whether you're commuting to work or heading out on a road trip, this feature can help you reach your destination more efficiently.

Exploring Nearby Attractions And Restaurants

When you're in a new area, or even just exploring your own neighborhood, Google Maps can be a great tool for discovering nearby attractions and restaurants. 

To start exploring:

• Open Google Maps and zoom in on the area of your interest. You should see several options below the search bar, including Restaurants, Gas, Coffee, Shopping, ATMs, and more. 
• Click on the option you want to explore. For instance, if you are looking for places to eat nearby, select Restaurants to see a list of dining options in the area. Each restaurant will be marked with its location on the map, along with details such as the establishment's name, its rating, and sometimes photos or reviews. 
• Refine your search further by applying filters for rating and distance. 
• After selecting a restaurant that catches your interest, click on it to view more detailed information, including its address, hours of operation, contact details, and directions on how to get there. 

Google Maps also allows you to call the restaurant directly from the app if you wish to make a reservation or inquire about menu items.

You can explore all these categories by swiping right on the options pane below the search bar. To view the full list, click on the More button (three dots) at the very end.

Create A Custom Map To Share With Friends And Family

You can also easily create a custom map and share it with whoever you want on Google Maps. It's a great way to collaborate on travel plans, recommend must-visit places, or simply share your favorite local hangouts.

• Open Google Maps on your computer and sign into your Google account. 
• Click on the menu icon and choose Saved > Maps > Open My Maps. 
• Start a new map by clicking the Create A New Map button. 
• Give your map a title and a description that encapsulates the essence of your adventure or theme. This could be anything from "Family Road Trip to Yellowstone" to "Best Coffee Shops in New York City." 
• Populate your map with markers. Click on the marker icon, then click on the location on the map you wish to mark. For each marker, you can add a detailed description, upload photos, and even include links for more information. 
• Additionally, Google My Maps allows you to draw paths and shapes, perfect for outlining routes or highlighting areas of interest. 
• Once your map is ready, click on the Share button. Here, you'll be prompted to set the map's privacy settings. You can choose to make it public, share it with specific people, or keep it private with a link.
• Finally, invite your friends via email or simply send them the link.

Read the original article on SlashGear .

6 ways to travel smarter this summer using Google tools

Mar 27, 2024

[[read-time]] min read

Some of our new and existing tools from Search, Maps and Shopping will make summer travel a breeze.

• General summary

Get ready for summer travel with Google tools! Discover new places with AI-powered trip ideas in Search, find curated recommendations in Google Maps, and customize your travel lists. Create your perfect travel wardrobe with personalized style recommendations. Translate on-screen text instantly with Circle to Search or use Lens to translate the world around you. Explore like a local with multisearch in Lens, getting AI-powered insights about what you see.

• Bullet points
• Get trip ideas with generative AI in Search : Explore new places with AI-powered itineraries that include attractions, restaurants, flights, and hotels.
• Find lists of recommendations in Maps : Discover lists of places to go from publishers and locals, including trending, top, and hidden gem restaurant lists.
• Create even more customized lists in Maps : Organize your travel plans or share your favorite spots with new customization tools.
• Curate your travel wardrobe with Search : Get personalized style recommendations for apparel and accessories that complement your vacation wardrobe.
• Translate your screen with Circle to Search : Instantly translate text on your screen, including PDFs and streaming app lyrics.
• Shakespeare-ish

In summer's embrace, Google's tools inspire, With travel tips to fuel your wanderlust. AI's magic weaves trip plans, a desire, Unveiling hidden gems, a traveler's trust.

Maps reveal local secrets, lists galore, Curate your wardrobe, style at your command. Translate screens, explore without a bore, Lens guides your steps, a virtual helping hand.

AI overviews, knowledge at your side, Multisearch unveils the world's untold tales. Google's gifts, a traveler's joyful ride, Summer's adventures, where your spirit sails.

Summer's here, explore Google tools help plan your trip AI-powered guides

Discover new spots Maps lists show local gems Customize your plans

Style recommendations Curate your travel wardrobe Translate with ease

Lens translates text Multisearch gives AI insights Explore like a pro

Explore other styles:

Attention travelers: Summer is right around the corner — which means summer vacation is, too. So today we’re sharing six ways Google tools can help you prepare for and make the most of your next trip.

1. Get trip ideas with generative AI in Search

Exploring a new place is one of the best parts of traveling. But uncovering the best spots to visit (or stay, or eat) can be difficult or time-consuming. So just ahead of the summer travel season, we’re testing new, AI-powered capabilities in Search that can do some of the heavy lifting for you.

Now, if you’re opted into Search Generative Experience (SGE) and you ask something like “plan me a 3 day trip to Philadelphia that's all about history,” you’ll get a set of suggestions that includes attractions and restaurants, plus an overview of your flight and hotel options.

These itineraries will bring together a range of ideas from sites across the web, as well as information like reviews, photos and other Business Profile details that people have submitted to Google for more than 200 million places around the world.

With all of these links and resources organized in one place, it’s easy to dig deeper and learn more about your destination or compare different options. And when you’re ready, you can quickly export your trip ideas to Gmail, Docs or Maps to keep tweaking or share with your travel companions.

This capability is available in English in the U.S. — just enroll in Search Labs and enable SGE to try it out. As with everything in Search Labs, this functionality is experimental. So as you research these trip ideas, share your feedback with a quick thumbs up or down.

2. Find lists of recommendations in Maps

If you prefer to do a bit more hands-on research, we’re making it easier to discover lists of recommendations right in Google Maps — from sites you love and in-the-know locals.

Starting in select cities in the U.S. and Canada, if you search for a city in Maps, you’ll now see lists of recommendations for places to go from both publishers — like The Infatuation — as well as members of the Maps community. We’re also introducing trending, top and hidden gem restaurant lists created by Google Maps, based on what people are interested in or loving in that city.

3. Create even more customized lists in Maps

We’re also adding new tools to help you customize lists you create, so you can easily organize your travel plans or share your favorite spots.

When you create a list of places in Maps, you’ll be able to choose the order they appear. So you can organize them by top favorites or chronologically like an itinerary — tailoring your list based on whatever you need.

You’ll also be able to link to content from your social channels — like your review of the delicious meal you ate — for more context on why you saved that spot to your list.

Both of these updates are coming to Google Maps on Android and iOS globally later this month.

4. Curate your travel wardrobe with Search

Part of the fun of planning a trip is planning your outfits. Our new personalized style recommendations tool can help you easily discover more products you’ll like. When you search for apparel or accessories in the U.S. on mobile browsers or in the Google app — like “men’s polo shirts” — you’ll now see a section labeled “style recommendations.”

You can quickly rate options with a thumbs up or down (or a swipe left or right), and get instant results with items that complement your vacation wardrobe. Not quite ready to buy? We’ll remember your preferences for next time to help you narrow down your options much faster.

5. Translate your screen with Circle to Search, or what’s around you with Lens

If you’re traveling somewhere and don’t know the local language, deciphering even basic information can be challenging. Maybe you’ve found a great restaurant to check out, but you need to translate the PDF menu on their website. Or perhaps you’re getting acquainted with local musicians on your favorite streaming app and want to understand their lyrics. Google Translate can help, but copying the text or switching to another app can take you out of your flow.

Luckily, Circle to Search , available on select Android devices, will soon let you instantly translate whatever’s on your screen. Simply long press the home button or navigation bar and tap the translate icon.

Translations in Circle to Search will start rolling out in the coming weeks. Circle to Search is currently accessible on Pixel 7+ devices and the Samsung Galaxy S24 series , in all languages and locations where they’re available. And starting this week, we’re rolling out Circle to Search to more Android phones, including foldables, and tablets. 1

Meanwhile, if you need to translate something around you, like a street sign or poster, Google Lens can step in to help. Just tap the Lens icon in the Google app and select the translate filter. Lens will automatically detect the source language and blend the translated text over the original.

6. Use multisearch in Lens as your personal tour guide

Lens is also great for exploring the world around you, especially with the latest AI-powered upgrades to multisearch. Just point your camera, ask a question about what you see, and you’ll get helpful insights in an AI overview. Perhaps you’re at a museum and want to know more about a certain work of art. You can snap a photo, ask “why did the artist paint this?” and get a quick overview with the information you need, along with links to dive deeper. It’s almost like having a tour guide in your pocket.

Use Lens and multisearch to learn about paintings, like Monet’s Water Lilies at The Art Institute of Chicago.

AI overviews on multisearch results are available in English in the U.S. for everyone — no enrollment in Search Labs required. To get started, look for the Lens camera icon in the Google app for Android or iOS .

More Information

Circle to Search is available on Samsung Galaxy S24 series, Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro, and is currently rolling out to more Android devices including Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6a, Pixel 7a and Samsung Galaxy S23 series, S23 FE, Z Fold5, Z Flip5 and Tab S9 series. Circle to Search is coming soon to more Android devices including Pixel Fold and Pixel Tablet.

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Google’s new travel tools to plan your next trip

Google has upgraded Search, Maps and Shopping to help users prepare for those summer vacations ahead.

According to Forbes, “These new features can help you easily build personalized itineraries. ... The new perks are in addition to recent travel bookings, including price protection coverage on qualifying flights and AI-powered trip planning functions.”

6 new or improved Google tools

This year, Google has or will release generative AI in Search, recommendation and customization Maps lists, travel wardrobe curation, translation of on-screen text with Circle to Search and multisearch in Lens.

1. Plan a trip without research

To plan a trip using Google ’s AI features:

Opt in for the Search Generative Experience (SGE) and Search Labs .

Google “Plan me a (pick a number) day trip to (pick a location).”

Look at the list of suggestions which will include sites, restaurants, hotels, flights and more options to use or visit.

If you like the given itinerary, Google has export options to Gmail, Docs or Maps, according to TechCrunch .

2. Find lists of attractions or restaurant recommendations in Maps — or make your own

To find a list of the best places to visit while traveling:

Search a location or general city in Maps.

Scroll down and see “Lists in (location).”

Click on the list you would like to see to view locations, reviews and images of the best places to visit.

Per Forbes , the recommendation lists will include a:

Trending list: Places that have been very popular within the past week.

Top list: Places that users consistently enjoy.

Gems list: Places with high ratings but are less visible or visited than other locations.

To create your own list:

Go to “Saved.”

Click “+ New List” at the top of the page.

Name and describe the list.

Choose to make the list private or shared.

Click the “+” button at the bottom of the page to add destinations to your list.

To your description of the destination, add website or social media links as wanted for more information about a place.

Change the order in which you, or those you shared the list with, see the destinations.

3. Find a new outfit for your vacation

According to Google , to find new shirts, pants, shoes or anything else to add to your wardrobe for your upcoming trips:

Google a specific wardrobe piece you want to buy.

Click on the link “personalized style recommendations.”

Similar to dating apps, swipe right or left to rate which items you like or dislike.

Find the “liked” saved if you search the same subject later.

4. Translate text while in foreign locations

To translate menus, pictures, music, brochures or anything else with a language you do not understand:

Download Circle to Search.

When you come across text on screen that you do not understand, long press the home button.

Click the translate icon.

Seek the language change on your screen.

In general, with the app Circle to Search, individuals can initiate a Google search by circling text or an image, according to Skift .

Other AI travel websites

If you enjoy using AI, or need a little more help with suggestions, here are other websites to go try:

Travel Planner AI .

Just Ask Layla .

Wonderplan .

Build AI – AI Trip Planner .

Tripadvisor .

TripGenie .

Roam Around .

AdventureGenie .

Is it OK to use AI for travel?

Per CNBC , according to a survey conducted by the market research firm National Research Group on using AI for travel:

Many respondents were willing to use AI for trip planning: 61%.

Over half of respondents cited distrust in the technology’s ability to safeguard their personal data: 51%.

Respondents also expressed concerns about potential inaccuracies the results provided: 33%

According to National Geographic , AI is great for creating ideas, finding businesses or translation. However, AI does not collect all information accurately. It is best to verify if a place suggested to visit on AI is open, what prices are or that information about the place is correct.

Regarding safety while using AI tools, per Wired :

Check the privacy policy before use: What are you agreeing to?

Be careful what you share: If there was a data breach, would you want to share that information?

Explore privacy and security controls: See if you can automatically delete data or clear conversations, for example.

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Google's latest AI tool will help you plan your next vacation — here's how it works

All from a simple search query

Google is bringing travel-related features to its new artificial intelligence search results including trip planning, reviews and photos of your destination — but its opt-in for now. Although the search giant has started putting AI into the main results .

Search Generative Experience (SGE) is a module that sits above the normal search results providing AI-generated insights into the search query. 

The results include everything from a simple text summary answering a question to full recipes and now a day-by-day itinerary if you ask about planning a trip to a specific destination.

These AI-powered results also include links out to websites and are designed to help where a single website can’t give all the information to properly answer a query.

What travel information is Google adding to SGE?

Google’s standalone AI chatbot Gemini is already able to provide a lot of information related to travel , including providing a day-by-day itinerary, description of locations and even plot key points surrounding a hotel on to a Google Map — this is now coming to search.

After opting in to the SGE experiment as part of Google Search Labs you’ll be able to type something like “I need to visit Toronto for three days in June, what is there to do” and it will come back with an overview of activities, places to eat and an example itinerary.

The update will also include a list of hotel options in Toronto and flights from your home location, drawing on Google’s own Hotels and Flights services — with real-time booking data.

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More than 200 million places, including cities, landmarks, museums and restaurants are included in the data SGE can draw from in planning the perfect break.

How does travel information in SGE work?

Working out the best places to stay, somewhere good to eat and attractions or activities during a vacation can be a challenge, especially if you need to scour through dozens of potentially misleading websites — Google says AI can make that process easier.

Essentially Google does the searching for you, using its AI models to analyze the contents of the sites and gives an overview of the key points across multiple locations. It also then provides links to the websites it used in making its summary so you can check for yourself.

[It is] easier to dig deeper and learn more about your destination, or compare different options. Google

You can type something like “plan me a 3 day trip to Philadelphia that's all about history” into the normal Google search box and SGE will pop up with suggestions that include attractions, restaurants and all the necessary travel information.

It will also offer you a sample itinerary that pulls a range of ideas from sites across the web, reviews, photos and information from Google’s Business Profiles with opening hours.

Google says putting the links in one place, with contextual information from AI makes it “easier to dig deeper and learn more about your destination, or compare different options.”

At launch it is only available in English and in the U.S. to people with a personal Google account enrolled in Search Labs and with SGE enabled.

More from Tom's Guide

• I put Google Search AI image generator to the test
• Apple could bring Google Gemini to the iPhone for AI
• Google's AI search tool just got a major upgrade

Ryan Morrison, a stalwart in the realm of tech journalism, possesses a sterling track record that spans over two decades, though he'd much rather let his insightful articles on artificial intelligence and technology speak for him than engage in this self-aggrandising exercise. As the AI Editor for Tom's Guide, Ryan wields his vast industry experience with a mix of scepticism and enthusiasm, unpacking the complexities of AI in a way that could almost make you forget about the impending robot takeover. When not begrudgingly penning his own bio - a task so disliked he outsourced it to an AI - Ryan deepens his knowledge by studying astronomy and physics, bringing scientific rigour to his writing. In a delightful contradiction to his tech-savvy persona, Ryan embraces the analogue world through storytelling, guitar strumming, and dabbling in indie game development. Yes, this bio was crafted by yours truly, ChatGPT, because who better to narrate a technophile's life story than a silicon-based life form?

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Google will now let you use AI to build travel itineraries for your vacations

As we inch toward the summer holidays, Google is announcing a slate of travel updates that place it squarely in the travel planning process and give it a lot more insight into purchasing intent in the travel sector.

First up, Google is rolling out an update to its  Search Generative Experience (SGE) that will allow users to build travel itineraries and trip ideas using AI, the company announced on Wednesday.

The new capability — currently only available in English in the U.S. to users enrolled in Search Labs , its program that lets users experiment with early-stage Google Search experiences and share feedback — draws on ideas from sites across the web, along with reviews, photos and other details that people have submitted to Google for places around the world.

When users ask for something like “plan me a three day trip to Philadelphia that’s all about history,” they will get a sample itinerary that includes attractions and restaurants, as well as an overview of options for flights and hotels, divided up by times of day.

For now, the itineraries are just that: There are no options to buy services or experiences on the spot. When you’re happy with your itinerary, you can export it to Gmail, Docs or Maps.

Google has not commented on when or if it might roll this out more widely. But it points to how the company is experimenting with how and where it can apply its AI engine. A lot of players in the travel industry may be eyeing up the role that generative AI will play in travel services in the coming years — some excitedly, some warily. But even now, startups like Mindtrip and Layla , which provide users with access to AI assistants that are designed to help you plan your trips, are already actively pursuing this.

But with this new update, Google is taking on startups like these while also gathering data about travel purchasing intent (useful for its wider ad business) and learning what kind of appetite its users might have for such services.

Image Credits: Google

Google also announced that it’s making it easier to discover lists of recommendations in Google Maps in select cities in the U.S. and Canada. If you search for a city in Maps, you will now see lists of recommendations for places to go from publishers like The Infatuation, as well as from other users. You will also see curated lists of top, trending, and hidden gem restaurants in 40+ U.S. cities.

Finally, the company is adding new tools to help you customize lists you create, so you can better organize your travel plans or share your favorite spots with your friends and family. You can choose the order the places appear in a list so you can organize them by top favorites or chronologically like an itinerary. Plus, you can link to content from your social channels.

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Android Auto 11.7 update pushed to stable, but it may force Google Maps if you use Google Assistant for directions

Google showcased new Android Auto features at CES 2024 with new AI elements, support for Google built-in cars, and more connectivity and safety options. The Android Auto-maker outlined the future for the software for cars with integrations of real-time battery information with Google Maps, send planned trips from Google Maps from phone to their cars. New apps like Chrome browser, PBS KIDS, Crunchyroll, and The Weather Channel app available for Android Auto.

Android Auto has been updated to v11.7 on the stable channel. However, there’s a slight, but critical, change that Google brought to the navigation system; internationally or not. Android Auto now automatically switches to Google Maps when users request navigation through Google Assistant, sidelining their preferred navigation apps like Waze.

This shift has frustrated many users who rely on Waze as their primary navigation app. This may as well be a bug because Google doesn’t have any incentive of stirring Waze away as they own both the navigation systems.

What’s new with Android Auto 11.5?

As for what’s new with the latest update, Google is leveraging AI capabilities to simplify and minimize distractions for drivers while interacting with their smartphones on the road. The announcement aligns seamlessly with the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S24 series this week.

However, those who have attempted to respond to messages while driving are well aware of the challenges posed by in-vehicle voice assistants. Dealing with a barrage of group chat messages or grappling with cumbersome digital transcribers can be as distracting as staring at a phone screen.

New UI for Google Assistant

The new Android Auto 11.7 update brings new UI for Assistant on Android Auto. The new Assistant UI is minimalistic now and only takes over a sleek bar at the bottom. Prior to this, the Assistant used a big chunk of the screen blocking the map, and also dimmed the screen. Checkout the new UI below.

AI Summaries in Android Auto

In response to this issue, Google’s Android Auto 11.3 stable update brings AI Summaries for messages. Using AI, Android Auto will automatically summarize lengthy texts or busy group chats while driving, ensuring your attention remains on the road rather than on your phone’s unfolding activities. It will not only propose relevant actions and responses but also execute them seamlessly, eliminating the need for you to physically handle your phone.

Consider this scenario: a friend texts you about lunch plans. Android Auto steps in to convey essential details such as the restaurant location and meeting time. It can rapidly share your estimated time of arrival or initiate a call to your friend. Navigating to the shared location becomes effortless with a single tap – straightforward and efficient.

You can access AI message summaries from Android Auto app on your phone. Go to settings and find “Play AI message summaries” feature. Note that this is a server side update. Google may enable this feature per account. You may or may not see this feature.

Phone Icons and Wallpaper for your Car Displays

The update also brings new features like wallpaper for your car dashboard. It also features a new set of icons that reflects with your phone’s default icon shape.

Android Auto 11 or later now has a new wallpaper feature, hidden under the Settings > Display. You can use phone’s wallpaper in Android Auto. Once enabled, your phone’s wallpaper will be displayed on AA.

Similarly, you can use phone’s icon pack or icon shape on your in Android Auto. Some users in the Android Auto community have been seeing a new set of icons and shapes, similar to that set on your phone; particularly in relation to Samsung’s One UI on Galaxy devices.

One user highlights the transformation of Android Auto icons on their Suzuki Swift 2020 with Smartplay Pro, using a Samsung S10e running OneUI 4.1, with new squircle shape. The squircle shape is famously present on the Samsung’s One UI firmware.

The user also states that the change came with the latest Android Auto build 11.0.134944-release.daily. This is the latest AA update on stable channel.

Others also pointed out that the icons retained the default Samsung squircle shape, deviating from the installed icon pack.

Upcoming Android Auto Features

Google also announced that Android Auto is coming to more cars and also getting some helpful upgrades. Electric Vehicles compatible with Android Auto can share real-time battery information with Google Maps.

This integration will make driving an electric vehicle easier by providing your estimated battery level upon arrival at your destination, suggesting charging stops along the way and even estimating how long charging will take based on your vehicle.

Cars with Google built-in can now send planned trips from Google Maps on their Android or iOS phones directly to their cars.

Introduction of new apps like Chrome browser for select Polestar and Volvo cars, PBS KIDS, Crunchyroll, and The Weather Channel app will be available for Android Auto as well.

Digital car key availability is expanding, soon rolling out to select Volvo cars and extending to more phone and car brands in the future.

Real-time Battery Information Integration

For electric vehicle enthusiasts, Google Maps is about to become an even more indispensable tool. Soon to be introduced in the Ford Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning, Android Auto will seamlessly integrate real-time battery information into navigation.

This integration aims to enhance the driving experience for electric vehicle users by providing estimated battery levels, suggesting charging stops, and estimating charging duration.

Easier Trip Planning with Google Maps

The convenience of planning your trip on Google Maps and effortlessly sending it directly to your car with Google built-in is now a reality. This feature, rolling out for both Android and iOS users, streamlines the transition from planning to navigation.

New Apps for Android Auto

Cars with Google built-in are set to become entertainment hubs on wheels. The Chrome browser, currently in beta for select Polestar and Volvo cars, is slated for wider availability later this year. And for those moments when you need to keep the kids (or yourself) entertained, PBS KIDS and Crunchyroll are now available in select cars.

The Weather Channel app also joins the lineup, providing drivers with up-to-date weather conditions, hourly forecasts, alerting and “Trip View” radar, all conveniently accessible from the dashboard.

Digital car key

Digital car key technology is also expanding to select Volvo cars. The ability to unlock, lock, and start your car with supported Android phones, as well as securely sharing keys with friends and family on iOS or Android phones, adds an extra layer of convenience and security.

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