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Whether you’re traveling across town or across the country, a navigation app like Google Maps may be essential to make your trip go more smoothly. It can help you steer clear of accidents, traffic bottlenecks, toll roads, and other unanticipated delays. It could also suggest the top eateries and attractions while you’re visiting a new place.

Would you like to make even greater use of Google Maps? We’ve put up a collection of useful hints and undiscovered features that might enhance your experience.

Make quick use of these Google Maps tricks.

While many of Google Maps’ features aren’t immediately obvious,he has compiled a list of some of the best. You’ll want to keep these guidelines handy.

Google Maps is one of the best tools you may have with you whether traveling to a new location or on a summer road trip. It could help you remain on route and find sights and lunch spots without an internet connection.

1. Navigate airports and train stations with ease

I’m not good in busy environments. I get scared and intimidated easily in big crowds. This suggests that navigating congested airports and train terminals may be a nightmare.

In May, I was traveling from London King’s Cross to Edinburgh Waverley on a high-speed train when I arrived at a packed station. Since only about 67,078 people pass through King’s Cross each day, it might be challenging to find a spot to dine and relax. Next, I made use of Google Maps.

If you need to find a certain store when visiting a large mall or transportation hub, Google Maps offers a directory option for airports, shopping centers, and transit hubs. This is especially useful if you need to buy a little souvenir or grab lunch quickly before you leave. (I used this Directory function to find a much-needed coffee shop and even a Greggs to have a typical sausage roll for the first time before leaving London.)

To access an airport, for instance, simply search for it and choose the Directory option at the bottom. This will provide the floor’s location, operating hours, and a list of facilities, such as restaurants, retail stores, lounges, and parking.

2. Find out how crowded a venue is before going there.

Did I mention that I don’t enjoy crowds? If I think a certain street, restaurant, or area of the city will be too busy, I’ll just stay home.

To save time traveling to a location just to drive back, I utilize Google Maps’ “busyness” feature to determine how popular a site is before I arrive. I search for a certain place, like a coffee shop or store, and see a chart that shows its popularity at different times, so I plan my trips during off-peak hours. By touching the “Busy area” label, I can see how busy larger locations, such neighborhoods or districts, are and if they are congested or quieter than usual.

3. Make a reservation without calling

I want to blend my spare time to explore at my own pace with scheduled events or trips as a tourist. That means that although I wait and let things happen on certain days, I’ll be sure to book reservations in advance on others.

When traveling, especially when you’re pushing yourself to see every inch of a new city, it may be difficult to forecast when you’ll feel hungry or need a boozy drink. Google Maps makes it simple for me to make reservations online rather than over the phone when I don’t have any in advance.

4. When cell coverage is unavailable, use Google Maps.

Last May, my family and I went on a trek across the Scottish countryside. It was lush, green, beautiful, rainy, and rather wet. It was deep in the forest and so far away that there was no reception for cellphones. I was lucky to have foresight.

If you’re heading to a remote location where you could lose cell coverage, Google Maps might still provide you directions even if you’re offline. Here’s how:

Once the map has been downloaded, you may use Google Maps to obtain directions. If your signal is lost, maps will still take you to the offline map. Keep in mind that when disconnected, real-time traffic updates won’t be available.

5. Communicate your whereabouts to friends and family.

My sister and I like traveling together, but because our interests are so dissimilar, it might be difficult to discover a new location. For instance, because I genuinely like exploring, I could spend hours looking at art and artifacts at museums. My sister can spend a solid forty-five minutes at a museum before complaining.

To keep things harmonious, we often separate for a little time so that each of us may do what we enjoy. Parting ways is the easy part. The backup meeting might be difficult.

The most frustrating thing in the world is being separated and unable to find each other. Subsequently, you employ deceptive language like “I’m by the bridge” or “I’m next to the fountain” in a frantic attempt to reunite over the phone.

6. Create, share, and retrieve curated lists

Use Google Maps’ lists feature to save places you want to visit while on the road.

I absolutely love using lists while planning a trip. After I arrange my vacation, I immediately head to TikTok, where I save video after video with recommended itineraries and travel tips. After that, I make a customizable vacation schedule using my notes app that contains must-see eateries, stores, and landmarks.

7. Turn the wheel over to Gemini

Sometimes it can be really challenging to plan a trip or figure out what to do in a busy, new city. When this happens, I give way to Gemini, Google’s AI chatbot.

With Google Maps’ fall 2024 update, you can now use Gemini to obtain Google suggestions and ideas for your calendar. Just ask Gemini to suggest the best place for a family dinner or things to do on a rainy day. Based on Google reviews, Gemini will create personalized suggestions and display them to you as pins on the map for you to explore.

Disclaimer

This article is intended for informational and educational purposes only. It is based on personal experiences and publicly available features of Google Maps as of the time of writing. Google Maps and related services mentioned in this post are trademarks of Google LLC. This post is not sponsored, endorsed, or affiliated with Google. Readers should verify all features, availability, and local guidelines directly within the Google Maps app or on Google’s official website, as functions may vary by region and device.