“Easy Travel” is a 10-part series that focuses on how to mitigate troubles while on vacation, anticipate obstacles, and prepare for when things go wrong. If you would like to contribute to future reports and share your experience as a source, click here and fill out a short form.
It goes without saying that gone are the days of getting directions on a paper map. Most people have a cell phone in their pocket that can tell them where to go. This is especially useful when traveling to new places, even in areas without signal coverage.
USA TODAY travel writers Zach Wichter and Kathleen Wong teamed up to share some of their favorite digital map tips to help travelers on their journey.
Street Navigation and Offline Map Access
Zach: I’m a bit of a map obsessive myself, and this post from X (formerly Twitter) really resonated with me. So before I visit a new place, I usually spend hours exploring it on Google Maps to familiarize myself with the geography of the place.
Read more: Best travel insurance
It’s not just natural features that interest me. Google Maps is extremely useful for learning the basics of a new city’s transit system and other ways to get around. Especially if I’m arriving on an overnight flight, I want to know exactly how to get to my accommodation. On my first trip, I often take screenshots of the transit routes so I don’t have to worry about bad service or no airport Wi-Fi by the time I get to my destination.
However, you may find that you want to use the app directly more frequently.
Christina Tong, a senior product manager at Google, said “Live View” directions will be available anywhere Street View imagery exists.
“This is a really new feature that helps you navigate and explore your surroundings in augmented reality,” she said. With Live View, Maps users can see turn-by-turn directions overlaid on Street View. Tong said the feature can be especially useful when you step out of a subway station and need to confirm your location. You can also use the feature in indoor locations, such as certain shopping malls or airports, for more detailed directions.
Live View can be accessed via the camera icon on the Walking Directions tab. Live View requires an active internet or data connection.
Tong noted that the Maps team is also rolling out bike and scooter route guidance in many cities.
“This bike and scooter information is available on Google Maps in more than 500 cities around the world,” she said, adding that information about electric bike and scooter vehicle availability, dock locations and battery levels is also provided in the Bike Routes tab.
Another handy feature that’s especially useful when using Google Maps abroad is the option to download offline maps, which allows you to navigate and find basic information about popular locations you’re visiting even when you don’t have cell service outside the U.S. (like I did on a reporting trip to Hamburg this spring) or when you’re traveling in an area with poor reception.
“For me, that’s two cases: if I’m going camping or going on a road trip and I’m driving in an area with poor cell coverage, or if I’m traveling internationally and my cell phone doesn’t have data plan coverage,” Tong said. “This has actually been one of the most requested tools and I’m really excited to be able to offer it to travelers.”
To download an offline map:
Tap on your Google Maps profile picture or initial icon. Then tap on “Offline Maps” and select your own feature. Zoom in on the area you want to save and press download.
Cruising altitude: Is coffee on a plane safe to drink? We try to put the rumors to rest.
Customize maps for your trip and collaborate with friends
Kathleen: I always use Google Maps when I travel, and not just to get directions. This online tool helps me easily visualize my destination and plan efficiently.
When researching accommodations to book, I also check out Google Maps. I scroll around the area and see what shops are nearby. (Obviously, it’s important to have a good coffee shop within walking distance of your hotel or Airbnb.)
When I see a place that catches my eye, I save it to my map. I usually create a map for each category of place, like shops or bars I want to visit, and mark them with a color or icon.
To create a custom layered map, log in to your Google Maps account and open or create a map. Add a layer and give it a name, such as “Cool Bars,” then explore and save specific businesses in the layer. You can also add different colors and icons to your layer. Once you’re done,[共有]or[プレビュー]to view your custom map.
The Google Maps interface makes it easy to see the address, opening hours, contact information, and whether reservations or online ordering are available. You can also glance at reviews and photos. The number of reviews can tell you if a place is popular and perhaps busy. This digital tool also helps support diverse businesses. You can see different identities, such as whether it’s woman-owned, LGBTQ+-owned, etc.
Tong also noted that hundreds of locations will be added to Google Maps’ new immersive view feature, which will give users a better understanding of things like crowds and weather, allowing them to more accurately plan their visit.
“Immersive View uses AI to fuse billions of images to create a multi-dimensional view of a place,” she said.
If you are traveling with friends, mark the places you want to visit together and share a map link showing the pin locations. When my friend who lives in New York came to visit Honolulu for the first time in 2021, I brainstormed a map in advance of the places I want to take her and the places she wants to go. You can also add notes such as whether a restaurant is a must-visit. When creating a daily itinerary, I looked at the custom map to see what was in the same vicinity to maximize my time and avoid backtracking.
These custom maps are also useful when you’re traveling. If you need to grab dinner after a long day, you can open Google Maps and see the places you’ve researched beforehand. No need to scramble to find a place; Maps will then guide you right to the restaurant. (This is especially useful for people with dietary restrictions; you’ll already have a list of eateries before you get hungry.)
Zach Wichter is a USA TODAY travel writer and columnist based in New York. He can be reached at zwichter@usatoday.com. Kathleen Wong is a USA TODAY travel writer based in Hawaii. She can be reached at kwong@usatoday.com.
