Tips for Using Google Maps When You Travel

Google Maps is the most popular map application in this times of smartphones. Google Maps serves as the default navigation tool for Android users. So Google Maps is a very handy app for those who like to travel a lot. Apart from giving you directions while traveling, this app also provides several other functions that are unknown to many of us.

In today's post, I will learn several tips about Google Maps that can help you while traveling.

Real time location sharing

People close to us are always worried whether we are traveling alone or with a small group. That's why sometimes they want to keep in touch by calling a few times. But you can easily do this using Google Maps. You can share your location every moment with anyone you want, from 15 minutes to a day. You can even keep this feature on until you turn it off manually.

To use the feature, one has to enter the Google Maps app and tap on the profile picture. Then select the 'Location sharing' option. From there you can select how long you want to share the location and with whom you want to share it. From then on, the person with whom you have shared the location will be able to know your current location through his Google account.

Keep in mind that the longer you use this feature, the faster your phone's battery will drain. So it is better to use the feature as long as it is needed. For more details about this feature, you can check out our Google Map Location Share post.

Download offline maps as backup

If you are traveling to a remote area, you may not be able to get internet due to poor network there. As a result, Google Maps may stop working. But through the offline map feature, you can easily download the map of that place in advance. In this way, you can easily get directions through Google Maps even if you are not connected to the Internet.

You can check out our Google Maps Offline post for details on this. But keep in mind that using this feature, facilities like live traffic data and alternative routing will not work as they require an internet connection. But GPS and turn by turn navigation will work on offline maps. So getting basic directions won't be a problem.

Use live traffic data feature to avoid traffic jams

No one likes to sit in a traffic jam, especially when you are traveling somewhere. Before going somewhere, you can easily know the traffic information of the entire road through Google Maps through the live traffic data feature of Google Maps. Through this feature, you can see the amount of jam on a road live from the app. You will need an internet connection to use this feature.

Once you set a destination, Google Maps will automatically start showing this information. As a result, you can easily decide which route will be best for you to reach your destination. You can know more about this feature from our Google Map Live Traffic post.

Toll prices and different road usage

If you want to travel somewhere by car, it is better to know in advance whether there is a toll on that road or how much toll you have to pay. If you want, you can easily do this through Google Maps. Google Maps can tell you where tolls on your road and the estimated toll cost.

If you want to use Google Maps, you can also find ways to use different roads without paying the toll. As a result, you can save money easily and decide which route will be the easiest to reach your destination. However, the toll feature may not work everywhere.

Using Google Street View

Sometimes it becomes difficult to find the road just by looking at the map. Most of the time the road is found, but it may take a little longer to find the way. You can easily do this with Google Street View.

Street View can help you find your way with images of streets and their surroundings. As a result, you can easily understand whether you are on the right road by looking at any signboards on the road. If you want to use the feature, tap and hold anywhere on the map and select the street view thumbnail.

Using the Google Maps widget

One of the most useful widgets in Google Maps is the widget for finding nearby places. It can easily inform about nearby restaurants, hotels, attractions and other things depending on your location. This widget is very useful when you travel a lot and visit new places. You can easily find out about various public buildings, local shops, shopping malls etc.

View the travel timeline

After completing your entire trip, you can revisit where you have been using the Timeline feature. To use the feature, open Google Maps and tap on your profile picture and select the 'Your Timeline' option. There you will find a list of all the locations you have visited. In these places you can also see which roads you are traveling on or what photos you have taken.

This feature is very useful to complete your entire trip in an organized manner. Through this, you can easily know how long you walked, how long you stayed in the hotel room or how long you stayed in different places.

Google Maps has many other features which are not discussed here. But when traveling somewhere, the above features can be of most use to you. So by using the above features you can easily make your entire travel experience more beautiful.

 

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