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How to Make a Travel Itinerary with Google Maps

Last Updated: March 14, 2022 Fact Checked

This article was reviewed by Stan Kats and by wikiHow staff writer, Nihal Shetty . Stan Kats is a Professional Technologist and the COO and Chief Technologist for The STG IT Consulting Group in West Hollywood, California. Stan provides comprehensive technology solutions to businesses through managed IT services, and for individuals through his consumer service business, Stan's Tech Garage. Stan holds a BA in International Relations from The University of Southern California. He began his career working in the Fortune 500 IT world. Stan founded his companies to offer an enterprise-level of expertise for small businesses and individuals. There are 8 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 85,989 times.

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

Setting Up Your Map

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

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

Step 2 Create a new map through the home screen.

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

Step 4 Search for places to visit on your trip.

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

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

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

Step 6 Add descriptions to your saved locations.

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

Step 7 Color-code your locations for convenience.

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

Creating an Itinerary and Planning Routes

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

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

Step 2 Plan your travel routes using your Google Map.

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

Step 3 Use your map to create a daily schedule.

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

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

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

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

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How to Use Google 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.

Recommended: Need an organized backpack to take on the road? Check out my favorite luggage for camping, road trips, and flying: the Cotopaxi Nazca 24L and Allpa 35L !

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.

Google My Maps Trip Planner - Sharing a Map

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.

Screen shot of desktop view of a custom My Map for Hawai'i

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.

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How to Make a Google Travel Itinerary: A Step-by-Step Guide

Planning a trip can be a bit overwhelming, but with a Google travel itinerary, you can have all your plans laid out in an organized manner. This handy tool allows you to map out your entire trip, from flights and hotels to attractions and dining. With just a few clicks, you can have a clear, easy-to-follow plan that will make your travel experience a breeze.

Step by Step Tutorial: Creating a Google Travel Itinerary

Before we dive into the steps, let’s talk about what we’re aiming to achieve. By the end of this tutorial, you will have a personalized travel itinerary that’s stored in your Google account, accessible from anywhere, and easy to share with fellow travelers. Let’s get started!

Step 1: Open Google Maps

To create your itinerary, you’ll need to start with Google Maps.

Once you open Google Maps, ensure you’re signed in with the Google account you want to use for your itinerary. This will allow you to save places and access your itinerary across devices.

Step 2: Search for your destination

Type in the location of your trip to begin plotting your itinerary.

You can be as broad as a city or as specific as an address or landmark. This will be your starting point for building your itinerary.

Step 3: Use the ‘Save’ feature

When you find a place you want to visit, click on it and hit the ‘Save’ button.

You’ll have options to save to various lists like “Want to go” or “Starred places”. You can also create a new list specifically for your trip.

Step 4: Create a new list for your trip

Make a new list for your travel itinerary to keep everything organized.

Name your list something clear and memorable, like “Paris Trip 2021”. This will help you easily find it later.

Step 5: Add all your spots to the list

Keep searching and saving all the places you want to visit to your trip list.

Don’t forget to add restaurants, museums, parks, and even your hotel or rental. You can also add notes to each place if you have specific things you want to remember.

Step 6: Share your itinerary

If you’re traveling with others, share your list with them through Google Maps.

Click on your list, then select ‘Share’ to send it to friends or family. They can then view and even collaborate by adding their own spots.

After completing these steps, you’ll have a comprehensive Google travel itinerary tailored to your trip. You can pull it up on your phone while you’re out and about, or print it as a backup. It’s a convenient way to keep all your travel details in one place.

Tips for a Google Travel Itinerary

Tip: Utilize the ‘Notes’ feature on each place to add reservation details or other important information.
Tip: Check the opening hours and days for attractions and add them to your notes to avoid surprises.
Tip: Use the ‘Label’ feature to categorize places, like “Must-see” or “Food spots”.
Tip: Regularly review and update your itinerary as plans change or you discover new places.
Tip: If you have specific dates for places, set calendar reminders linked to your itinerary list for an extra layer of organization.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do i access my google travel itinerary on my phone.

You can easily access your itinerary on your phone by opening the Google Maps app and going to ‘Saved’ > ‘Your lists’ and selecting your trip list.

Can I add flights and hotels to my Google travel itinerary?

While Google Maps doesn’t directly let you add flights and hotels, you can save the location of your hotel and use notes to add flight details.

Is there a way to get directions for the entire day’s itinerary?

You can select the places on your list in order and use the ‘Directions’ feature to map out your day. However, you’ll need to do this daily as it doesn’t save.

Can I make changes to my itinerary after sharing it?

Absolutely! You can make changes to your itinerary at any time, and anyone with access can see the updates in real-time.

What happens if I lose internet access while traveling?

It’s a good idea to download your itinerary area in Google Maps for offline use, or print out a copy as a backup.

Open Google Maps and make sure you’re logged in.
Search and save your destination spots.
Create a new list for your trip.
Add all places to this list.
Share the list with fellow travelers for collaboration.

Creating a Google travel itinerary is a fantastic way to stay organized and make the most out of your travels. It’s a flexible tool that not only helps you plan but also keeps track of all the exciting places you want to explore. Whether you’re a meticulous planner or prefer a more spontaneous approach, a Google travel itinerary can accommodate your style. Plus, with the ability to share and collaborate, it’s perfect for group trips where everyone wants a say. So, next time you’re planning a trip, remember to give Google Maps a try for your itinerary needs. Safe travels and happy planning!

Matthew Burleigh has been writing tech tutorials since 2008. His writing has appeared on dozens of different websites and been read over 50 million times.

After receiving his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science he spent several years working in IT management for small businesses. However, he now works full time writing content online and creating websites.

His main writing topics include iPhones, Microsoft Office, Google Apps, Android, and Photoshop, but he has also written about many other tech topics as well.

Read his full bio here.

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

There's an easier way to plan and organize your trips—here's how

May 14, 2019

[[read-time]] min read

Travel planning is complicated. The number of tools and amount of information you need to sift through when deciding where to go, where to stay and what flight to take can be time consuming and overwhelming. That’s why today, we’re simplifying the way we help travelers plan trips with Google across devices.

When you’re planning a trip—whether you’re on desktop or mobile—we want to help you find the information you need, fast. Last year , we simplified trip planning by making navigation between Google Flights, Hotels, and Trips easier on smartphones. We’re now rolling this out on desktop as well. You can either go to google.com/travel or search for something like “hotels in Tokyo” or “Vancouver” to find travel information from a variety of sources in one place.

As you plan a trip, your research and reservations will be organized for you in Trips. As we continue to evolve Google Trips, we’re making this information more accessible at google.com/travel, and in Google Search and Google Maps. We’re also adding a few new features to make planning and organizing your trips easier.

One place for all of your trip details

Last year , we started adding your trip reservations for things like hotels and flights to a trip timeline for your upcoming trips, when you’re signed into your Google account and you’ve received a confirmation in Gmail. When you go to google.com/travel, you can now make edits directly to your trips timeline, and in a few weeks you’ll be able to manually add new reservations as well.

Whether you’re packing your bags or finalizing your travel dates, the weather is an important part of every trip. You’ll now see the weather for any upcoming or potential trips at google.com/travel—so you can make sure you’re prepared, rain or shine.

Keep track of research and keep planning

It often takes days or weeks to plan a trip. When you need to pick up planning again, we’ll keep track of your trip research across Google. Recent searches, saved places and flights you’re tracking are added automatically to your trips when you’re signed into your Google Account. Soon, we’ll add viewed things to do and saved and viewed hotels to your trips. When you want to continue planning, all of your research will be waiting for you at google.com/travel. If you don’t want to see private results, you can opt out by adjusting your results and web & app activity settings.

When you’re ready to continue researching other parts of your trip, scroll down to see travel articles and find out more about a destination like suggested day plans, popular restaurants around your hotel and events happening during your dates.

Continue planning on-the-go

When you’re on-the-go or visiting a new place, we’ll do more to highlight things to do, restaurants and more with Google Maps. For instance, last year we made it easier to find the best places to see and things to do when using Google Maps to explore a new place. Now, we’ll also help you get the lay of the land when you’re traveling by pointing out popular neighborhoods nearby and what they’re known for.

And in the next few months, your trips—including reservations for things like hotels and restaurants—will be accessible in Google Maps, too.

Our goal is to simplify trip planning by helping you quickly find the most useful information and pick up where you left off on any device. We’ll continue to make planning and taking trips easier with Google Maps, Google Search and google.com/travel —so you can get out and enjoy the world.

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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.

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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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!

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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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Rachel Off Duty: A Step-By-Step Guide to Plan a Trip With Google Maps

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

Rachel Off Duty: National Parks Road Trips 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.

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A Step-By-Step Guide to Plan a Trip with Google Maps – Rachel Off Duty

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:

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How to Create a Custom Travel Map with Google Maps {New Google My Maps Tutorial}

If you’ve got a vacation coming up, I have a super useful tutorial for you today to help you easily organize and manage your trip. Before I leave on a trip, I always create a custom travel map so I can keep track of my hotel, sights I want to see, photo ops, restaurants, and more all in one easily accessible spot. That way I can see where everything is, see what places are close to each other, and have directions and notes right at my fingertips. Today I’m going to show you how easy it is to make one. It’s super simple and you can probably create your own map in 15 minutes or less!

Google recently updated their maps to the new My Maps, so this tutorial will show you how to create a map with the new My Maps.

SUPER helpful tutorial to create a Custom Travel Map with Google Maps. A MUST have if you've got a vacation coming up!

Let’s get started! :)

SUPER helpful tutorial to create a Custom Travel Map with Google Maps. A MUST have if you've got a trip coming up! Works with the NEW Google My Maps!

To start , go to https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/?pli=1 and click Create a new map .

In the top left-hand corner, click where it says Untitled to give your map a new name. I named this map New York City .

Now use the search bar at the top to start adding locations to your map. Just start typing the name and Google will pull it up. You don’t even have to know the exact address. I started with our hotel, the Omni Berkshire Place in NYC.

Hit Enter or click the magnifying glass and a list of your search results will appear on the left. Click the name in the list, or on the pin that appears on the map, and an info box will pop up. Then click Add to map .

Repeat this step for as many locations as you want to add to your map. Just search for a location…

Then click Add to map . This part goes super quickly!

If a search result has multiple locations, you can see all its locations on the map, along with the other places you’ve added to your map so far, so you can see which location is closest to places you’ll already be. Click the pin on the map of the location of your choice, then click Add to map .

Once you’ve added all the locations to your map, you can customize the icons to keep them even more organized and easily recognizable. Click on a location in the list on the left, then click the paint bucket icon.

You can change the color and shape of the icon, or you can click the More icons button.

This will pull up a ton of icons you can choose from!

Here’s an example of how my maps usually look. My hotel is always green, so it stands out and I always know how to get back home. I have broadway shows, photo ops, and shopping locations. Bakeries are always pink. Lunch is light blue, and dinner is dark blue. Now I can look at the map and automatically recognize what is around me and what I can do.

I also like to add notes and reminders about certain spots. To do this, click on a location in the list, then click on the edit pencil in the info box that pops up.

Write down any notes to help you remember what you wanted to do at a certain location.

You can also add a picture to help remind you! Click on the camera icon in the bottom right-hand corner of the more info box.

You can’t upload your own image, but you can add any image on the internet if you know the URL, or you can just do a Google image search for a specific image.

Love this feature, adding photos is so quick and easy!

Accessing the Map

So that’s it! You have a super organized, useful map with locations, notes, and photos. Now you need to be able to access it on the go.

If you have an Android , you can use the My Maps app from the Play Store.

If you have an iPhone , you can access the map from Safari. Just go to this link on your phone: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/?pli=1

Click Open a map . You may need to sign in to your Google account.

A list of all your created maps will come up. Click on the map you want. All your custom locations and icons will appear on the map. It will also show your current location so can see where you are in relation to places on the map.

You can click on the three-line menu bar in the top left-hand corner to pull up a list of your saved locations.

From here, you can click on a location to see the notes/photos you added. You may need to click more than once, then you’ll need to click the menu button again to make the list go away so you can see the map.

Here’s what it looks like.

From this screen you can scroll down to get the address, then press and hold to copy the address. You can paste this in your maps app for directions.

Accessing the map via Safari definitely works, and is the best free option. But as you can see above it is a little clunky. If you’re a frequent traveler and avid map-maker, you may want to look into the new My Maps app for iPhone for $4.99.

Now let me just say, in a world where we are spoiled with so many good free apps, even paying 99 cents for an app seems like a splurge to me. And while I wouldn’t blink twice at spending $4.99 on a cupcake I’ll enjoy for 30 seconds, paying $4.99 for an app seems way too high, even though I know I’ll use it over and over. I don’t know why my brain is wired that way. Anyway, I hardly ever pay for apps, especially ones that cost more than 99 cents.

However, after giving in and downloading it, this app does everything I want it to do exactly the way I want it to do it . I’m I’m not sure I can say that about any other app I use. In the end, this app was worth the high price for me.

I’ll give you a quick tour so you can see what it does. Either way you choose, you can still definitely access your map for free from Safari!

Open the app, sign in to your Google account, then click on the three lines in the top left-hand corner to pull up a list of all your maps. Click on the map you want.

Here you can see all your saved locations and custom icons, as well as your current location. Click on the menu button in the top right-hand corner to pull up a list of your saved locations,

You can see the custom notes you’ve added from this screen.

You can click on a location and it will zoom into that spot on the map. You can also click the info button….

And it will show you any photos you have added.

Or you can click the car icon, and it will give you directions.

You can open the directions in any map app you want. From there, you can choose whether you want car, walking, or public transit directions.

If you open the map and all the locations when you have internet, the app will even cache the information so you can access it offline .

Example Map

So that’s it! Now you can stay organized and have directions and notes right at your fingertips.

Here is a link to my NYC map with all my favorite places. You can use this link to see how the maps look and work on your phone.

Getting Around

We love walking and taking public transportation when exploring a new city, but sometimes you just need a taxi. We’ve started using Uber to quickly call a car. Have you heard of Uber?? It’s your own personal, private driver for the same price of a taxi. When you open the Uber app, it will show you where drivers are near you, and tell you how long it will take for a car to get to you. Just click Set Pick Up Location and your private car is on it’s way. You can even watch it on the map as it gets closer to your location. It will send you an alert when your car gets close so you know when to go outside. No more waiting outside in the freezing cold or rain for a taxi! You add a credit card or Paypal account to your Uber account, and you never to worry about paying the driver. It’s all done through the app. You get in the car, the driver takes you to your location, and you get out. No fumbling with paying, you can just get out and leave! You don’t even have to tip — it’s built into the price of the service (which is still competitive with a taxi!). It’s seriously the fastest and best way to get where ever you need to go!

Use this link to sign up with Uber to get your first ride free!

Happy map-making and safe travels!! :) xoxo

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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.

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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 Geek

How to create a custom map in google maps.

Put the power of Google Maps to use for your own custom maps.

Quick Links

Creating a custom map in google maps, adding components to a custom map in google maps, sharing custom maps in google maps, key takeaways.

Go to maps.google.com and select "Saved" from the side menu. Go to the "Maps" tab and click "Create Map." From here, you have a number of options of creating a custom map that does not show up on the public Google Maps.

You don't need any special software to create a custom map for yourself or others. Google Maps is all you need, allowing you to add your own pinpoints, shapes, and directions to a custom map. Here's how.

You'll need to use Google Maps on your desktop to do this. If you're having problems with a blank Google Maps screen , you'll also need to clear your site data.

A custom map in Google Maps doesn't allow you to create a new landscape---you're stuck with planet Earth. What it does allow you to do, however, is add your own landmarks, routes, and locations.

You can also draw your own shapes onto the existing map to add more detail. While you can view a custom map in the Google Maps app for Android and iOS, you can only create it using the web version of Google Maps on your desktop.

To start, head to the Google Maps website , and sign in using your Google account. Once you're signed in, press the Put icon in the top-left.

In the options menu, click the "Saved" option.

In the "Your Places" menu that appears on the left, click the "Maps" tab. At the bottom of the menu, select the "Create Map" button.

The map creation window will appear in a new tab. To name it, select the "Untitled map" text at the top of the menu on the left.

In the "Edit map title and description" menu, add a name and description for your map and then click "Save" to save it.

Custom Map Layers

Your custom map is made up of layers, with the "Base Map" layer (the main Google Maps view) at the bottom.

You can customize the appearance of the "Base Map" layer by selecting the options arrow next to "Base Map" and choosing a different map theme.

When you create a new custom map in Google Maps, a new "Untitled Layer" is added by default.

You can add as many layers as you want to your custom map, allowing you to separate the different components of your new map from each other, by clicking the "Add layer" button.

If you want to rename this layer, select the three-dot menu icon next to the layer and then click "Rename Layer" in the drop-down menu.

To delete it, select "Delete Layer" instead.

A custom map in Google Maps can be customized with various different components. You can add marker points, shapes or lines, as well as directions directly onto the map.

To start, make sure you're in the custom map editor by heading to the Google Maps website and selecting the hamburger menu > Your Places > Maps > Create Map.

Adding a Marker Point

A custom marker point is a pinpoint that appears on the map. You can use this to add additional descriptions to an area, as well as to point map users to a location or area that isn't specified on the "Base Map" layer.

To add a new marker point to your map, make sure you've located a suitable area on the "Base Map" layer. When you're ready, select the "Add Marker" button in the menu below the search bar in the custom map editor.

Using your mouse or trackpad, click on an area of the map. This will bring up the marker editor---add a suitable name and description and then select "Save" to add it to your map.

Adding Lines or Shapes

You can add custom lines and shapes to your custom map to emphasize certain areas.

To do this, click the "Draw a Line" option in the menu below the search bar and then select the "Add line or shape" option.

In a suitable area on the map, draw a line using your mouse or trackpad---use multiple lines to create a joined-up shape. Press the Enter key to submit lines.

Add a custom name and description to your object in the pop-up menu before selecting "Save" to confirm.

Creating Custom Directions

A custom map can also be used to share directions from A to B by creating a directions layer.

To do this, click on the "Add Directions" option in the menu below the search bar to create this layer.

The directions layer will appear in the menu on the left. Add your departure point to the "A" text box and the arrival point to the "B" text box.

Once both the "A" and "B" boxes are filled, the map will update showing the route between your specified locations.

Once you've created your map, you're free to access it yourself from within Google Maps (hamburger menu > Saved > Maps) or from the Google My Maps website.

Only you can view your custom map by default, but you can share it with others. To do this, head to the Google My Maps website , sign in, and then select the "Owned" tab where your custom map should be listed.

To share it with others, click the "Share Map" button. This will give you options to share your custom map on various social media platforms, through email, or by embedding it on your website.

Select one of these options to proceed.

You can also grab a custom link to your map that will allow you to share it with others directly.

In the "Owned" tab of the Google My Maps website, select your map to return to the map editor and then click the "Share" button in the left-hand menu.

This will bring up the "Share Map" options menu. You can choose to allow anyone with the link to view your map, and make it searchable on the internet if you'd like.

Utilizing the power of Google Maps for your own custom maps is an awesome thing to be able to do. Along with " Local Guides ," it's one of the lesser-known features of Google Maps. Keep in mind that this is not the same as suggesting missing places or missing roads for the public map.

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:

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5-Day British Columbia Road Trip Itinerary

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The Perfect 2-week Costa Rica Itinerary

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

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

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

IT CREATES A VISUAL REPRESENTATION OF YOUR ROAD TRIP

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

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

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

Click here to access the interactive map.

Custom road trip route using Google MyMaps

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

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

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

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

YOUR GOOGLE MAP IS HIGHLY CUSTOMIZABLE

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

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

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

IT HELPS YOU NAVIGATE AND PLAN YOUR ROUTE

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

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

IT’S EASY TO COLLABORATE AND SHARE YOUR TRIP

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

YOUR MAP IS EASY TO SHARE BETWEEN DEVICES

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

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

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

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

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

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

CREATE A NEW GOOGLE MAP

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

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

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

How to create a new Google Maps for a road trip

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

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

2. ADD LOCATIONS TO YOUR GOOGLE MAP

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

HOW TO ADD LOCATION PINS

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

How to create a custom travel map with location pins

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

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

3. CUSTOMIZING LOCATION PINS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What are google map layers.

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

Okay, English please ?

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

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

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

HOW TO ADD LAYERS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

WHEN TO MAKE SEPARATE MAPS

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

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

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

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

5. ADDING DIRECTIONS TO YOUR GOOGLE MAP

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

VIEW STEP-BY-STEP DIRECTIONS

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

ADJUSTING YOUR ROUTE

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

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

How to adjust your route in Google custom maps

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

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

Steps are the same for iPhone and Android.

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

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

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

Essential tips for using the Google Maps app:

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

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

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

On your desktop:

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

On your phone:

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

Tips for using Maps.me

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

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

7. CREATE A SHARED GOOGLE MAP

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

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

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

8. BONUS: CALCULATE GAS MILEAGE

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

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

Happy adventuring!

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

How to plan your road trip with Google Maps

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

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27 comments.

[…] 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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Google Maps Trip Planner: How to Create an Epic Itinerary & Make The Most of This Tool

Few travel tools are as useful and versatile as the Google Maps Trip Planner .

Whether you want to create a detailed road trip itinerary, share trip plans easily between friends, or have a basic idea of what sites you want to see on your trip, the Google Maps Trip Planner can do it all. This guide will let you know who the trip planner is perfect for, what the best features are, and how to use this free trip planning resource to the fullest!

Some of these links are affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through that link, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Read my full disclosure !

Who is Google Maps Trip Planner Most Useful For?

The best thing about Google Maps Trip Planner is that it is not just a road trip planning tool. It can be used in a variety of ways that you may not think of at first.

Road Trippers

Let’s get the obvious one out of the way first. Planning a road trip with Google Maps Trip Planner is so easy. We’ll dive in-depth on specific features later in this post, but some of the best things about Trip Planner for creating a road trip itinerary are:

the ability to plan out each day of your road trip.
automatically sync your map to the Google Maps app.
know exact distances and real-time travel updates to use your time in the most efficient way possible.

Discover exactly how to plan the perfect road trip budget with tools like Trip Planner and money-saving tips !

Group Travelers

Anyone trying to coordinate a trip with a group of travelers knows the struggles of getting everyone on the same page. Everyone has their own priorities of what they want to see, how much they are willing to spend, etc. Google Maps Trip Planner is perfect for group travelers because:

you can share your itinerary easily with anyone you choose.
use color-coding to attend to each traveler’s needs.
use directions and distances to determine what locations are too out of the way.

Travel Photographers, Bloggers & Content Creators

Creatives like travel photographers, content creators and bloggers should all be using Google Maps Trip Planner! From my own personal experience, I do lots of research on locations I want to photograph before visiting a new place.

Then, what do you do with the information? After I’ve come up with my list of must-shoot places, I go to Google Maps Trip Planner and add a layer to my map that’s solely photo locations.

Then I can see if there are any too far out of the way of my itinerary or, also a possibility, some that can’t be reached by car.

You may think of Trip Planner as just a tool for planning road trips, but it’s actually an incredibly useful organizational tool for someone like me as a travel blogger to plan out where and when I will shoot new content!

Solo Travelers

Solo road trip? It’s a thing – and all solo travelers should take advantage of Trip Planner!

The number one reason Trip Planner is great for solo travelers is because it’s a safety tool. By putting your itinerary all in one place and easily be able to share it with family and friends, they can know where you will be on what days of your trip. This is one of my top tips for solo female travelers , especially!

Why Use Google Maps Trip Planner?

It’s free, with no strings attached.

The best part is that this trip planner is completely free! No subscription or In-App purchases, just a helpful web tool that puts the power of making your own itinerary on an actual map in your hands.

The only thing you need is a Gmail account with which you’ll sign in and then be able to create a map. But no worries, you won’t get any extra annoying emails sent to your inbox for using Trip Planner.

When you go to the site, you’ll sign in at the top right corner of the web page. If you’re already logged into Gmail on your computer, you’ll already be signed in!

Maps Automatically Back Up To Your Drive

Once you’re signed into your Gmail account, your maps become automatically connected to your Google Drive. No need to worry about losing progress while making your map.

Always double check in the upper lefthand corner that it says “All Changes Saved To Drive” before closing your map tab, otherwise you will lose whatever work you’ve done in that session.

It’s Compatible Across Devices

Once you make your map and it’s in your Google Drive, it becomes compatible across devices within Google Maps.

You can open Google Maps on your phone and open your map to easily access directions and reference your location markers on the go.

Pro Tip: If your map doesn’t automatically pop up when you open the app, go to the Saved tab in the middle of the menu at the bottom. You’ll see under “Your Lists” a row of circular icons. Click on the icon that says Maps and you’ll have access to every map you’ve created with Google Maps Trip Planner!

You Can Easily Share Your Itinerary With Others

Whether it’s for safety as a solo traveler, coordinating a group of trip-goers, or creating an itinerary for your blog followers, Google Maps Trip Planner makes it super simple to share your map.

At the end of this post, you’ll find the exact instructions for sharing!

Have Everything In One Place

I know when I’m trip planning, you’ll see me writing lists in a million different notebooks as new thoughts enter my mind – where am I going to find parking, I want to add this place to our itinerary, here’s options for restaurants, etc.

Google Maps Trip Planner can organize all of that information for me and save it in one place so trip planning is more organized and actually useful, in comparison to saving information in tons of different places and trying to piece it together as you are traveling.

Travel Bloggers & Creators Can Create Sample Itineraries To Share With Their Audiences

I mentioned this very briefly when it came to sharing maps, but this creative idea deserves its own category. If you don’t want to use the Google Maps plugin as a travel blogger (because it costs money) consider creating an itinerary for your followers to be inspired by on Trip Planner.

With the layering feature, you can create multiple sample itineraries within one map for your followers to get even more use and inspiration out of your blog and resources.

To add a map to your website, go to the upper lefthand corner next to map name and click the three dotes. Then click “Embed on my site” and copy the generated code into your post!

Amazing Features to Take Advantage of in Google Maps Trip Planner

Layering your map.

The most useful feature in Google Maps Trip Planner is layering. Adding layers to your map has so many pros during the trip planning process.

Firstly, while you’re planning and trying to determine how much you can see and do with your time, you can create sample itineraries within your one map by using different layers. While you brainstorm, you can visually see all of your options in one place and determine which routes work and which ones don’t.

Layers also allow you to plan your trip in-depth. You can make a layer for each day of your trip, each hour, each week – however specific or general you want to be, you can be!

Layers can also be used to differentiate between different traveler’s wants and needs. If you’re planning a group trip, each traveler can add their own layer of places they want to go. Have every layer visible and you can easily determine which places are too far out of the way from your route. Now, you can streamline your itinerary without argument.

There are so many ways to use the layers to make your trip planning creative and customizable to your needs!

Fun Tip: You can select the “Base Map” to be a different setting, for example if you want your map to be satellite or black and white!

Color-Coding Location Markers

One of the coolest things you can do on top of layering to make your map super detailed and specific is color coding your location markers.

Assigning location pins different colors can help you categorize what each location is without having to constantly click between them. For example, yellow markers could be Day 1, red markers Day 2, etc. Or you can add a category like “places to take pictures” that aren’t necessarily a part of your driving route.

For example, I was photographing certain locations for a company in Zurich, Switzerland a few weeks ago. I created a layer in my road trip map of only blue markers that were the locations I was supposed to shoot. I wasn’t driving to these locations, so it helped me to differentiate my locations I was photographing between my actual road trip route!

Ideas for what kinds of parameters you can use for different colored markers are:

Restaurants
Different days of your trip
Picture spots
Places each traveler in your group wants to visit
Places that are a priority versus places you will visit if you have the time
Activities & Tours

Adding Symbols to Location Markers

I’m sure it won’t surprise you to know that you can get even more specific with your trip planning. If color coding your markers isn’t enough for you, try adding a symbol to them.

You can add a symbol for gas stations, parking, your accommodation, restaurants, places you want to take pictures, – almost anything you can think of!

You can also add a short description in the text box pop-up when you click your location pin with whatever information you may want to note!

Add Directions Between Locations To Know Exact Travel Times

You can add directions between each day’s location or the entire road trip journey as a whole to know exactly how much time you’ll spend driving.

Often when we start planning a road trip, we want to see as much as possible and get a little in over our heads as to how much time we’ll really have to get around.

Places can sometimes look a lot closer on a map than they are by car. By seeing the travel times all in one place, you can easily weed out which spots don’t fit in your itinerary.

Use It Along Via Michelin to Estimate Fuel Costs On Your Road Trip

The one thing Google Maps Trip Planner doesn’t do is factor in fuel expenditure and cost. To rectify this problem and have the most detailed plan for your road trip and budget, use the trip planner in conjunction with ViaMichelin .

First, input your itinerary that you refined in Google Maps Trip Planner into ViaMichelin’s Route Planner. Then, enter the information of the make and model of your car.

ViaMichelin then takes all this information as well as insights about your route (local gas prices, toll costs, etc.) and gives you an accurate estimation of how much you’ll spend on your trip in fuel and tolls.

With these two tools working together, you’ll be the best prepared to use your budget and time wisely!

How to Create Your First Map in Google Maps Trip Planner

Google Maps Trip Planner becomes a very intuitive tool after you give it a try. It looks quite intimidating at first and not user-friendly, but once you start creating a map and clicking around to get to know the interface, you can catch one quickly and eventually master mapmaking.

This easy-to-follow guide will help you easily create a map in Google Maps Trip Planner for the first time.

Navigation Panel

Everything you need to make a map is in the white navigation panel on the lefthand side of your screen. At the top of your screen is a small search bar, where you can type in specific locations you want to add to your map!

Some tools below the search bar that I won’t write about later are:

Undo & Redo Buttons – Denoted by an arrow going left and another going right
Select Tool – Denoted by a handprint and useful for moving around the map without creating new markers
Draw a Line Tool – Denoted by three points connected by a line
Ruler Tool – Used for measuring distances

Name Your Map & Add Location Markers

The first step in creating your map is to go to Google Maps Road Trip Planner, click Create New Map, and give it a name. You can also give it a description (which is especially helpful if you plan to make it public or are sharing it with others.) You’ll find where you can name the map in the upper lefthand corner of the screen.

The next step is to start adding locations! Type in the search or click in a place on the map to create a marker for a location. If you type your location in, remember to click “Add to Map” in the bottom lefthand corner of the popup.

How to Add Layers in Your Map

You can easily add layers to your map in Google Maps Trip Planner by clicking “Add Layer” in the upper lefthand corner of the navigation panel. Each layer is divided as a box in the navigation panel.

When working with different layers, be sure the layer you want to add or make changes too has a blue line on the side of its box. If there is no blue line, you’re changing a different layer.

How to Color Code or Add Symbols to Your Location Markers

To categorize your location markers, you can either group them by different colors or attach a symbol to them.

To give them a new color, scroll over the location and click on the paint bucket that appears to the right of the location name. You’ll then be able to select a color for your marker!

In the same popup panel, you can transform your marker into a symbol, like P for parking, a camera for a photo location, a fork and knife for a restaurant, and many more specific options to choose from!

How to Add Directions to Your Map

To add direction between locations, create a new layer. Click the icon below the search bar that has the symbol of an arrow turning right and then input the locations you need directions between.

You can also click on a location marker and hit the same symbol at the bottom righthand corner of the popup to get directions.

Access step-by-step directions by clicking on the three dots in that layer and then selecting “Step-By-Step Directions.” It takes into account real-time traffic to give you accurate travel times and also notifies you if you will be passing through tolls!

Pro Tip: Because you add directions to a whole new layer, you can easily turn the other layers off just to see your driving route. This is an awesome feature of Google Trips Planner, since you can pick and choose which location markers you are driving between!

How to Share Your Map

Congrats! You made your map! Now you can share it with your fellow trip-goers or with the world in two easy steps!

First, click Share at the top of the navigation panel. In the popup, you can choose to share privately with others using the URL or make the map public for anyone to search, not using the URL.

If you don’t want users to be able to edit the map that you share with them, click “Drive Sharing” and make sure the link permissions are set to “Viewer.”

Extra Tips for Using Google Maps Trip Planner

Google has their own articles related to using Trip Planner . They are more technical but can be helpful when needing clear step-by-step instructions on how to do something.
As much as I love using this online tool, I still love to make my lists. I always write down trip plans in my travel journal (I’m obsessed with the WANDRD brand, as you’ll know if you are a regular reader,) which is also a great place to write reflections of my travels in!

I hope you found this guide to Google Maps Trip Planner helpful for planning your next getaway itinerary!

Any questions on using Trip Planner? Are you surprised by any of its features? Let me know in a comment!

Save these tips for easy reference on Pinterest!

Happy trip planning!

Michela is a travel writer and photographer living in northern Italy. She is passionate about helping people make the most of their travels by sharing advice gained from her personal experiences, off-the-beaten-path destinations and time-saving quick itineraries. Browse her top articles or have her help you plan your itinerary to your dream destination!

Find me on: Web | Instagram

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Fantastic guide, really appreciate it!

Thank you, I’m glad you found it helpful! 🙂

This is super-helpful information. I was trying to figure out how I could do exactly this kind of thing so your detailed instructions are very helpful.

Once I’ve created the map, with locations and pre-mapped directions, is it possible to access the details and directions in my phone app? I looked in the Maps help center/community for this but I can’t figure it out.

I just re-read this and apologize that my question isn’t clear! I have figured out how to see the map in my maps app, what I can’t figure out is how to use that information to actually run navigation/directions.

So, you would have to open the saved map on your Google Maps app. The only way you can run navigation is by clicking on one of your saved locations and then hitting Directions when the menu pops up. Then you would have to manually insert your starting point.

Unfortunately they don’t make it in a way that you can automatically set off the directions between two places on your saved map! Frustrating but this way is still more convenient for itinerary planning than anything else. Safe travels!

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

by Annie

Published: March 8, 2022

image of Google Maps with starred places

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.

image of adding a bookmark to a place so you can plan a trip in 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.

image showing how to create a custom map

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.

image showing how to add a destination to a custom 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.

image showing what driving directions look like

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.

image showing how to add driving directions to a custom map

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.

image showing multiple custom routes to help you plan a trip with Google Maps

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.

image showing distance and drive time between stops on a route

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.

image showing how to delete a place from a custom map

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.

image showing how to add places and customize them when you plan a trip with Google Maps

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

image showing how to change the color of a marker in Google Maps

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.

image showing group of customized icons in Google Maps. This is what a finished map looks like when you plan a trip with Google Maps

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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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 USE GOOGLE MAPS TRIP PLANNER IN 7 STEPS

Google maps is the best tool to create detailed travel plans and itineraries

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.

Google maps is far much more than an app to get directions and find out where places are. It is a great tool for planning any sort of trip.

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

CLICK HERE FOR A FULL RUNDOWN ON TRAVEL INSURANCE STARTING AT JUST $1.50

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.

To start creating a travel plan using google maps first click on the hamburger icon

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.

This where I give each map a title and often even write a description so in the future if I need to find something it will be easier

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.

Clicking on add to map adds that place on the google map itself and also puts that place in a menu

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.

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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.

Click the bucket icon to change color or the pin icon

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.

Adding a layer in google maps travel planner

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.

Downloading the file to view map even when offline

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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2 thoughts on “HOW TO USE GOOGLE MAPS TRIP PLANNER IN 7 STEPS”

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

I like this. I posted this on my LinkedIn and my followers enjoyed it! Keep up the good work. 🙂

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Get directions & show routes

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

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

On your computer, open Google Maps .

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

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

Google Maps transportation modes

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

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

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

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

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

Learn how to get directions for motorcycles .

Add multiple destinations

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

Add a starting point and a destination.

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

Tip : You can search for places along your route.

To change the order of your stops:

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

Preview directions in Street View

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

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

Customize your route

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

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

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

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

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Allie Fisher

How to Use Google Maps to Plan an Awesome Vacation

I’m standing outside Frida Kahlo’s Casa Azul in Mexico City, and I’m stumped. The neighborhood is unfamiliar, and I need lunch. Soon. But then I remember the map. I pull out my phone and see that it’s just a short walk to a ceviche stand suggested by my friend Eric. It turns out to be one of my best lunches of the trip.

That semi-serendipitous meal was possible because I had compiled suggestions from friends in a custom Google Map. And unlike a guidebook, it wasn’t weighing me down or outing me as a tourist.

Here’s how to set it up yourself: Sign in to Google Maps on a desktop and click the drop-down menu at top left. Select Your Places, then Maps, and click Create Map at the bottom. Search for addresses and business names like you would at home and add them to the map. If you want to get fancy, customize the pins with unique icons and colors—restaurants might be yellow, historical spots green, and so on.

You can save sections of your map to view offline. But if you wander out of the area you downloaded, you’ll likely need to use cellular data on the go. Luckily most carriers offer roaming plans for travel. Just remember that when you’re abroad, your phone is a tool, not an entertainment device. Lay off the Facebook unless you’re on Wi-Fi or you’ll punch through your data cap and get hit with overage fees.

Armed with my Google map, I find my way to the best bakery near my Airbnb; on one evening I’m able to bring my friends to a tiny mezcal bar with a handwritten menu. I’m new to the city but feel like I’ve been there for weeks. And anytime I discover another gem, I drop a pin, often adding notes so I won’t forget the shop’s hours or a signature dish. The best part? The map is shareable, and friends can add new pins. That means I’ll have a dozen new things to explore on my next visit. And they’ll all come with a trusted stamp of approval.

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COMMENTS

Trip Planner
Trip Planner is a Google My Maps project that helps you plan your trips and share them with others. You can customize your map with markers, routes, photos, and descriptions of your destinations ...
How to Make a Travel Itinerary with Google Maps: 12 Steps
2. Create a new map through the home screen. At the top left of the "My Maps" home screen, you'll see a red box with the text "+Create a New Map.". Click on it to be redirected to a map screen. [3] 3. Give your map a descriptive name. To keep yourself organized, give your map a name to remind you what it contains.
How to Use Google My Maps to Plan a Trip (Ultimate Guide)
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.
How to Make a Google Travel Itinerary: A Step-by-Step Guide
Step 1: Open Google Maps. To create your itinerary, you'll need to start with Google Maps. Once you open Google Maps, ensure you're signed in with the Google account you want to use for your itinerary. This will allow you to save places and access your itinerary across devices.
How To Plan A Route On Google Maps (To Use Offline On The Go)
Follow the 3 steps (only 3!) and you'll be on your way to planning your own Google travel maps. Step 1. Go to Google Maps. Step 2. To create an itinerary, click 'Menu' on the top left button > click 'Your Places' > click 'Maps' on the 4th tab > click 'Create Map'. Step 3.
How to Use Google Maps As a Trip Planner
1. Head to the My Maps homepage and click Create a New Map. Any map you create will appear on this page. Google; William Antonelli/Insider. 2. You'll be given a world map. In the menu in the top ...
Create or open a map
Create a map. On your computer, sign in to My Maps. Click Create a new map. Go to the top left and click "Untitled map." Give your map a name and description. Open a map. On your computer, sign in to My Maps. You'll see maps you've made or viewed as well as maps shared with you. Optional: To see popular maps and staff picks, click Explore ...
An easier way to plan and organize your trips with Google
When you're on-the-go or visiting a new place, we'll do more to highlight things to do, restaurants and more with Google Maps. For instance, last year we made it easier to find the best places to see and things to do when using Google Maps to explore a new place. Now, we'll also help you get the lay of the land when you're traveling by ...
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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 ...
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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.
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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.
How to Create a Custom Travel Map with Google Maps {New Google My Maps
Hit Enter or click the magnifying glass and a list of your search results will appear on the left. Click the name in the list, or on the pin that appears on the map, and an info box will pop up. Then click Add to map. Repeat this step for as many locations as you want to add to your map. Just search for a location….
How To Use Google Maps Trip Planner
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.
How to Create a Custom Map in Google Maps
To start, head to the Google Maps website, and sign in using your Google account. Once you're signed in, press the Put icon in the top-left. In the options menu, click the "Saved" option. In the "Your Places" menu that appears on the left, click the "Maps" tab. At the bottom of the menu, select the "Create Map" button.
How to Use Google Maps to Plan Your Next Road Trip (Step-By-Step
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.
Google Maps Trip Planner: How to Create an Epic Itinerary & Make The
How to Create Your First Map in Google Maps Trip Planner. Google Maps Trip Planner becomes a very intuitive tool after you give it a try. It looks quite intimidating at first and not user-friendly, but once you start creating a map and clicking around to get to know the interface, you can catch one quickly and eventually master mapmaking.
How to Plan A Trip With Google Maps in 4 Easy Steps
Planning an Itinerary With Google Maps. Step 1 to Plan a Trip with Google Maps: Create A Custom Map. Step 2 to Plan a Trip with Google Maps: Add Your Major Stops. Step 3 to Plan a Trip with Google Maps: Add Destination Info. Step 4 to Plan a Trip with Google Maps: Outline Your Itinerary.
How to Use Google Maps Trip Planner in 7 Steps
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.
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Wanderlog travel planner allows you to create itineraries with friends, mark routes, and optimize maps — on web or mobile app ... Unlock premium features like offline access, unlimited attachments, flight deals, export to Google maps, and much more. Slide 1 of 8. Paris 5 Day Tourist Itinerary +Recommendations. Elisa Li 96542 views • 450 ...
Plan your commute or trip
On your computer, open Google Maps. Make sure you're signed in. On the left, choose an option: 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 ...
Get directions & show routes
On your computer, open Google Maps. Click Directions . Add a starting point and a destination. On the left, below the destinations you entered, click Add . To add a stop, choose another destination. You can add up to 9 stops. Click on a route to get the directions. Tip: You can search for places along your route.
How to Use Google Maps to Plan an Awesome Vacation
Select Your Places, then Maps, and click Create Map at the bottom. Search for addresses and business names like you would at home and add them to the map. If you want to get fancy, customize the ...

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How to Make a Google Travel Itinerary: A Step-by-Step Guide

Step by Step Tutorial: Creating a Google Travel Itinerary

Step 1: Open Google Maps

Step 2: Search for your destination

Step 3: Use the ‘Save’ feature

Step 4: Create a new list for your trip

Step 5: Add all your spots to the list

Step 6: Share your itinerary

Tips for a Google Travel Itinerary

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Add Directions

7 Steps to Plan a Trip With Google Maps

1. Create a Map

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