Google Maps Tips and Tricks: 22 Things to Try Next Time You Drive

Road trips give us a different kind of high. Just imagine setting out on empty roads one morning, exploring a route you have never explored in the past. Are you worried you might get lost? Well, with the Google Maps app around, getting lost is not even a remote possibility.

This app will not just take you to your destination but also guide you to the best tourist places that fall on the route. The travel head in you might assume that Google Maps is all about finding your way to your dream destination. However, there is a lot more inside Google Maps, and here is a small attempt to help travel enthusiasts optimise the use of and drive value from this app.

1) Explore Voice Commands

Imagine driving amidst the green trail of the nearest tourist spot enveloped by flora you are witnessing for the first time in your life. What’s the last thing you would want to do? Look inside your phone to find directions. Google Maps has you covered with its voice command feature.

Just say, “Hey Google, Find me the nearest gas station.”

2) Keep an Eye on the Distance

Are you planning an early morning drive? Need something interesting to keep you awake. Try the “measure distance” feature in Google Maps. With this, you cannot just plot your custom route but check the distance on specific routes. Of course, the total distance appears at the bottom of the screen.

3) Give Your Vehicle a Face

With Google Maps, you can customize your vehicle icon. Choose between the dashing red car, subtle yellow SUV, and chill green truck. Here’s to easy en-route navigation.

4) One Hand on the Steering

Enjoy a smooth-sailing road trip to your bucket list adventures with Google Maps one-hand gestures. Drive without pulling over as you can now explore features like Zoom In, Change map orientation, and change perspective with just one hand.

5) Park Safe

Driving long distances always calls for a quick break to sip on your beloved cup of tea. You may have to park your car far away. Worried about forgetting where you parked last, Google Maps comes to your rescue by saving the parking location. The little blue dot should do the job.

6) Get Followed

Are you out on a road trip with a group of friends? Driving together might get a little difficult. Take the liberty of driving at your speed and let friends follow. How? Use the Google Maps “Real-time Location Sharing” feature. No one’s getting lost then!

7) What is Near You?

While driving, you might get hungry or might be on the verge of running out of petrol. Free yourself from all such worries as Google Maps will help you find the nearest restaurant and gas station. All this becomes possible even when you aren’t navigating.

8) Get a Check on the Crowd

Uninterrupted is the best form of driving. You can now maintain your car’s speed without encountering busy roads. Here is another viable feature of Google Maps, which allows you to foresee crowded areas beforehand and choose an alternate route.

9) Look Beyond the A-to-B Commute

Your road trips need not always mean moving from destination A to destination B. You might want to add up on the Y and Z as well. With Google Maps by your side, you can add up to nine spots to your driving expedition.

10) No Network, No Worries

Driving in the interiors is fun when you know the route well. Of course, you have your Google Maps with you, but what if you no longer have a network on your phone or your phone dies? Go ahead and save maps in the offline mode well in advance by downloading the route on less known areas.

11) Explore the Area Better

You may plan a road trip to some of the top tourist spots but might miss a couple of other worth-seeing locations in the vicinity. Here again, Google Maps will help by leading you to exciting places and making your trip memorable.

12) Book Your Stay While You Drive

Last-minute plans are no doubt fun. You may have set out on a one-day driving expedition and suddenly decided to stay over. Google Maps will guide you by helping you find some nearby stays, also allowing you to book the place without having to leave the platform.

13) Look Beyond the Road

The Google Maps app does not restrict itself to showing you the direction to the place you would like to visit. With its weather and air-quality feature, you will know how the local climate and air would be at your place of visit. Going prepared could not have become any easier.

14) Be Re-routed in Real-Time

Google Maps might show you route A to get to your destination. If there is a sudden traffic or road accident, the re-routing will help you save time and fuel.

15) Make Travel Sustainable

While taking the shortest or fastest route is the common thing to do with Google Maps, what you might not know is that you can always ask for eco-friendly routes. Routes are free from traffic lights and obstacles, making you save up on fuel.

16) Commute Notifications

You might have headed on a long workcation, where you need to travel on the same route every day. Make life easy for you by setting custom commute notifications, which update you about the best time to drive or roads to avoid.

17) Opt for Incognito

Google Maps will offer you personalised suggestions once you reach your final destination. Do you want to ditch them? Go off the grid by choosing Incognito, which would prevent your further activity from getting saved.

18) Groove to the Music

Long drives call for some great music to keep you company. It is worth noting that Google Maps helps sync YouTube Music, Apple Music, or Spotify, making it easier for you to control the tunes right from the Maps app.

19) Share a Report

With Google Maps, you can turn into a reporter. As you go about driving, if there is a slow down on a particular route or a blockage due to an accident, you can report it in the app, making it easier for other travellers.

20) Have the ETA Handy

If you are unsure about the time it will take for you to move from one place to another, the ETA visible on the face of the Google Maps app should come in handy. A real-time ETA helps you in planning your onward journey better.

21) Opt for Movement Tracking

As someone who is bad with names, you might have trouble remembering tourist places that formed a part of your travel expedition. The “Your Timeline” section on Google Maps shall take care of this trouble by tracking all the places you have been.

22) Switch Transport

You may be heading to a location where you will drive to a certain point and use public transport to move ahead. All information related to public transportation, be it buses or trains, can be obtained right from this app.

Road trips have become fun and exciting as you can now explore more than just the route with a few clicks on the Google Maps app. Get a quick insight into the many features of Google Maps and look beyond the usual “sightseeing near me.” Right from exploring nearby places, measuring distance, and knowing where you last left your car to booking your hotel stay, Google Maps makes all this and more possible. It is time to explore the hidden gems.

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FAQs

Is Google Maps only restricted to getting travel directions?

While Google Maps come in handy to trace the shortest, fastest, and eco-friendly routes, it has multiple other features worth exploring.

Can you listen to music when the Google Maps app is active?

Yes, you can sync music with Google Maps and manage the tunes from within.

What are eco-friendly routes on Google Maps?

Routes that are free from signboards, traffic lights, and unnecessary hurdles are eco-friendly routes. Such routes reduce the ETA and help save fuel.

Is live location sharing possible?

Google Maps allow you to opt for location sharing. This makes it easier for anyone following your vehicle or waiting for an update from your side.

Does the Google Maps app work in offline mode?

Yes, you can pre-save the required route, download it, and use the app in offline mode.

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