Whether you’re a frequent or occasional traveler, you already use Google Maps, but you may not have discovered all of its features yet. This guide was designed with two perspectives in mind: tips for novice users and tips for expert or advanced users.
This guide is for you if you already use Google Maps and think you have mastered all of its features. Personally, I use Google Maps almost daily, and even while writing this document, I had the chance to discover new features.
This guide is for those who want to plan one or more trips but don’t know where to start. If you do not have specific tools for this task or if you do not use them regularly, this document will be particularly useful to you.
Like me, chances are you have numerous listings on Google Maps identifying all the points of interest you want to visit.
The main disadvantage of this method is the inability to plan and optimize your route according to your preferences. That’s where this folder comes in, specially designed for you!
Customization and organization: Google My Maps gives you the ability to design custom maps with multiple layers. You can sort your points of interest by categories such as attractions, restaurants and accommodation, making it easier to plan your trip in a more structured and clear way.
Sharing and Collaboration: Created cards can be shared with friends or family members. This facilitates collaboration and allows everyone to contribute to the trip planning, adding locations, notes and ideas.
Simplified Access: You can access your personalized maps through the Google Maps app on your
Google My Maps lets you add detailed notes, descriptions, and photos to each saved location, making it easier to plan for every step of your trip.
Simplified navigation: After creating your map, you can use it to navigate directly on the.
Inspiration and planning: Using Google My Maps can also serve as an inspiration tool. By visualizing all the places you want to visit on a map, you can better plan your route, discover new destinations nearby, and maximize your time there.
In short, Google My Maps merges the benefits of classic planning with contemporary technological tools, providing a complete and flexible solution for structuring your trips. ground. Integration with Google Maps gives you real-time directions and data, making it easier to get around smoothly and stress-free. Smart phone. This ensures that you always have your travel plan at hand, even on the go, without the need for a permanent internet connection.
Follow these instructions:
Access Google My Maps from your desktop browser. Check the Google icon at the top right to make sure you are using the desired Google account. Click “Create Map” and a window will open with a blank map.
To name and describe your map, click on the map label (“Untitled map”). You also have the option to change the color and style of the base map. At the bottom of the layers panel on the left, click the arrow next to “Base Map.” A window will open with nine options, including terrain, light political mode (a very light version of standard Google maps), satellite, and various color versions.
Please note that changing the base map style on desktop will have no impact when viewing on mobile in Google Maps.
When creating a new map, the first layer is automatically generated, so it is advisable to rename it. To assign a title to this first layer, simply click directly on the name of the layer. layer, just like you did for the map name, or click on the 3 dots next to “Untitled Layer” and then select “Rename Layer”.
Click the 3 dots next to the layer title to delete a layer if necessary. In this example, the first layer is changed to “restaurants” and all restaurants are added to it.
You have the freedom to use diapers as you wish, or stick to just one if necessary. To add additional layers, simply click “Add Layer” in the gray section below the map title and description.
Here are some examples of layer names for planning a trip:
By layering in this way, you can structure your travel plans in a clear and organized way on your personalized map.
Here’s how you might merge activities and contingency plans into three distinct tiers, based on their importance:
Planning the itinerary in days rather than dates can be a practical approach, especially if your schedule changes frequently. Here’s how you could divide your itinerary into days:
By segmenting your route into days, you can more easily estimate the time and distance traveled each day, giving you a better overview of your trip, which can be especially useful if your schedule changes frequently.
There are various methods for integrating location markers into a layer. First, verify that the correct layer is selected by clicking anywhere in the white area of the layer. You will identify the selected layer by locating the blue bar to the left of the layer.
To remove a bug, simply select it and click on the trash can icon.
Some tips for adding markers:
To move a marker between layers, simply click on the layer marker, hold down the mouse, and then drag it to the desired layer.
If the location you’re looking for doesn’t have a listing on Google, you’ll need to use an address. It’s worth noting that sometimes Google Maps listings aren’t accurate or don’t direct you to the right location, so you may want to check the location if you’re not using a street address to add the landmark (especially if it’s a small business without a website).
Hiking trailheads are frequently listed on Google Maps but are not always precise.
To edit the title and add notes to your marker, please click on the marker on the map, then click the pencil icon (“Edit”).
To change the marker color and icon, click the paint bucket icon (from the marker itself or directly in the layer). Click “More Icons” to view all icon options. You can organize by color based on activity type, by layer, or any other way that works for you.
To insert photos or videos into a pin, simply click the pin on the map, then click the camera icon (“Add a picture or video”). This is an additional method of making your map interactive, especially useful after a visit to a location that you want to share with others.
How to integrate additional routes
Directions are useful for showing the route of a walking tour, bike trail, or road trip you want to take. When traveling, I use Google Maps because it provides me with detailed route information.
I use route layers whenever I want to find a complete route on a map, rather than a specific location.
Tap the arrow icon below the search bar to add a new route layer. Select “Driving” in the legend to change the instructions to walking or cycling. Provide a location or address for points A and B. If the landmarks are not precise, move them on the map.
Continue adding points by clicking “Add Destination” on the map. You can enter the information in the legend or hover over a location on the map and double-click it. (This is especially useful when plotting a route on things like a bike path or hiking trail that don’t have an address.)
Rearrange the order of items by dragging them in the legend. Just like changing directions on Google Maps navigation, you can click on part of the route and drag it to another road if you want to change part of the route after it is complete.
If you want to view directions to view your route distance or required time, tap the three dots on the layer and select “Steps by Steps”. Please note that this feature does not provide turn-by-turn directions in Google Maps.
How to distribute a Google My Maps map
There are various options for sharing your route on Google Maps.
Open your map, then click the share button in the gray bar above your layers. To allow others to view your map (including embedding on your website), click “Edit” under the “Who has access” section. For integration, you will need to make this setting public.
Otherwise, if you would like to authorize other individuals to edit your card, please add their email address in the “Invite people” section.
Viewing your custom map in Google Maps (iPhone or Android)
Open Google Maps and navigate to the Saved icon at the bottom. Scroll to the bottom of this screen and click “Maps.” Choose the custom map you want to display. Layers with your custom icons will now be visible on your Google Map. You can click on any pin to view your details (like description or photos), as well as navigate to it.
To close a map, click on a pin, then click “Show map legend”. Then click on the close icon.
From the Map Legend, you can also turn layers on or off and then return to the main map (do not click Close, but click the back arrow or back button).
Navigate with a personalized My Maps map
To navigate to one of your pins, open your map, locate the pin for where you want to go, click it, then tap Directions. By doing this, your custom map will disappear to make way for standard Google Maps navigation.
It is not possible to use a My Maps “route layer” for navigation. If you’re looking for this feature, I recommend simply creating a route in Google Maps and sending it to your phone (or sharing it with others). Check here for more details.
How to calculate the distance between two landmarks.
Use the tape measure below the search bar. Click on the first location, then the second. You will get the measured distance.
Importing locations into a My Maps layer can be beneficial in various scenarios: - You want to form aggregations of bedbugs. - Your data is already formatted as a spreadsheet. - You want to add additional fields besides the default Name and Description. - You have a large number of locations to integrate into your layer.
The process is simple, and you can import various 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 focuses 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 and longitude information.
If you want to group your pins according to a specific categorization, you should include it as a column. Other columns to consider might be: website, phone number, description or notes. Although Google Sheets allows images to be inserted into a cell, Google My Maps will not import images this way (it will display the column as a field, but remain empty).
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 you are downloading a CSV or XLSX file, do so from the Download tab. If you are using a Google Sheet, click on the Google Drive tab and select your file.
Select the column containing the location data (address or latitude-longitude) and press “Continue”. Next, choose the place name column and press “Finish”.
To customize the icons individually, click “Uniform Style” next to the brush on your layer. Under “Group Places By,” select “Individual Styles.”
To adjust styles based on a category column, click the link next to the brush and select to group places by the desired column. Then you can assign each category its own color or icon.
You can add more items to your spreadsheet and import this new data. All you have to do is click on the three points located on your layer. Then, under “Reimport and Merge”, select “Add more items” and import your file. This will add the new lines to your layer. You can manually add new pins to this layer, and they will include any fields you imported from the spreadsheet columns.
Google My Maps can import routes and places you’ve already traveled via special file types that are very easy to download from some apps. This could be useful if you want to share a walking, cycling, or driving route you’ve taken without having to recreate it on a routes layer.
Please note that this works as well as GPS satellites were able to track your location while you were traveling.
If location history is enabled in Google Maps, it is possible to download a KML file of a trip, containing the route taken and location markers for all stops. Occasionally a place name is missing or a marker is incorrectly positioned, but overall it’s quite satisfactory.
Go to your Google Maps timeline and locate the day you want to export. Click on it to see your route highlighted with all stops made. Next, click the gear icon at the bottom of your map, and select “Export this day as KML.” Next, navigate to your custom map (“My Map”) and, on a new layer, choose “Import.” Select the downloaded KML file. Now you can adjust each element according to your needs: change the color and thickness of the route line, change the location icons and adjust the route if necessary.
If you use 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 details of a particular workout or walk and clicking on the three dots to download a GPX file. The import process into Google My Maps is the same as described above.
Using both methods it is possible to make adjustments to points/stops along the way or add more waypoints. With the Google Maps KML file, it is also possible to adjust the route by moving the small white dots.
To export data from My Maps to Google Sheets, follow these instructions:
Do you want to reach a specific location at a specific time, for example when they open? Google Maps can let you know the ideal time for this to happen.
You can determine how long a journey is likely to take at any time using Maps’ intelligent traffic estimation tool. Simply search for a location on the desktop version of Maps, then click on the “Directions” option and specify your desired starting point.
At the bottom of the same box where you typed the address, you will see a line that says “Leave now.” Click the downward-facing arrow next to it, then select “Depart At” or “Arrive Before” to view the likely traffic conditions and estimated trip total for a specific day and time.
When it comes to your standard daily commute, let Maps help you avoid headaches by proactively giving you alerts on travel times and any heavy traffic or delays along your route. To set up your personalized commute notifications, tap the three-line menu icon in the upper left corner of the mobile app, select “Settings”, then select “Commute” on iOS or “Commute Settings” on Android.
This will bring up a screen where you can specify (or confirm) your home and work address and give Maps information about how and when you usually travel. Fill out all the fields and be sure to enable the “Receive trip notifications” button near the bottom of the screen, then sit back, relax, and know that Maps will have your back from there.
Google Maps lets you change your route by dragging and dropping it. Watch the video to learn how to learn this valuable skill on Google Maps. Pick a point, move it and drop it. Double-click a point to delete it.
Whenever you spot a Google My Map that you want to view later on your phone, tap the rectangular icon in the upper right corner. This will open the map in Google Maps on your phone and automatically save it to your Google account.
Not recommended… I don’t recommend creating Google My Maps for planning a trip unless it’s a blog or to share with many other people. It’s best to use saved locations, which we’ll cover below.
Recordings are less customizable, but much easier to edit instantly on your phone than Google MyMaps.
Unless you actually want these features. Google My Maps offers specific features that might be useful in relation to saved locations.
Practical for specific needs:
If you really want the features or are just curious to experience them for yourself:
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