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Google Maps can be used on a mobile device or even a computer to improve a person’s travel experience. It does not matter whether you are planning for a road trip or driving to or from work, Google Maps can help you plan the perfect journey.
Apart from providing local gas prices, routes, and directions, this app comes with a host of other features that work together to help users get to their destinations easier and faster. Unfortunately, most people do not use Google Maps to its optimum.
If you are new to Google Maps, it is a map application developed by Google whose main objective is to help its users get to their destinations without getting lost and on time. Here are 6 tricks and tips for planning the perfect journey with Google Maps.
Adding Multiple Destinations and Finding the Shortest Route
Sometimes, you might be driving from work to your home, but have to make multiple stops along the way to run some errands. Since you want to spend the least amount of time and save on fuel, you can turn to Google Maps for help.
To find the quickest way home, you do not have to enter the first stop’s address and then the second after getting to the first destination. Google Maps allows you to enter all the stops that you want to make before starting your journey.
The app then calculates the quickest way home for you, considering several parameters such as traffic, busy intersections, and anything else that can cause delays. This way, you will identify the best route for you, considering your stops along the way.
Finding New Things
The fact that you do not have to know about your exact destination when using Google Maps makes it one of the best navigation applications we have today. All you need to do is enter the address, or even search it and let the app do the rest for you.
If you are looking for new things close to where you are going, Google Maps can help you. The app allows you to search for things like restaurants, ATMs, schools, and hospitals, among others. It can even show you what is near your destination without asking.
Running Google Maps Faster
Sometimes, you might be running multiple applications on your mobile device or have multiple tabs as well as applications running on your computer. This might affect some applications, such as Google Maps, and slow them down.
This is because Google Maps requires enough data for it to run successfully. Fortunately, you can avoid this scenario by looking for a lightning bolt icon at the bottom right of the application.
This button launches a light mode of Google Maps that does not require a lot of data or processing power. You can also use Google Maps Go for devices with limited memory and processing speed.
Offline Access
You might be visiting a place where you will not have access to the internet. Unfortunately, Google Maps requires internet access for it to work. You need to ensure that you are connected to the internet when entering your destinations and all stopovers.
The good news is that after that is done, Google Maps comes with the ability for users to download their maps for offline use. This means that you can use your maps offline.
Measuring Distance
Did you know that you can measure the distance between two points using Google Maps and that it is very accurate? When using the desktop version, right-click on the screen and then select the measure distance option.
The app will then allow you to add the points whose distance you want to measure – as many points as you would like. It will then tell you the distance between the points added.
If using the mobile app, you can do this by tapping and dropping a pin and then swiping up to choose the measure distance option. The “+” button allows you to add different points whose distance you would like to measure.
Saving Favorite Places
In conclusion, you can save your favorite places on Google Maps. For instance, you can save your workplace and home for easier navigation when traveling between the two points.
Apart from making sure that you have fun travel essentials for long journeys, you also need to add your favorite and fun places to Google Maps for easier access when you are away. This makes it easier for you to remember the places you would like to visit again.
As seen above, Google Maps comes with a lot of features that make it easy for users to plan the perfect journey. Unfortunately, most users do not know about them, meaning that they underutilize its capabilities.
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