How to use Google Maps on your next vacation

Google Maps is an application that has inspired a sense of get-up-and-go adventure for many people.

This app's trip planner allows vacationers and adventure seekers to create a custom map and add pins for multiple locations they would like to visit. It can be used for creating a trip itinerary and navigating “on the go”.

Here are a few ways you can use Google Maps to plan a trip and make your next vacation hassle-free.

Translate place names and addresses: Are you in a new country where you do not speak or read the lingo, but need to get somewhere? Simply tap the speaker icon next to the place name or address and Google Maps will speak out the place in the local language for you.

Stay organised: If you are traveling by plane, you can easily access your flight reservation–in addition to your car, restaurant, and hotel reservations–right from your settings so you do not need to search for your confirmation emails.

Further, you can search for hotels right on Google Maps to see everything you need to know to decide where to stay. You will see photos, descriptions, reviews and more—and you can even book a room directly from Google Maps.

Remember places you visited and share them with friends: With the updated version of Timeline, you can easily see restaurants, hotels, and shops you visited on your vacation - and if you choose, export them to a list and share them with friends.

Navigate airports: Flying to a new city? Orient yourself around an airport with Google Maps. A quick search for an airport terminal, say DTW Terminal 2, will show you the lay of the land, including nearby gates, lounges, restaurants and stores.

Find a rest stop or a restaurant: If you are on a road trip, you can use Google Maps to find your nearest rest stop so you can rest, eat, and refuel during a long drive. If you are traveling to a new city, use the Explore tab find the best restaurants, sights and events happening in the area. While at it, you can check on restaurants’ reviews to find popular dishes.

Plan activities as a group: With group lists on Google Maps, planning travel with others is simple and efficient, giving you the ability to create an itinerary together by adding places to go and things to do as a group.

Access directions offline: No data? No problem. You can still find your way even if you have spotty reception or data roaming. Whether you are camping in the wilderness or traveling abroad, you can download a map of an area so you can see directions and use turn-by-turn navigation even when you cannot get online.

If you are exploring a new city on foot, Live View can help you figure out which way to walk with arrows and directions clearly overlaid on the map.

Find Lime scooters, pedal bikes, and e-bikes: Explore on wheels - in over 80 cities around the world, Google Maps can tell you if a Lime vehicle is available, how long it will take to walk to the vehicle, an estimate of how much your ride could cost, along with your total journey time and ETA.

While riding, if you want to take the scenic route, simply drag and drop to select a route that is different from the directions Google Maps provides.

Remember where you parked: It is possible to forget where you have left your car, especially in a new place. After navigating somewhere, use Google Maps to save your parking location so you never have a “Dude where's my car?” moment again.

Control your music and podcasts without ever leaving Google Maps: No road trip is complete without music. With Google Maps, you can access Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music while in navigation mode so you can keep your focus on the road.