Are you going on summer vacation? Knowing the benefits of Google Maps can mean getting to your hotel on time or losing valuable hours after taking the wrong exit. Google Maps can't prevent traffic jams, but it can make your trip easier in many ways, from getting through the airport quickly to using Maps offline. Check out some of the app's best features for travelers below. For more travel tips, here's the best time to buy plane tickets. Plus, here are the best travel credit cards and the best airline credit cards.
If you need to quickly find a store in a large shopping center or public transport hub, Google Maps has an Index tab for all airports, shopping centers and public transport stations. This can be useful if you are running around the airport trying to find a place to eat or grabbing last minute souvenirs before your flight. The tab tells you the opening hours of the facility and what floor it is on. You can pass restaurants, shops, lounges and parking lots..
To see how busy a location is, check Google Maps' Busy tool. You can already search for a location, such as a business, to see a graph showing how much it is in real time. But with a feature called Area Occupancy, you can see how entire areas of the map are clogged with people. To use the feature, open the Google Maps app on your Android or iPhone device (or computer browser) and navigate the map to find a general area, such as a downtown, riverside street, or charming neighborhood. Reservation information is now automatically displayed on the map, so you don't have to search for a location separately to see how full it is. Google Maps might say things like "Busy area" and when you click for more information it might say things like "As busy as it gets" or "Not too busy." However, you can also search for the location you are looking for and scroll down to see busy and free times..
Google Maps can map out your travels, but it can also quickly show you your flight, hotel, car rental and restaurant options, saving you the hassle of searching for check-in times and confirmation numbers. To view your future bookings, simply search for 'my bookings' in the Google Maps search box to see a list of your bookings. Maps gets this information from your Gmail emails. You can also select an item to view additional information about the reservation, including date and location Planning dinner with a large group can be difficult, especially if you're going during rush hour.
Google Maps can help you make reservations for lunch or dinner. Do that.
1. In the Maps app, tap the Restaurants button at the top of the map to see a list of places to eat.
2. Choose a nice restaurant and reserve a table in the window that appears or join the waiting list if it gives you that option (not everyone does). Note that you can use the reserved function mentioned above to select the least crowded slot. Also note that some restaurants that are closed for dine-in may still allow delivery, carry-out or take-out..
Traveling to a remote location where you may not have mobile internet access? Google Maps can still give you directions when you're offline.
1. Before you go out, search Maps for the place you want directions to.
2. Pull up the menu at the bottom of the local window.
3. Scroll the tabs to the right and click Download Offline Map, then click Reload in the next window.
Maps downloads a map of the selected area to your phone. Now, when you use Google Maps to get directions in an area for which you've downloaded a map, Maps switches to an offline map to guide you when there's no cellular connection. Note that since you are offline, Maps cannot provide real-time traffic information..
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