If you thought that Google Maps were only for navigation between two places, you have been underestimating their usage. Google Maps, like a magician, have various tricks up their sleeves to ease your life and to make your travels more comfortable and convenient. And if you are a frequent traveller, there is no limit to the number of ways you can use the maps to your advantage:
Here’s our list of top five features that we bet you had no idea about or you’ve been under-utilising:
You Can Create Lists
Google introduced its list feature in 2017, and the travelling community has everything to gain from the move. The feature allows you to track and share locations on Google Maps. The created lists can then be shared with friends and family. The feature is ideal to create travel wish lists and itineraries, and provides an easy channel for sharing your travel plans. The lists can also be viewed offline if you have the map downloaded offline.
You Can Add Multiple Stops on the Map
This feature is ideal for plans that involve stopping at multiple locations before finally travelling toward the destination. So if you need to pick up friends from different locations while going for a trip or need to stop for gas, or for taking food from a restaurant, you can add multiple stops to Google Maps before you actually head out of your home. This way you will save yourself the hassle of entering the location every time you start driving.
You Can Use Maps with Little or No Internet
For those who didn’t already know, Google Maps can be used in the offline mode also, given that you have downloaded your map when you are online. But what if you forgot to download your map beforehand and your internet is working at a snail’s pace? For the specific occasion, you can use Google Maps in the Lite mode. While the Lite mode is designed to be switched on itself when the internet is slow, sometimes the feature doesn’t function perfectly. You can then manually click on the lightning bolt symbol at the bottom of the screen to switch to the Lite mode.
You Can Find Specific Places Near You
Google Maps do more than just point directions between two places. You can also search for specific places such as ATMs, supermarkets, cinema halls, restaurants etc around your location on Google Maps. Rather than depending on perfect strangers for pointing you to nearby places, you can instead make Google Maps your friend for emergencies.
You Can Leave Your Own Notes
Google Maps allow you to become a Local Guide to any place you think you have an inside knowledge about. When you become a Local Guide with Google, you can leave tips and reviews, photos about specific places you’ve travelled to. You can also add uncharted places on the map for future users edit and address you think needs updating as well as verify information that other people have updated on the maps. The advantage of doing this comes to you in the form of points that you can accumulate to get early access to Google products and exclusive services.
