These Google Maps Tips Make Traveling During The Holidays A Piece Of Cake

Vacations are stressful enough without chaos and canceled vacation trips. With winter storms battering parts of the country around Christmas, getting home safely and quickly for the holidays will save you time, money and perhaps most importantly, stress. If you're planning to hop on a plane or have a few hours to go, you can use Google Maps to help you find your way and make your trip easier.

There are many ways to get around using Google Maps, from a quick drive through the airport to using the Maps app offline. Check out some of the best travel app features below.

For more travel tips , check out must-have gadgets for traveling abroad , how to travel without ruining your vacation , and when is the best time to buy plane tickets .

1. Navigation in airports and train stations

If you want to quickly find a store in a major mall or transportation hub, Google Maps expands the Directory tab to include all airports, malls, and public transit stations. This can help if you're rushing through the airport to find something to eat or buy a last-minute souvenir before boarding your flight.

The tab shows the opening hours of the destination and the floor it is on. You can see restaurants, shops, lounges and parking lots.

2. See how busy the attraction is

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To find out how crowded a place is, use the occupancy tool on Google Maps . You can already search for a location, e.g. B. a company to display a graph showing how full it is in real time. With the Area Occupancy feature, you can now see when an entire area of ​​the map is populated with people.

To use the new feature, open the Google Maps app on your Android or iPhone (or in your computer's browser) and navigate the map to find a common area, e.g. B. Downtown, a waterfront, or a quaint neighborhood. Occupancy information is now automatically displayed on the map, so you don't have to search for a specific location to see how busy it is. Google Maps may say something like 'busy area' and if you click 'more info' it may say 'maximum occupancy'.

3. Enter your route in Google Maps.

Google Maps can plot your vacation route, but it can also quickly show you your flights, hotels, rental cars, and restaurant tables, so you don't have to email check-in times and confirmation numbers.

To view upcoming bookings:

1 In Google Maps, click “ Saved ” in the bottom menu bar.

2 Click Booking . Here you can see a list of your upcoming bookings receiving cards from your Gmail email

3 Select an item to learn more about your booking, including date and location.

4 You can search for "My Bookings" in the Google Maps search box to see a list of your bookings.

4. Reserve a table at a restaurant

Planning dinner for a large group over the holidays can be a challenge, especially during rush hour. Google Maps can help you reserve a table for lunch or dinner. Here's how.

1 In Maps, click the Restaurant button above the map to view a list of restaurants.

2 Choose a restaurant that looks good and in the pop-up window reserve a table or waitlist if possible (not all do).

Note that you can use the busy feature mentioned above to select less busy slots. Also note that some restaurants that are closed for lunch may still allow delivery, takeout or outdoor seating.

5. Use Google Maps offline

Are you traveling to a remote location where you may not have cell service? Google Maps can give you directions even when you're offline.

1 Before you start driving, find the place where you need to create a route on the map .

2 In the location window, open the bottom menu .

3 Scroll the tabs to the right and click Download . Then click Download again on the next window. Maps downloads a map of the selected area to your phone.

Now when you use Google Maps to navigate to a location where you've downloaded a map, if you lose cell coverage, Maps will switch to Offline Maps to help you. Please note that Maps cannot provide real-time traffic information as you are offline.

6. Find electric vehicle charging stations everywhere

Whether you're using an electric car to shop, eat out, or go on holiday, Google Maps can help you find electric car charging stations along your route and approximate wait times at the charging port. You can also filter the search results by connection type, e.g. B. J1772, CCS (Combo 1 or 2). And Tesla only sees stations that are compatible with your electric vehicle. Note that you can search for gas stations using the same directions. ( Here's how you can save at gas stations .)

1 On the map, scroll through the tabs at the top of the screen and click More .

2 Scroll to the Services section and select EV Charging .

3 maps show the nearest charging stations and their numbers.

4 Map Click on a charging station on the map to add it as a stop

You can use this trick to find other places on your route, e.g. B. Cafes

7. Share your location with others

Is there anything more frustrating during a group activity than when the group falls apart and no one can find the other? Google Maps can help you get back together.

1 On Google Maps, tap your profile icon in the top right, then tap Share location.

2 Click Share location and choose who you want to share your location with and how long you want to share it

3 Click Share and Google Maps will broadcast your location to everyone.

4 To see someone's location, tap that person's icon at the top of the window, then tap Ask .

In addition, a new deadline for obtaining a Real ID for airline flights has been introduced . Here's what you need to know.

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