How to Plan Your Next Trip With a Custom Google Map
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- Опубликовано: 20 июл 2024
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I had a lot of requests for a video about how to do trip planning with Google My Maps after mentioning it in a recent podcast. This is a feature that I only recently learned how to use, but have found it incredibly powerful and convenient and now use a custom Google Map for all of my trip planning. This video includes real-time screencasts to demonstrate using this feature in a browser and the app.
I hope you find this video about creating custom Google Maps to be helpful. This is the best option I have found in terms of power and flexibility in a free route planning app (and so much more).
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Definitely going to try this. As a long distance truckie in Australia, finding suitable places to stop overnight can be difficult.
Excellent video. I can really use this as I did not know I could create custom maps. Thanks Robert!
I only just learned how to do it recently, but have found it incredibly helpful for longer trips. I am glad that you found the video useful :)
Thanks Robert! Very useful. I used Google maps but didn't know about these features. Thanks much
I only just discovered it earlier this year and now use it all the time. I know there is plenty more in that app that I have yet to figure out too. LOL
Robert, wonderful information and you covered the details so well. I believe this will take away some of the anxiety when I head out. I can't wait to get started putting my route planning map together. Love your RUclips videos.
It is really convenient to be able to research in advance when you have the luxury of time, a good Internet connection, etc. and add markers. This makes it really easy to check at a glance where upcoming places to stay or points of interest are located. I now use this for all of my long trips because it is so convenient.
OMG! This is SUCH a freaking AWEmazing tool! Thank you for all you do, Robert - for me, your viewers - and so many others. I will go so far as to say that for me - with my brain injury - this video and your instructions for creating these custom travel maps is completely life changing and enhancing. Truly, thank you!
I have found a lot of value in using Google Maps to create custom trip maps. I now use this trick for all of my trips as I am able to set it up to suit my needs and save a ton of information from my research. Glad that you are finding it helpful :)
Wonderful video. Lots of great info. Thank you so much. Take care.
Thank you, Marsha. I have found this technique to be very helpful for planning trips and now use it frequently.
Thanks Robert! I am going to use this from now on. Great information as usual.
Thanks, Clara! I only discovered this feature recently, but find it so helpful that I use it for all of my longer trips.
Thank you great information!
Thank you. I am glad that you found it helpful. This is something that I now use frequently!
Great information, Robert. Thanks so much. I'll definitely use this to map my trip out West. 👍
I am glad that you found it helpful. I use this all the time now that I figured out how to do it :)
Tks Robert As I'm planning a few long trips soon to be on the road FT. Great Simple Explication Thank You Again.
I'm glad you found this video helpful. One additional feature I have started using since making this video is selecting different icons in addition to colors. That makes it easier to differentiate campsites, overnight parking areas, places I want to see for scenery, etc.
This is so awesome! Such great info and will start using it NOW! I see such great benefits for all kind of special locations! I will definitely share this video and will credit you anytime I use this on social media or videos! Thanks for the tips Robert!!!!
Thanks, Frugal! I only figured this out earlier this year, but have found it to be incredibly helpful and convenient. I can batch my research in advance and then easily see what is nearby based on my current location as I am traveling.
What wonderful information. We will be using this for our next trip out west! So helpful. Will watch it several times to garner all the info!
I only figured it out recently, but find it incredibly convenient being able to have everything I want to remember in one GPS-integrated map. Hopefully I make it out east before you make it west again! LOL Tentatively planning for spring since fall didn't work.
Brilliant, but I’ll need to watch and actually follow along with Google Map. Looks incredibly useful. 😊 -Mark
It took me a few times to get comfortable with it, but now I use it for all of my long trips because it is so convenient. I can do the research in advance and then see at a glance what is coming up near my location.
Very helpful, Robert. Thanks!
Thank you. I am glad you found this helpful. I have found it very useful since discovering it earlier this year and now use it for all of my trips.
Thank you Robert! We will be using this on our next trip .
I am glad that you found this helpful. There are a ton of features in Google Maps, but I had only used it for basic navigation in the past. Now that I discovered this feature I use it all the time.
Extremely helpful! I’m using it for planning my trip from Michigan to Arizona. 👏🏻👍❤️🤗
I am glad you found this helpful! I have been using it quite a bit since discovering it earlier this year.
Debra VanSandt - my wife and I are also going Michigan to Arizona. We are in NM right now. Gets its migration time.
Mind blown! I've been using Google maps for years for my trip planning. I had no idea about custom maps. Everything is possible now.
I too had been using Maps for years and never found this feature until recently. Now I use it for all of my trip planning. I have also started using different icons instead of the default pin to indicate overnight stop, real campsite, photo opps, or points of interest. Makes it simple to see what type of locations are saved in the area with a quick glance.
Thanks so much for this video. I just made my own practice map with a few places I camped. Very easy as you explained it. Thanks! Oh - and you can change icons. I used a green tent icon for my campsites. :)
I forgot to mention the icons as I have not used them yet! I only learned this technique earlier this year, but now use it for all of my long trips because it is so convenient.
Thanks alot ,Robert. Great info. Thank you
Thanks, Deborah! I am glad you found this helpful :)
My tablet (iPad) wouldn't allow create, also didn't allow edit/create via a browser. Thanks for sharing this... I do think it's going to help me with trip planning.
That is unfortunate that it did not work to create/edit on iPad either. Hopefully they will add that feature in the future.
Great clear explanation sir ! Going to give this a go. Cheers.
Thanks, Dan! I am glad you found this helpful. It is a new feature for me, but I use it all the time now for planning long trips.
Great info once again! Being navigationally challenged, this will be very useful!
I have found it to be very useful and now use it for all of my trips.
Wow, cool video. I've been using Google maps for some time now but never knew about custom maps. Thank you...
I only found this feature earlier this year after using Maps for years. Now I use it for all of my long trips because I find it so convenient and useful.
Thank you much needed
I am glad that you found this video helpful. Since discovering this feature earlier this year I now use it for all of my trips.
You can edit your custom maps on your smartphone by using the Chrome browser and going to google.com/maps. The easiest way to edit I've found is to then click the 3 dot Chrome menu button on the My Map webpage and then check the "Desktop Site" option. I've found this helpful for alot of apps that don't have the full capability as using computer/laptop. This was a very good video and gave me more ideas how to use My Maps to plan our trip out west this fall. Thank you!
Great video. This is very useful for me. I can't wait to create my first map.
Awesome! I discovered this feature earlier this year and now use it frequently. It is very helpful while planning longer trips with lots of stops or points of interest.
This is so cool! I use google maps all the time but didn't realize you can save trips on it! Thanks Robert!
I only just discovered it this year, but now I use it for all of my trip planning because it is so convenient.
Great info!
Just now getting to watch this. I was out if town in the mountains and my cell service did not work where I was! I guess that is another thing I will need to sort out when the time comes to make a move :). A lot of good information, as usual.. you are amazing!
Thanks, Diedra :)
Superb tutorial to plan post COVID trips for 2021! Love you can edit (on laptop) and add notes to sites and destinations. Wish Garmin was that user-friendly. Thanks for all this info!!
Interesting. Thanks!
Great! Saved it watch again and again as learn how to use it more effectively. I only use the phone app locally as I am basically still anchored to sticks and bricks.
I am glad you found this helpful! This is a tool that I use all the time now that I have figured it out.
So glad to learn about this. I don't know how to use many of the features., basically ust navigation. Thanks ... Watching now :)
I have mostly just used basic navigation over the years, but figured this out recently and find it very helpful for trip planning. Now I use it on every trip!
Robert, This was the most comprehensive vid on this topic that I have seen so far. Very well done. The only thing you did not demonstrative was doing directions layers where it shows the actual route to the next destination. I use this on a motorcycle so printing the actual directions is useless. It is unfortunate that editing your route in Google My Maps does not sync with Google Maps.
Thanks, Bob! I only discovered this recently, but use it for all of my trip planning now. Good point about the direction layers. I actually haven't used that feature myself, but can see where it would be handy traveling by motorcycle. My friend, Debra, started using Maps for trip planning and she is using the directions layers and finds it very helpful.
The other thing that I have started doing now is using different icons on the map - so a standard pin for a point of interest, a camera icon for possible photo opportunities, a trailer icon for legitimate places to camp, and a P icon for overnight stops like rest areas or parking lots. That makes it easy to see at a glance what type of locations are saved in an area.
When I pull up the route in my iPhone I get a view of my points selected but wondering to actually use it to get to my starting point and then have it seamlessly route me through the route I selected in the order I out points in? That wasn't clearly stated or I missed it.
Oh awesome,I really need this app since I get lost traveling in the same state on the same 8 hour trip I'd taken several times,I know nobody will understand but it's just me..🤓
I totally understand
I am glad that this was helpful. It is only something that I started using recently, but I have found it very convenient and useful.
Am using the free version RV PARKY tool right now. It’s very similar to what you do with google maps and custom planning. Just a different spin on planning long distance travel.
Thank You!
You are welcome! I only learned this recently and a lot of people indicated that they would lie to see how to do this.
Did not know about this! I mainly used a notepad and the destination function of maps
Looking for the best combo to A) plan a route of my trip and B) record
the actual route I used but have no idea where to start or what to use.
Google is handy for trip planning so long as you will be mostly online. It is possible to download maps for offline use in advance, but they are pretty small maps so it would be a process to download for a longer period offline - and it's hard to know in advance what you will need exactly.
I also use Gaia GPS on my phone these days (you can also use it in a web browser), but that's more for off-road than on roads. It does allow you to track your route though. I know a lot of people use that feature to track their overlanding trips.
My Garmin GPS includes a limited trip tracking feature, but it may not be as robust as what you would like to find.
I have heard of some other apps for trip planning, but I haven't used any of them so don't know how well they work or if they allow route tracking. I'm not certain of this, but I'm almost thinking you may need to use two different solutions - one for trip planning and one for route tracking. Maybe someone else who sees this comment will have another idea though.
@@RobertWitham Thanks for the nice response :) I was worried that it might be too as well...when it shouldn't lol.
Have used Google Maps for years when I had the school bus and van business. Always liked it very well. Used Mapquest before that and it was not reliable. Google has been good until I was using it with the Uber app. and they updated the program and have caused all kind of problems, but only when it is used in conjunction with the Uber app. Nothing is working well or correctly with it. If you use independently of the uber app it works as well as it always did. Strange problem.
Interesting about the conflict with Uber. I have had pretty good luck with Google Maps other than in Oregon and Colorado. Still haven't figured that one out. LOL I remember Mapquest...
When you create driving directions how do you send it to phone?
When I create the maps they automatically sync to my Google Maps app on my phone. I have not actually tried using saved driving directions. I just pick a destination/location from the app and have the app calculate directions at that time.
I did run into an issue recently where I was offline for several hours in Oregon and was unable to reload Google Maps after making a stop. It is possible to download maps in advance for offline use, but I find that they are fairly small maps which would be a real challenge for a longer trip. I'm exploring options now that might be easier to use for those times I expect to be offline for a while.
Can you send this custom route to your smartphone and then travel using the maps offline?
When I save a map using Google Maps in a browser it is automatically synced with my Google Maps app on my phone. As far as using it offline... It is possible to download maps in advance, but when I have tried they seem to be very small sections of a route so it would require downloading quite a few for a longer trip. I also recently ran into a problem in Oregon where I was offline for several hours and was unable to load the custom maps at all. Fortunately, I had a GPS device to navigate, but I had no idea where my next destinations were since they were saved in Google Maps. I am now researching alternatives for those times when I expect to have problems with cell coverage, but this does work great if you are in places with usable coverage.
If you come through Pahrump I can give you a bit of support while you are here.
I definitely plan to head to Pahrump for a bit this fall - just as soon as it cools down a little more. LOL I have a few friends that will be there this fall, and my mechanic is also there as well and I have a few things on the van that I want to have checked. We ended up spending a lot of time in Pahrump last winter between van repairs, a build out, etc.
@@RobertWitham When you get here we can go have dinner and see what you need and what I can offer. I have done a few vehicle builds myself and have many tools. I documented most of my van build on my channel. if you want to have a look. I am not monitized, I mostly used RUclips as my own storage medium.
Oh thanks! I would love to meet when I am in the area.
@@RobertWitham Most mornings I have coffee at Dennys with a buddy around 7:30am. Ask any server where Dan and Dave are, they will point me out. I will buy you a nice breakfast. The weather here has been real nice, but we could get a hot spell before winter.
I made it into Pahrump and am enjoying myself so far - comfortably warm, blissfully cool nights, and abundant sunshine for the solar panels! I'm hammering hard on a big project right now, but will hopefully be able to carve out some free time next week. I look forward to meeting up.
This is all well and fine. But try to draw a motorcycle route on the map.. its completely IMPOSSIBLE, after hours with that crap i still cant get it to work😡