How to turn Google Maps into your ultimate trip planner

Reading Time: 3 min

These days, there are plenty of reasons to use digital tools to plan upcoming trips. Yes, there’s something cathartic about writing things down on paper, but it’s also risky. Will you remember to pack that notepad? Will you keep it handy? Will it go everywhere you go once you arrive?

I mitigate some of that risk by using Google Maps as a single source of travel truth.

It doesn’t have to be daunting. If you take the two steps below, you’ll be way ahead of the game, and you’ll feel much more like a local than a confused tourist throughout your journey.

1) Whether you’re jaunting off for business or pleasure, it’s wise to open your Google Maps app before leaving home and create a “​List​” of interesting places and vital locations (the rental car return location, your Airbnb’s address, etc.).

2) While you’re there, use Google Maps’ “​Offline Maps​” feature to download the entire region you’ll be traveling in, which ensures that you can access those important points above, plus navigate to surrounding areas even if you lose signal.

Google has ​a great guide on creating and managing Lists​. I’d advise creating a List for each trip you’re planning, though some prefer to organize by city.

Once created, you can add any findable place on Google Maps, including:

• Airports you’ll use
• Rental car facilities
• Your hotel or Airbnb
• Your work office or coworking space
• Restaurants you’ve had recommended to you and/or those you wish to try
• Sightseeing opportunities
• Bank or ATM locations
• Parks/nature
• Gym/wellness facilities
• Medical facilities

An easy way to boost your confidence upon arriving in a new place is to create an offline map before leaving home.

Google also has a great guide on downloading and refreshing Offline Maps​. If you know where you’re headed, the process is easy. Two tips I’ll share here beyond what’s in the guide above:

1) Be sure to connect to your home WiFi network. These maps download far more quickly on WiFi compared to a mobile network.

2) Leave Google Maps open while the Offline Map downloads. It will make progress in the background, but it’s far quicker in the app. You’ll want to see that checkmark to confirm that the download is complete before you move on.

Google Maps is a free download on the major mobile app stores. Plus, it’s available ​on any web browser​.

Once you’re logged in on either platform, Google Maps will remember you. This means you can add new places to your saved Lists from a laptop web browser, and they’ll automatically show up when you visit that List on your phone.

I've used Google Maps’ Lists feature for over a decade, and this approach has a lovely side effect: It creates a journal of sorts to reminisce about past adventures. While your memory of travel can fade, there’s something magical about revisiting old Lists and remembering little moments that sparked joy. As you travel more and build more Lists, this archive becomes ever more powerful.

As you grow to become your own travel expert, these Lists enable you to pay it forward. Whenever a friend or peer reaches out for suggestions on a locale that you’ve visited in the past, you can easily share your List of favorites. (And we all know that’s the kind of friend you want to be, right?)