Google Maps: Tips on how to make best use of navigation app for road trip

With Covid-19 cases receding in most of the cities around the country and most schools and colleges closed due to summer holidays, many want to plan long tours and even short trips for well-deserved distractions from daily hustle and bustle of the city life.

To ensure a smooth and confusion-free tour, people have to make a time-bound itinerary in terms of times, pit stops between the start and the destination, and also, get the right information about the roads, tolls, and traffic conditions. Google Maps offers a good amount of valuable navigation and here are some tips on how to make good of the app.

Always ensure you download the route map from Google Maps: No matter how better you plan a trip, you will certainly face issues with the cellular signal, particularly if the route passes through forests and ghat sections. So, it is better to download the route map and this ensures, you get a turn-by-turn guide even without active internet.

Multiple languages: Google Maps supports multiple Indian languages. To hear the voice of the navigation guide in local languages adds more charm to the fun trip. The Maps app is available in eight dialects-- Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu.

Add pit stops to make the road trip more fun: If you are going more than 100km or more, it is good to have a break in between to replenish the body with food and also refresh the mind, which is very important to have the good concentration for long rides. Google Maps offers the option to add multiple stops between the start and destination.

You can add multiple places in between the starting point and destination. Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit

Just open the app, enter a destination, tap the corner menu, and then tap 'Add stop'. To rearrange the order of your stops, tap and hold the stop you want to move and drag it to the position you want. Once you’ve added all your stops, tap 'Done' and your multi-stop route is complete.

Popular Times and Live Business information: Before zeroing in on pitstops, it is good to check out reviews of the eateries' food and other facilities. Google Maps has most of the places with reviews in the app and also, and it also offers business timings and even how popular and well they are doing.

Share the route map with friends and family: If you are planning a road trip with friends with cars or even bikes, it is good to share with them. So that, everyone stays on the same route. Even if one of the riders goes ahead from the group, they can again at least regroup at the next pre-designated pitstop. Also, those family members who are not on the trip, will be able to call you when you are at the pit stop at that particular time and not when riding. Or else, it is a good practice to make the call yourself to loved ones to let them know you are safe and on course to the destination.

A note of advice to travellers: Though the cases are low compared to the last two years, the Covid-19 pandemic is not yet over. So, until things return to normal, maintain Covid-appropriate behaviour such as social distancing and wearing face masks at all times in public spaces.

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