Overlooked Google Maps features every road tripper should be using

Long roadtrips have been a part of my life from an early age. Growing up, my parents would take our family on weeks-long vacations every year to see relatives out west. Later, I moved to Austin, Texas, and ended up regularly driving to places like San Antonio, Houston, and Galveston. I once drove to a ranch near Marathon — desperately hoping the car wouldn’t break down in the middle of the desert.

For a short trip, you can just plug directions into your car and go. But the longer the route, the more you need to plan ahead. One of the beautiful things about Google Maps is that you can accomplish most of your scouting without leaving the app or the website, as the case may be. In fact, there may be no reason to leave Maps at all short of booking hotels and event tickets.

The early recon stages

Take the time to weigh your options

Typically, one of the first things I’ll do is plug in barebones directions. If I don’t know where I’m staying, I’ll just set the general area as an endpoint. This accomplishes a few things — the first being a glimpse at major routes, some of which might save me time or money. It’s not just about avoiding traffic or toll roads, either. The app can also highlight which routes are more fuel-efficient, which is especially important when that fuel source is a battery. EV charging stations might be increasingly widespread in North America, but there’s still the risk of getting stranded in rural areas.

Once that’s settled, I’ll spend awhile exploring the destination. This is often when I decide on a hotel, if I need one — conveniently, clicking on the Hotels button will not only pop up available stays, but base prices so you don’t need to waste time checking out every single pin.

This is where things start to get a little more interesting. On most trips, there are opportunities to have fun, or at least find something tasty to eat. Targeted searches can help — but sometimes, it’s just worth scrolling around until something catches my eye. It might be a monument, a concert venue, or a barbeque joint. I’ll open its card not just to check out essential details — like prices, menus, and hours — but photos, which are often more important in judging whether something is worth my time. With a restaurant, for instance, you might get a sense of whether something is only a tourist trap or serves authentic cuisine.

Anything I might want to check out gets bookmarked, and I do mean anything, because it’s easy to forget these details after several hours (or days) of driving. Helpfully, Google offers several different bookmark types, including Want to go and Travel plans. I’ll usually reserve that second one for definite items, such as hotels or event venues.

Speaking of photos, don’t forget to take advantage of Street View. The feature can make it easier to recognize a destination before you approach, or even gauge whether you want to be in that particular neighborhood. For a relaxing vacation, you probably don’t want an Airbnb on the street where everyone has bars in their windows.

Into the gritty details

Always have a backup plan

Credit: Google/Canva

By this stage, the basics should be locked in. I’ll know where I’m staying, and at least a few of the things I’ll be doing after I get there. I’ll also know when to head out the door, including as much spare time as I can muster — even if there isn’t a traffic jam or an emergency, it’s less stressful.

Perhaps the single most important part of planning a roadtrip in Google Maps is identifying not just necessary pitstops, but contingency options. Let’s say you’re driving from Austin to San Antonio, and your EV can technically make it there and back on a single charge. That’s great — but what if you make a detour to see a friend in Dripping Springs? You’ll want to know about that charging station in San Marcos, and by extension, where you can grab a quick bite within walking distance. Bookmark everything, and cache maps offline in case your signal drops out.

The grander the trip, the more contingencies I start to factor in, including not just gas/charging stations, but hotels and auto repair shops. Google Maps’ search options are useful, but I also try to apply a little common sense — if Google’s automatic routing wants to take me through an area where it might be dangerous to get stranded, I’ll add a middle point in a nearby town.

It’s best to do all of this work from the website, if you can. I find it’s much easier to create and organize multi-point trips this way, including setting a departure time and any filters (to avoid tolls or ferries). When you’re done, you can click a button to send the directions to your phone, saving a lot of hassle. Once you open them, they’ll automatically appear on your dashboard display if you have CarPlay or Android Auto.

Another thing I’d strongly suggest is sharing your route with a friend or family member who isn’t coming with you, so they at least have a rough sense of where you’re going and when you’re expected to be there. If you’re comfortable enough with someone, you can enable real-time location sharing in Android or iOS by going to [Profile icon] -> Location sharing -> New share. Whether you choose to share for a fixed time or indefinitely, this can be a literal lifesaver when something goes wrong.

Hitting the asphalt

Be ready for everything

Once I’m in my vehicle, there’s not much left to say — it’s mostly just a question of following directions and staying alert. I try to memorize my destinations, though, because Google Maps doesn’t let you save full itineraries. If the app falls out of a phone’s temporary memory, it won’t automatically pop up the last set of directions when you reopen it.

This is where I should caution people to avoid relying completely on Google Maps. Aside from that memory issue, phones can get lost, damaged, or stolen, or simply run out of juice. On any drive that’s longer than a few hours, it’s wise to bring a paper map as backup. I wouldn’t even dare to do a cross-country trip without an atlas.

In fact, if you’re new to long drives, take some time to consider other offline supplies you’ll need. That might mean things as simple as snacks, water, and a battery pack for your phone, but possibly things like blankets or a NACS adapter for your car. If nothing else, you should have some sort of roadside emergency kit, including first aid basics, hazard markers, and the right tools if you’re comfortable changing a tire. You might still end up calling for a tow truck or ambulance, but it’s always better to be prepared for those moments when help can’t come fast enough.