These Google Maps AI Tools Can Help Keep Your Holiday Travel Plans on Track

The holiday and travel season is in full swing. flight delaysCrowded roads and wintry weather make the Christmas and New Year's rush especially hectic this year.

Be you road trip home for holiday gatherings or escape to a snow-covered cabin for a cozy winter getaway, Google Maps can help you deal with chaos. From planning excursions to navigating public transportation, it's a reliable companion when plans get unpredictable.

Read also: Google Maps is becoming increasingly hands-free when you're driving

Google Maps' latest AI-powered tools go even further, offering directions, immersive views of destinations, and smarter navigation, making it easier to adapt when the holiday rush throws your way. Here are the seven most useful app features that I use on every trip.

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Additional tips for touristsHere best time to buy airline tickets And how to find cheap flights.

1. Navigate easily through airports and train stations.

I'm not very good in chaotic environments. I quickly get lost and feel panic in the huge crowd. This means navigating busy airports and train stations can be a nightmare.

Last May I was in a busy terminal, catching a high-speed train from London King's Cross to Edinburgh Waverley. Approximately 67,078 people walk around King's Cross every day, which makes it absolutely chaotic to navigate and find somewhere to rest and eat. So I turned to Google Maps.

If you're in a large shopping center or transportation hub and need to find a specific store, Google Maps has a Directory tab for airports, shopping centers, and transit stations. This is especially useful when you're in a hurry to grab a bite to eat or buy a souvenir before your flight. (I've used this Directory feature to find a much-needed coffee shop and even Greggs where you can try the classic sausage roll for the first time before leaving London.)

To access it, simply search for an airport, for example, and tap the Directory tab at the bottom. This will show you opening hours, floor location and a list of options such as restaurants, shops, lounges and parking.

2. Before you go, check how busy the place is.

Did I mention I don't like crowds? If I think a certain road, restaurant, or area of ​​town is going to be too busy, I'll just stay home.

To avoid wasting time driving to a place only to turn around, I use Google Maps' “busy” tool to get an idea of ​​how crowded the place is before I arrive. I search for a specific place, such as a café or store, and see a chart showing how popular it is at different times, so I can plan a visit after hours. By clicking on the Busy Area label, I can check how busy large areas are, such as neighborhoods or neighborhoods, and get an idea of ​​when places are crowded or quieter than usual.

To use this, open the Google Maps app on your Android or iPhone (or your computer's browser) and explore the map. You can focus on areas such as downtown, the waterfront, or a nearby city. Occupancy information will automatically appear on the map, so you don't have to search for specific locations to see how crowded they are.

Google Maps can label a location as a “Busy Area” and when you tap on it, it will display details such as “As Busy as Possible” or “Not Too Busy.” You can also search for a specific location and scroll down to see the busy and closed times for that location.

3. Book without calling

As a traveler, I like to combine planned plans or excursions with free time to move at my own pace. This means that some days I will try to make reservations in advance, and other days I will wait and go with the flow.

When traveling, especially when you're cruising along the pavement with difficulty seeing every inch of a new city, it can be difficult to know exactly when you'll get hungry or want something alcoholic. On days when I don't have a reservation, I rely on Google Maps to make reservations easy without having to call.

Here's how:

1. Open Google Maps and tap the Restaurants button at the top of the screen to see a list of restaurants.

2. Select the restaurant you'd like to try and a pop-up window will give you the option to reserve a table or join a waitlist if available (note that not all restaurants offer this).

You can also use the Busy feature to select a location with fewer people. Additionally, some restaurants may be closed for dine-in service but still offer delivery, curbside pickup or outdoor seating.

4. Use Google Maps without a cellular signal.

Last May my family and I went camping through the Scottish countryside. It was stunning, gorgeous, green, lush, very humid and rainy. Being so remote and deep in the forest, there was truly no cell phone service. Luckily, I thought ahead.

If you're heading to a remote area where you might lose mobile connection, Google Maps can still help you get directions even if you're offline. Here's how:

1. Before you leave, find your destination on Google Maps.

2. In the location window, open the menu and swipe until the More tab appears at the bottom.

3. Click “Download Offline Map”, then confirm the area you want to download and click “Download” again. Google Maps will save a map of the selected area to your phone.

Once you download the map, you can use Google Maps to get directions. If you lose signal, Maps will switch to the offline map to continue guiding you. Please note that while offline, real-time traffic updates will not be available.

5. Share your location with friends and family.

My sister and I get along well when we travel, but we have very different interests, which makes traveling in a new city difficult. For example, I really enjoy wandering through museums, especially art museums, and I can lose hours looking at artifacts and works of art. My sister can spend a full 45 minutes in the museum before complaining.

To keep the peace, we often separate for a while so that we can each do what we like. Breaking up is the easy part. It's backing up a meeting that can be tricky.

There is nothing more frustrating than being apart and not being able to find each other. Then you get a frantic phone call and rely on vague phrases like “I'm at the bridge” or “I'm near the fountain” to try to reconnect.

Once again, Google Maps has been a lifesaver for me, helping me reconnect easily.

1. Open Google Maps and tap your profile icon in the top right corner, then select Share Location.

2. Tap Share Location, choose who you want to share your location with, and choose how long you want to share your location.

3. Click “Share” and your location will be sent to everyone you choose.

4. To see another person's location, tap their icon at the top of the screen and select Request.

6. Create, share and view curated lists.

When it comes to planning a trip, oh boy, I love a list. Once I've booked my flight, I immediately jump onto TikTok, saving video after video of travel tips and itinerary recommendations. I then create a flexible itinerary in my notes app that includes restaurants, shops, and monuments that are must-sees during my vacation.

However, the problem with the Notes app is that you can't tell which places are near each other. I found myself constantly typing addresses into Google Maps to see how far they were from each other and how long it would take to walk, drive, or ride between them. I would do this to maximize time exploring new cities, but not to optimize time travel planning.

That's when I decided to create my travel list on Google Maps to save future destinations and have them all in one place for easy access. To do this, go to the “You” tab and click the “+ New List” button. Give your list a name and description, and choose an icon. Then, when you come across a place you want to visit on the map, simply scroll through the tabs and click the Save button to add it to your list.

You can also share the list with your travel companions and invite them to work on it, allowing you to plan your travel itinerary in advance.

7. Let Gemini take the reins.

Sometimes planning a trip or deciding what to do next in a busy new city just gets overwhelming. When this happens, I rely on Gemini, an AI chatbot developed by Google.

Since Google Maps was updated in the fall of 2024, Google now allows you to use Gemini to look for route inspiration and give you recommendations. You could simply ask a Gemini for recommendations on what to do on a rainy day or the best restaurant for a family dinner. Based on reviews, Google Gemini will provide personalized suggestions, displaying them as pins on a map for you to explore.

This feature will help you find personalized activities and dining options, making your trip planning better and taking some of the stress away.

Bonus: This AI feature can organize screenshots of travel ideas.

If you're like me, you have thousands of photos saved in your Photos app. When it comes to planning a trip, I go to Pinterest or Instagram and take screenshots of restaurants, museums, parks, and other attractions I want to visit when I visit a new city or country. By the time I'm done, I'll have to look through dozens of screenshots.

Google Maps has introduced a new feature which can identify places in your screenshots and save them in a list, helping you organize your travel plans before those ideas get lost among the hundreds of other photos in your camera roll. Once activated in the Google Maps app, Gemini will scan screenshots on your phone for text mentioning specific places, display those places on the map, and give you the option to view, save, or share them in a list.

For morehere's ours Traveler Preparation Checklist and how increase your chances of not having your flight canceled or delayed.