In the very first installment of Travel Tip Tuesday series, Valentina from Valentina’s Destinations shares one of her top travel tips – making custom Google Maps. If you’re not using Google Maps to create custom travel itineraries – you’re missing out!

Valentina goes through her process below and shares some tips that have been enhanced using the custom Google Map travel itinerary guide.

It might seem like travel bloggers are always on the road. You might think that we all stay in one particular destination for weeks at a time. How else could anyone visit all the museums, attractions & have that many experiences?

I am definitely not one of those travel bloggers! My boyfriend and I have full-time jobs, busy schedules, and high expectations. We pack as much as humanly possible into as little time as we can.

We usually don’t need more than 3 days in one city to feel like we’ve experienced the culture & checked off the bucket list.

How is that even possible? My secret to planning the most action-packed, adventure-packed, high-quality itineraries is… Google Maps.

Google Maps is the key to everything! If you don’t know exactly where everything is, you’re probably wasting a whole lot of time.

When I’m seriously thinking about my next trip, I start a new map. I create layers in the map for attractions, restaurants & bars.

First, I map all of the attractions that I might want to visit. In the notes section, I include helpful information:

• Why is this place interesting?
• What time are tours offered?
• How long should I expect to spend here?
• How long does it take to get here?

Next, I do restaurant research. I’m looking for the hottest restaurants, local favorites and places that serve culturally typical food. I look up the menus, hours and read reviews before any of these are added to my map.

The restaurants that finally make it to my map are highly vetted and sure to please. You can repeat this process for bars if desired. Create additional layers in your map for other relevant topics such as beaches, stargazing locations or ice cream shops.

Simply looking at the location gives you so much valuable information. You could rule something out for simply being too far. Or, know that you can knock out many attractions at once because of close proximity.

Looking at the attractions and restaurants side by side, you’ll clearly be able to see where you should eat and when. The itinerary quickly falls into place.

Aside from ease in itinerary planning, your Google Map will be extremely useful to you during your trip. The information in your map will help you make spontaneously adjustments to your itinerary.

Gee, where can we get ice cream right now? Turn to your map.

 

Other benefits of using custom Google Maps

 

Also, your map is interactive and downloadable for offline use. So, you can use the map to give you step by step instructions on how to get from one attraction to another, and you won’t even need access to Wi-Fi to do this!

In my google maps guide, I give you step by step instructions on how to do this.

Another benefit to Google Maps is that it’s a collaborative tool. You can share your map with family, friends or other travel partners. Each person can contribute their ideas to the map.

Have a friend map their favorite restaurants or get a local guide to share hidden gems. There are so many opportunities!

For all these reasons, I believe that using Google Maps is the ultimate tool for creating efficient, organized and maximal-impact itineraries.

I’m obsessed with making destination maps & sharing them with others. I hope that you’ll try this on your next adventure!

 

About Valentina’s Destinations

Valentina’s Destinations was born from my obsession with meticulously researching, organizing and planning my travel itineraries. I’m originally from Serbia, but I grew up in Chicago. I love hunting down local restaurants, unique experiences, and hidden gems.

 

Questions About Travel Tip Tuesday?

Do you have any questions about creating custom Google Map itineraries? Or something about Travel Tip Tuesday in general? Leave a comment below!

Come back next Tuesday for more great travel tips!