planning a trip with multiple stops on google maps

How-To Geek

How to plan a road trip with multiple destinations in google maps.

Map out multiple destinations in Google Maps on the web or in the app.

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Add multiple stops using the website, add multiple stops using the mobile app.

Whether you're planning a day out on the town, or want to orchestrate the perfect road trip across the country, Google Maps allows you to add up to nine stops, excluding your starting point, when you make directions from both the website and the Maps app. Here's how you do it.

First, open up your browser and head on over to Google Maps. Click the "Directions" button to the right of the search bar.

By default, Maps will use your device's location for the starting point. If you want this to be a different location, enter it now.

Next, enter the location of your first destination into the field provided, and then hit Enter. Alternatively, you can click any location on the map to get the same results.

Make sure you have either the driving or walking option selected, as Maps only lets you make multiple destinations with these two travel modes.

To add another destination, all you have to do is click either the "+" or the space below your first destination, and then start typing a new location. You can repeat this to add up to nine total stops. If you have more stops than is allowed, you may need to make another map from where you left off.

If at any point you decide you want to change up the order of your destinations, just drag any location up or down on the list using the circles on the left.

And once you've created your map in your web browser, you can click the "Send directions to your phone" link to send it to your mobile device by email or text message. Assuming you've got the Google Maps app installed, you can open it right up.

If you want to optimize your travel, you can also turn a multi-stop Google Maps trip into a round-trip .

Related: How to Find Public Restrooms Near You with Google Maps

You can use the Google Apps mobile app (free for iPhone , iPad , and Android ) to create a map with multiple destinations in much the same way.

Related: How to Download Google Maps Data for Offline Navigation on Android or iPhone

Fire up the Google Maps app on your mobile device, and then tap the blue "Go" button on the bottom right of your screen.

By default, Maps uses your device's location for the starting point. If you want this to be a different location, enter it now.

Start typing in your first destination or tap a location on the map below to start your journey.

Next, open the menu (the three dots at the top right), and then tap the "Add Stop" command.

Enter the location of your next stop, or tap anywhere on the map to add the next destination.

To change the order of your destinations, just drag any of the locations up or down the list using the "Hamburger" (three stacked lines) on the left.

When you've added all the stops to your trip, go ahead and tap "Done" so you can start your journey.

Related: How to View and Delete Your Google Maps History on Android and iPhone

How to Plan Route With Multiple Stops on Google Maps

Google Maps is one of the most reliable tools out there. Whether we want to look for new restaurants, navigate to a new city, or search for a nearby gas station, Maps is always there to rescue us. However, not many people know that they can even add multiple stops in Google Maps while planning a route. In this article, we will exactly show you how to do that.

Table of Contents

How Multiple Stops Work in Google Maps

The working principle of Google Maps is quite simple. Just add multiple destinations and it will automatically create the best route for you. It supports up to 9 stops, excluding your current location or starting point. Moreover, based on the order of your destination, it will show you the routes and travel times. And the best part is it even lets you add a new stop in the middle of your trip.

But keep in mind that for an efficient trip, it’s important to rearrange the stops based on your priority. Don’t just blindly add destinations in any order, as this might increase travel time and cause inconvenience.

Tip: Do you own a Galaxy Watch? You can now use Maps right on your smartwatch .

How to Add Multiple Stops in Google Maps

Adding multiple destinations in your Google Maps app is quite easy and only requires a few steps. Here’s how it works:

1. Open Google Maps on your iPhone or Android phone and then tap on the Direction icon (right arrow inside the box) in the bottom right corner.

2. From there choose your starting location and destination location.

Note: Google will pick your current location as your Start Location. However, you can adjust that location to something else accordingly.

3. Once done, tap on the Kebab Menu (three-dots icon) and select the Add stop option.

4. After that, tap on the Add stop bar and enter the address in the Choose destination box.

You can also add a stop from the map. Simply tap on the POI (Point of Interest) icon and hit the Add stop button.

Reminder: You can add up to nine stops only.

5. Then rearrange the stops using the drag icon and the X icon to remove the stop.

6. Once that part is over, tap Done to finish the setup process.

7. After that, select the mode of transportation and then hit the Start button.

Start Navigation with Multiple Stops on Google Maps

Note: Multiple stops in Google Maps don’t support public transportation like buses, metro, or trains.

That’s all. It will now begin navigating directions with multiple stops.

Google Maps begin navigating directions with multiple stops

How to Remove a Stop from an Ongoing Route

If you’ve already started a trip and later decide to skip a particular stop, you don’t need to exit your navigation to remove the stop from Google Maps. Here’s how to do it:

1. Tap on the bottom bar and select the Directions option.

2. Now click on the X icon (Cross icon) to remove any stop from an ongoing route.

In case you want to remove the next stop, simply tap on the bottom bar and select the Remove next stop option. This is one of the quickest ways to remove a stop in Maps unless you’re removing the stop at a specific number or position.

Tip: You can create a handy list of places to visit in Google Maps . That will make it easy to plan your journey and begin navigation on the fly. Just one of the places that you already added to the list.

How to Add a New Stop to an Ongoing Route

You may want to add more stops to your route while you’re on a trip. Thankfully, Google Maps allows you to easily add a new stop to your ongoing route without closing the navigation. Here’s a step-by-step process:

1. Tap on the Search icon in the top right corner or bottom bar and select the Search along route option to enter the address .

2. Now all you need to do is tap on the Add stop button.

Alternatively, you can also select the places or POI (Points of Interest) icon from the map itself and hit the Add stop button.

Tip: How to Check Air Quality Index and Wildfires on Google Maps

That’s it. The new location will be added to your stop list.

But the only caveat is that Google Maps doesn’t allow users to rearrange the stops in the middle of the navigation. Therefore, any new stops you add will be in the top order by default. To reorder stops in Google Maps, follow the below steps:

1. Go back to the Route Editing Screen and then tap the Direction Panel .

2. After that, use the drag icon to rearrange the stops accordingly.

3. Once you’re done rearranging the stops, tap the Done button and start your navigation again.

Optimize Route in Google Maps

While you’re planning a route with multiple stops in Google Maps, there are numerous ways to optimize your trip. Here are some notable ones:

1. Share your trip progress with others. This allows them to view your routes, recent location, battery status, and mode of transportation.

2. Enable the Show Traffic on Maps feature to avoid congested routes and make better navigation decisions.

3. Enable or disable voice assistant according to your convenience.

4. You can also choose to exclude highways, tolls, and ferries from your route.

5. Switch to night mode to minimize the battery consumption on your phone (valid on phones featuring an OLED panel).

Avoid highways, tolls, and ferries in Google Maps

Adding Multiple Stops on Google Maps

Still, using an old-school method to navigate from one place to another? Now make your traveling more organized by adding multiple stops in Google Maps. And when required, rearrange the stops based on your priority. We hope the above guide was helpful and will assist you in making your journey smoother.

Before you leave, you can also learn the major difference between Google Maps and Google Maps Go .

A tech enthusiast who's passionate about creating informative long-form content. When he is not busy writing, you can find him watching his favorite anime in his free time.

How to Use Google Maps with Two Destinations: A Step-by-Step Guide

Navigating with Google Maps is a breeze, but what if you need to make a stop along the way? No sweat! Google Maps lets you add an extra destination easily. Here’s how to do it: open Google Maps, input your first destination, tap ‘Directions,’ then press the three-dots on the top-right and select ‘Add stop.’ You’ll be cruising to your destinations in no time!

Step by Step Tutorial: How to Use Google Maps with Two Destinations

Before we dive into the steps, let’s clarify what we’re doing here. By following these steps, you’ll be able to plan a route on Google Maps that includes a pitstop or a second destination before reaching your final endpoint. It’s perfect for those days when you need to run errands in multiple places or want to grab a bite on the way to your friend’s house.

Step 1: Open Google Maps

Open your Google Maps app on your smartphone or tablet.

Once you’ve opened the app, make sure your location services are turned on so that Google Maps can give you the most accurate directions from your current location.

Step 2: Enter your first destination

Tap on the search bar and input the address or name of your first destination.

After you have entered your first destination, Google Maps will show you the location on the map. You can then confirm that it is the correct place before moving on to the next step.

Step 3: Tap ‘Directions’

Once your first destination is set, tap on the ‘Directions’ button to start planning your route.

The ‘Directions’ feature will automatically choose the best route based on current traffic conditions, but you can always select an alternative route if you prefer.

Step 4: Press the three dots and select ‘Add stop’

On the top-right of the screen, you’ll see three vertical dots. Tap those, and a menu will appear with the option to ‘Add stop.’

When you select ‘Add stop,’ you’ll be able to input a second destination into your route. This can be done before you start your journey or even while you’re on the move.

Step 5: Input your second destination

Enter the address or name of your second destination in the ‘Add stop’ field.

Google Maps will then recalculate your route to include this new stop along the way to your final destination, giving you updated directions and an estimated time of arrival.

After you’ve completed these steps, Google Maps will guide you to your first destination, then to your second, and finally to your endpoint. It’s a smooth and straightforward way to manage a trip with multiple stops.

Tips: Mastering Google Maps with Two Destinations

If you’re planning a trip with more than two stops, you can add additional destinations by repeating the ‘Add stop’ process.
You can rearrange the order of your stops by dragging and dropping the destinations listed in the directions menu.
To save time, you can use voice commands to set your destinations hands-free.
Remember to check the traffic conditions for your entire route, especially if your stops are during peak travel times.
Use the ‘Share trip progress’ feature to let friends or family know your expected arrival time.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many stops can i add to my google maps route.

You can add up to nine stops on a single trip in Google Maps.

Can I use Google Maps offline with two destinations?

Yes, you can use Google Maps offline, but you need to download the map area beforehand. Adding stops offline may be limited, so plan accordingly.

Is it possible to change the order of destinations after adding them?

Absolutely! Just press and hold the destination you want to move and drag it to the desired position in your route.

Will Google Maps reroute me if there is traffic on the way to my second destination?

Yes, Google Maps continuously checks for traffic and will suggest alternative routes if there is heavy congestion ahead.

Can I save a route with two destinations on Google Maps?

Yes, you can save a route by tapping on the three dots in the top right corner and selecting ‘Add route to Home screen’.

Open Google Maps.
Enter your first destination.
Tap ‘Directions’.
Press the three dots and select ‘Add stop’.
Input your second destination.

Google Maps is an incredibly powerful tool for navigation, and its ability to handle multiple destinations makes it even more useful for day-to-day travel. Whether you’re running errands, planning a road trip with several points of interest, or simply want to make a quick stop on your way home, Google Maps has got you covered. With the ability to add up to nine stops, rearrange them as needed, and even navigate offline, it’s a versatile app that takes the stress out of traveling to new places. Just remember to keep an eye on traffic conditions and plan your trip accordingly to ensure you arrive at your destinations on time. So, go ahead and give it a try the next time you have a journey with more than one stop – you’ll wonder how you ever managed without it!

Matthew Burleigh has been writing tech tutorials since 2008. His writing has appeared on dozens of different websites and been read over 50 million times.

After receiving his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science he spent several years working in IT management for small businesses. However, he now works full time writing content online and creating websites.

His main writing topics include iPhones, Microsoft Office, Google Apps, Android, and Photoshop, but he has also written about many other tech topics as well.

Read his full bio here.

How to Plan a Route with Multiple Stops on Google Maps (In-depth Guide)

Learn how to plan a route with multiple stops on Google Maps. Decrease frustration with a shorter and faster route.

If you’re a delivery driver who uses Google Maps for multiple stops, you’re probably here because you’re hoping to find a more efficient way to navigate your route.

After all, Google Maps is the the most widely used navigation app worldwide.

But with a limit of just nine addresses – using Google Maps to plan a route with multiple stops can be time-consuming, confusing, and frustrating.

Especially with Google Maps’ lack of route optimization . Making it tough to know if you’ve planned an efficient trip — leading to more time on the road and more money on gas .

In this guide, I’ll walk you through how to plan a route with multiple stops on Google Maps on desktop and mobile devices, following the shortest and fastest routes.

Then I’ll show you the best ways to make your Google Maps multi-stop routes as efficient as possible and how pairing the app with alternative route planning tools is the best solution.

Last, you’ll also find out how our app, Circuit Route Planner , works with Google Maps for the best of both worlds in route planning and optimization.

Optimize your delivery route and get home earlier with Circuit Route Planner. Click here to download now.

How to add multiple stops in Google Maps: Quick start

Sometimes, you just need to get your stops done quickly.

If you don't have time ( or aren't interested! ) to know all the ins and outs of planning a route with multiple stops, skip the content with this quick overview from Pete the Courier Driver .

If you prefer written instructions:

#1: Add your first stop

First, open up Google Maps on your device and enter your starting point. Then, tap on the three-dot menu icon in the top right corner of the screen and select "Add stop."

From there, you can enter the address or name of your next destination and repeat the process for as many stops as you need.

#3: Add all your stops

Now comes the fun part: typing in — or scanning — the address for your starting position and the first nine stops.

#2: Press “directions”

Once you've added all your stops, tap the "Directions" button to find your optimized route.

You can also tap on each stop for more details, such as the estimated time of arrival and any traffic delays.

Planning multiple stops with Google Maps

#4: Get your route

Press “Done” and then “Start” to get directions for your trip.

And that's it! With just a few taps, you can plan a route with multiple stops in Google Maps and be on your way. So go ahead and give it a try.

If you have a long list of stops, it won’t take long with Google Maps to realize that you can only add ten places at a time (including your starting address).

Yeah, I feel your pain . It’s not ideal. We’ll tackle how to organize a longer list later in this guide.

The importance of efficient route planning

Optimizing delivery routes to make them as efficient as possible

Every minute counts when you're on the road making multiple deliveries. That's why it's so critical to plan your route in the most efficient way possible.

Optimizing your route for efficiency can save time and fuel and reduce stress on the road without sacrificing the quality of your service.

And who doesn't want to be more productive and less stressed?

Plus, by getting to each stop quickly and efficiently, you can make sure that your deliveries arrive on time and in good condition.

And that means happier customers, better reviews, and happier bosses!

Poor route planning costs time and money

Efficient route planning makes the difference between successfully — and unsuccessful ly — completing your multi-stop route.

Map apps like Google are a blessing when you’re trying to pay attention to the road in front of you. But when you’re planning multiple stops, it can really toss headaches into your pipeline.

In a recent survey on delivery drivers’ pet peeves , we asked about their biggest issues with their GPS maps at work.

Expressive infographic titled 'A Mapping Mess: Delivery Drivers' Biggest Pet Peeves,' revealing the frustration of drivers with a bar chart showing 60% disliking routing without asking, 58% dreading back road detours, and 56% lamenting small town routes, all against a background of a winding road adorned with emoticons reflecting their emotions.

More than half of your mapping peeves are due to being directed through back roads (58%).

Being routed through small towns was almost as bad (56%), with all those tricky side roads and tight turns.

An effective route plan with an optimization tool will automatically manage those issues. Saving you time, reducing costs, and increasing the number of stops you can complete.

In fact, a survey by the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) found that route optimization reduces fuel consumption by over 9% and increases productivity by 10%.

TLDR; you can get more done in less time and cut costs .

By delivering more packages, you earn yourself an extra hour to play sports, spend quality time with your family or even pick up more work.

Using Google Maps for route optimization: Pros and cons

Does Google Maps Have a Route Planner? Google Maps Pros and Cons

As the leading free GPS software , most first-time delivery drivers consider using Google Maps to plan a route with multiple stops.

Besides being free, there are a few other benefits:

Available on desktop, Android, and iPhone : whatever your device, you can rest assured that you can always access Google Maps on the go.
Gives real-time traffic updates : so you don’t have to rely on your local area knowledge to predict whether a route may be log-jammed. because Google Maps will automatically detour in this case.
Turn-by-turn directions : With Google Maps, you can deliver to unfamiliar neighborhoods knowing that you have an assistant guiding you every step.
Voice navigation : The app includes voice GPS navigation . You can keep your eyes on the road while listening to directions.
Offline option : Google Maps offers an offline mode that allows you to download maps and use them later without an internet connection – especially helpful when visiting places with low or limited cell phone reception.
Trip organization : Use Google Maps to plan a route with a small number of stops when you have multiple addresses or places to visit.

If you’re running a few errands around town or are part of a sales fleet with fewer addresses to visit each day, Google Maps is a good option for planning a multi-stop trip.

However, if you work for a courier or delivery service with hundreds of daily stops, Google Maps can be a source of frustration and is unlikely to meet your specific needs.

Limited accuracy

Google Maps depends on you to manually update your maps and routes, which can lead to inaccuracy.

(As a delivery driver, the last thing you want is to drive to a remote address or location only to find the wrong place).

Of course, you can always double-check the location with the customer or use a different map application to confirm the address.

Minimal information on buildings

While Google Maps may help you find your way into a neighborhood, it doesn’t always route you to your customer’s door, especially with hard-to-find addresses and apartments.

A simple fix is always to have the customer’s phone number in hand. That way, if you ever get confused about which apartment your package is for, you can contact ahead to check.

No route optimization

As I’ve discussed, this one’s a biggie! Google Maps doesn’t have any route optimization .

That means you have to manually try and work out the most efficient route before you set out – and risks increasing your time per drop, fuel costs, and customer dissatisfaction.

A limited number of stops

Perhaps the biggest issue with using Google Maps for multiple stops is its limit on the number you can add

When most delivery drivers are planning 150 stops or more, guessing the most optimal route and adding 9 at a time can soon become a real headache.

Especially when you know, in this game, that time really is money. you can only add 9 locations, including your starting point.

How Google Maps plans your route

How does Google Maps plan your route? Well, it doesn’t. You do .

Unless you have an add-on app like Circut Route Planner (more about that later), the simple fact is that route optimization with Google Maps doesn’t exist.

Google Maps routes you in the order you add your stops, taking you through them in that sequence — even if that means looping five times around the city to do it.

And I know you don’t have time for that nonsense .

The simple fact is that route optimization with Google Maps doesn’t exist.

Using Google Maps to plan a route with only a few stops isn’t too difficult. However, the first time you try to plan a multi-stop delivery route with Google Maps, it’s probably going to be a mess.

So, if you add multiple stops on Google Maps, you have to use the time you should be on the road to manipulate the addresses.

Plan a route with multiple stops: In-depth guide

How to Plan a Route with Multiple Stops on Google Maps: Planning a multi-stop route

If you still want to give multi-stop route planning with Google Maps a bash ( heck, it’s free – I don’t blame you! ), then here’s how to do that for desktop, iOS, and Android.

Google Maps for desktop

Open Google Maps on your desktop computer and enter your starting point in the search bar.
Click on the "Directions" button.
Enter your starting point and your first destination in the "A" and "B" boxes, respectively.
Click on the "+" sign to add more destinations.
Enter all your stops in the order you’ll be visiting them. Alternatively, you may drag to reorder your stops.
Choose your preferred mode of transportation (car, bike, public transit, or walking).
Click on the "Done" button.
Click on "Directions" to find your optimized route.

Google Maps for Android and iPhone

Open the Google Maps app on your iPhone and enter your starting point in the search bar.
Tap on the "Directions" button.
Enter your starting point and your first destination in the "Starting point" and "Destination" fields, respectively.
Once your route is displayed, tap on the three-dot icon in the screen's upper-right corner.
Tap "Add stop" and enter the address of your next stop.
Repeat step 4 for any additional stops you want to add. You can combine up to 9 stops.
Tap "Done" once you've added all your stops, and your route with multiple stops will be displayed.

Regardless of your device, adding multiple destinations in Google Maps is straightforward. However, you'll need to know a couple of key differences:

On the desktop, you can add multiple stops by clicking "Add destination" on the directions panel, while on the iPhone and Android, you must tap the three-dot icon and then choose "Add stop".
On the desktop, you may add multiple stops by entering the addresses directly, while on the iPhone and Android, you can search for addresses or choose them from your saved locations.
On iPhone and Android, the "Add Stop" option is in the three-dot icon in the screen's upper-right corner, while on a desktop, it’s on the directions panel.

That covers how to plan a route with multiple stops on Google Maps. But how can you plan for the shortest or fastest possible without optimization?How to add multiple stops in Google Maps

Adding stops for multiple locations on Google Maps is the simplest part of planning a multi-stop route.

How to reorder stops with Google Maps

As a delivery driver, you often need to reorder, add, or remove stops already on the route plan.

Let's say you’re on your way to make a delivery, but the dispatcher sends you a notification to postpone the stop. With Google Maps, you can remove that stop from your route and reorder the remaining addresses.

Or, perhaps, you’re running ahead of schedule and want to add a new stop to your route. With Google Maps, you can enter a new destination and let the app reroute. Here’s how:

Managing stops on desktop

Click and drag any stop you would like to edit to the position you prefer.
To add a new stop, use the plus sign (+) beside "Add destination" and enter the address of your new stop.
To remove an address, use the "X" right next to that stop in the list. This will remove the address from your route.

Managing stops on a mobile device (iPhone or Android)

How to Plan the Shortest Route for Multiple Destinations in Google Maps. Edit stops

Swipe up on the directions panel to find the details for each step.
To change the order of the stops, tap and hold any stop and drag it to a new position in the list.
Add a new stop by tapping the three-dot icon at the top right corner. Then choose Add stop.
To add more stops, use the plus sign (+) next to "Add stop" and enter the address.
To remove a stop, use the “X” to the right of the stop.
After making changes, tap "Done" to find your updated route.

Reordering your stops saves you from backtracking missed deliveries, so you can enjoy a more stress -free ride and reduce wasted time.

On the flip side, it takes more time out of your busy day to replan an efficient multi-stop route with Google Maps whilst on the road.

3 ways to plan the shortest route in Google Maps

Does Google Maps Have a Route Planner? You don't know that it's the shortest route

The steps above do a great job of getting you started with your first multi-stop route. But won’t necessarily plan the shortest routes with Google Maps .

That’s because Google Maps doesn’t have a way to reorder addresses automatically. So, you will have to reorder them manually using local knowledge and some amount of guesswork.

Reordering your stops saves you from backtracking missed deliveries, so you can enjoy a more stress-free ride and reduce wasted time.

To help, you can follow these steps.

#1: Organize your stops first

If you have more than nine stops, you’ll have to break your list or manifest into smaller chunks, each with up to nine addresses.

Some ways other delivery drivers organize their addresses include:

By street number or street name (if your city is well organized).
By city quadrant (if you have a good idea where each address is)

#2: Add your starting location and all your stops

Google Maps will automatically add your current stop location, so if you’re starting from a different place, you’ll need to tell it the start of your route.

(Yeah, I know; you might not know which stop will be first or last, so just guess. You can always fix it later).

After you’ve finally added all your stops, it’s time to move on to the next step.

#3: Reorder your stops

Now, it’s time to try to make all the stops follow an efficient route so that Stop A is closest to your starting point and you don’t double back on yourself needlessly.

In Google Maps, hold down the = sign beside any address in the list to grab the address and move it up or down in the list.

For example, if Stop I is closest to your starting point, you’ll want to drag it up to the Stop A position in the list.

Keep dragging the addresses until they’re in a logical line around the city or area. If several stops are close, zoom in to find which letters they are.
If you have another list to put after the first ten, you will want to make sure that Stop I is close to the next leg of your journey.

As you can imagine, this process can be lengthy and arduous, depending on the number of stops you need to add. I will cover how to make it more efficient later on.

Planning the fastest route in Google Maps

planning a trip with multiple stops on google maps

Frustratingly, figuring out the fastest route in Google Maps takes even longer , which might cut into the time you can’t afford to lose.

To find the fastest route, you will need to keep some other things in mind because a straight line is not always the fastest way to get from point A to point I.

Before playing around with the route, you’ll want to notice how long Google Maps currently says the total trip time. Then, try to beat it.

Here are some options for making the route faster:

Use toll-free interstates and highways.
Avoid streets with many red lights, low-speed limits, or are in school zones.
Avoid the red sections of your route where Google shows traffic has slowed.

With some messing about and a little time up-front, I estimate these tips may shave 30 minutes off your first multi-drop delivery .

But there are alternative route planning tools for multiple stops that save you twice the time with half the effort.

Best route planning apps: 5 alternative multi-stop tools

Now that you know that Google Maps comes with many limitations for multi-stop delivery, you’re probably wondering what alternatives there are to help optimize hundreds of stops.

Enter our app, Circuit Route Planner .

#1 Circuit Route Planner - best for easy route optimization

If you don’t have time to waste rearranging addresses in Google Maps, our app, Circuit Route Planner, may be a good option.

Designed only for delivery drivers , Circuit offers unlimited stops, route optimization, priority delivery tagging, time windows bulk uploading of stops with voice commands, tools for efficient vehicle loading , and more.

What's more, the Circuit team are constantly listening to delivery driver's feedback to keep improving the app! (Here's all the latest Circuit Route Planner updates you need to know).

Plus, Circuit Route Planner works with Google Maps (or almost any navigation app ), adding the features you need to complete your route quickly.

Swipe, tap or scroll to find delivery information fast

Some other popular GPS navigation apps that Circuit works with include Google Maps, Waze , Apple Maps, HERE WeGo , and TomTom GO Navigation .

So you can still use the navigation system you’re comfortable with and get your deliveries done quickly to get on with your life.

As Circuit Route Planner has features that many other GPS navigation apps are missing, I think you’re going to like some of these:

Optimization : for faster or shorter routes.
Route monitoring : find your whole route as you progress
Delivery updates : give your customers updated ETAs .
Proof of delivery : a customer’s signature or photo of the delivered package.

Compared to planning a route with multiple stops on Google Maps, Circuit Route Planner helps you become:

More efficient : Circuit works with Google Maps to find the most efficient route and allows for an unlimited number of stops on the paid plan.
Faster : Need to make an unscheduled change? No problem! Simply removing or editing the stop Circuit will optimize the route in a tap.

One thing to consider is the upgrade cost.

Circuit Route Planner offers you up to ten optimized stops per route for free . However, if you need more than this, the paid plan for unlimited stops works out at less than $1 a day.

Consider, even with the free plan, using Circuit Route Planner to optimize ten stops at a time is much faster than planning a multi-stop route with Google Maps alone.

#2 My Maps — best for planning longer routes with Google Maps

As I’ve already covered, having more than nine stops in your route to complete with Google Maps is inefficient and time-consuming.

However, there is another option; — Google My Maps — to make a complete route master list and then choose which stops are nearest.

With My Maps, you can create customized maps, mark specific locations with icons, add photos and videos, and even share your map with other drivers.

It’s the only way to add multiple addresses to Google Maps for more than nine stops.

But the process is still messy.

I used My Maps to assign about 100 stops, and I easily spent three hours putting in all the addresses, adding customer names, and assigning drops with different-colored labels.

After all that work, I found that the best I could do was export and print out a map and list of addresses to add to Google Maps.

If you have several hours to spare, here are my notes for creating a map to help plan longer routes:

Create your first route with up to nine stops.
Once you've generated your first route, use the three vertical dots icon in the top right-hand corner and choose "Export to KML or KMZ".
Save the file to your computer.
Repeat the above steps to create additional routes with up to nine stops each.
Once your routes are saved as KML or KMZ files, go to My Maps and use "Create a new map."
Click "Import" and choose the first KML or KMZ file.
Repeat step six to import your KML and KMZ files for additional routes.
Once you have all of your routes imported, you can use the "Add layer" feature in My Maps to overlay your routes and create a single, combined route with all your stops.

Otherwise, consider one of the alternative route planners above. Our app, Circuit , pairs with Google Maps to optimize ten stops for free or unlimited sor less than $1 a day.

3 more route optimization apps

Alongside Circuit Route Planner, Route4Me , Upper, and RoadWarrior , are also great time-saving apps if you make deliveries with multiple stops, so they’re worth checking out.

You can find out about them and get the lowdown on what I think are the best delivery route planner apps in my complete guide.

5 tips to maximize route efficiency

Working alongside delivery drivers like Peter Coath , I've learned some tips and tricks along the way to help you maximize route efficiency.

Here are my top five tips:

Warm and friendly delivery driver happily using the Circuit Route Planner app on his smartphone, optimizing his route for efficient package delivery.

#1 Use route optimization tools

Alongside Circuit Route Planner, there are plenty of other on-demand delivery apps and tools available that can help you optimize your delivery route for maximum efficiency.

These tools take into account factors like traffic, distance, and delivery windows to help you plan the best possible route.

So don't be afraid to embrace technology and make your job easier!

#2 Group deliveries by location

When possible, try to group your deliveries by location. This means making all your stops in one area before moving on to the next.

By doing this, you can save time and fuel by minimizing the amount of backtracking you have to do.

#1 Order your routes before setting out

Arrange your delivery addresses in the most effective order. That way, you can deliver more in less time without feeling burned out

It’s best if your route-planning app allows you to add all your stops, gives delivery updates and offers route monitoring.

#2 Plan for traffic and road conditions:

No matter how well you plan your route, unexpected traffic or road closures can throw a wrench in your plans.

That's why it's important to stay informed about current traffic and road conditions and be prepared to make adjustments as needed.

#3 Load the vehicle in order of delivery

Load your vehicle in order, starting with what will be delivered at your final stop and gradually working your way to the first.

This way, you don’t have to search for a package each time you stop. This reduces your time per stop and may result in less stress and frustration.

Side note: Circuit Route Planner has a unique feature to help you do this and get an alert for the right package at each stop. Try Circuit for free now .

#4 Consider your vehicle

The best vehicle for delivery drivers will vary depending on what and where you deliver.

After all, your vehicle is your tool of the trade, and it needs to be up to deliver all sorts of packages and goods.

Small vehicles are better for local deliveries in dense urban areas, while vans may be better equipped to deliver large packages.

When selecting a delivery vehicle , there are a few things to keep in mind. For example, a small vehicle may be the best choice if you're making local deliveries in a dense urban area.

These vehicles are nimble and easy to maneuver in tight spaces, making getting in and out of crowded areas easier.

On the other hand, if you're delivering large packages or multiple items, a van may be a better option.

Vans typically offer more cargo space than smaller vehicles, making it easier to transport larger items without the need for multiple trips.

But regardless of the type of vehicle you choose, keeping it well-maintained and in good working order is important.

That means regularly checking the oil, tire pressure, and other important systems and addressing any issues promptly to avoid breakdowns or delays.

#5 Communicate with customers

Finally, it's important to communicate with your customers about delivery times and any potential delays.

By being transparent and keeping them informed, you can reduce the chances of missed deliveries, unhappy customers, or unhappy bosses .

So there you have it, with a little planning, preparation, and communication, you can stay on track and make the most of your time on the road.

Google Maps route planning FAQs

An aerial view illustration of a complicated road.

As you now know, multi-stop route planning with Google Maps can be a challenge. Here are some frequently asked questions to help you maximize efficiency with the tool.

Can I customize my multi-stop route in Google Maps?

You can customize your route in Google Maps to avoid busy areas and adjust it to suit your mode of transportation (driving, biking, or even walking).

Can I save my multi-stop route in Google Maps?

You can save your multi-route in Google Maps and access your saved route in the "Your Places" section of Google Maps.

Can google maps optimize multiple stops?

You cannot use Google Maps to optimize multiple routes, even though you can add up to nine stops in a route.

Google Maps isn’t designed to optimize multiple stops, so you'll have to enter each stop and guess the most efficient one manually.

How many stops can I add in Google Maps?

Nine. In Google Maps, you can add a maximum of 9 addresses, including your starting point.

Does Google Maps always give the fastest route?

Google Maps doesn’t always give the fastest route. Instead, it finds the shortest path between each stop in the order you entered them, which is not always the fastest route.

How does Google Maps calculate route time?

Google calculates route time by measuring the distances between your stops and applying any speed limitations to get an average length of time for the trip and forecast your arrival.

Why is multi-stop route planning important for delivery drivers?

Multi-stop route planning is critical for delivery drivers because it helps save time and fuel and reduces stress on the road.

By optimizing your route, you can make more deliveries in less time without sacrificing the quality of your service

Google Maps multi-stop route planning: a summary

Google Maps is a great mapping tool with plenty of practical uses for a casual driver. However, it has limited use for delivery drivers with multiple daily stops.

Familiar : You probably already use Google Maps and have it on your phone.
Trustworthy : Google Maps is well-developed and trusted.
Reroutes : Google Maps can reroute around slowdowns and traffic jams.
A limited number of stops : You can only add your starting location and nine other stops at a time.
No optimization : Guaranteeing the most efficient multi-stop trips with Google Maps is a complete turkey shoot.

Now that you’ve learned how to plan a route with multiple stops on Google Maps and experienced its limitations, considering Circuit Route Planner is worth your time.

Since you can pair it with your navigation app (including Google Maps, Apple Maps , and Waze) — and it’s free to use for 10 stops – using it to speed up your deliveries is a no-brainer.

Try Circuit for free now . Once you feel what it’s like to finish your route like a pro, you’ll probably want to keep using it. What do you have to lose but several days of frustration?

About the author

Angela is a content strategist, blog writer, and editor based in Poole, UK. She loves helping businesses and brands develop their content stories and communicate messages in plain English. You can find her on LinkedIn .

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How to Plan a Road Trip with Google Maps: A Step-by-Step Tutorial

This post may include affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I (The Winding Road Tripper) earn from qualifying purchases. Read more .

This post was originally published on August 8, 2021, and updated on February 16, 2023.

Ready to start planning your road trip using the power of Google Maps?

Then you’ve come to the right place.

Google has two amazing tools to help you plan your road trip: Google Maps and Google My Maps.

Google Maps is a great tool for plotting out your route, while Google My Maps is an amazing tool for road trip planning and organization.

In this post, I’ll teach you how and when to use each of these powerful free tools.

Let’s start by looking at Google Maps since it’s the simpler of the two.

But if you are looking for how to use Google My Maps, then click here .

How to Use Google Maps to Plot Your Road Trip Route

Google Maps is a great tool if you want to plot out your road trip route.

We use it as a starting point for all of our road trip planning to get a sense of how long our trip will be or what we can accomplish in the time we have.

Step 1: Open Google Maps

Start by opening up Google Maps on your desktop or phone.

When trip planning, we like to use our desktop computers to make use of the bigger screen.

Image of google search screen with Google Maps as an option to click on.

Step 2: Plot Your Road Trip Route

To start plotting your road trip route, click on directions.

Image of google maps with instructions to click on directions

Then enter your starting point and your first destination.

Image of google maps with two destinations on map

Continue to add stops to your road trip by clicking on the (+) to add destinations.

Image of google maps with instructions to add destinations.

Stop when you have all your road trip stops added to your map. Google Maps allows you to add up to 10 points to your map. If you want to add more, then Google My Maps is the tool for you.

Step 3: Reorder Road Trips Stops

If you want to play around with your route and reorder your stops, Google Maps makes it easy to do so.

On the left, where your stops are listed, you can drag and drop the stops to reorder them.

Image of Google Maps with directions to reorder road trip stops

Step 4: Move the Driving Route

Google Maps will choose the fastest route between your road trip stops. But sometimes, there may be a scenic route you want to take.

You can easily move your driving route as desired by dragging and dropping your route.

Step 5: Send the Driving Route to Your Phone

Once you plan your road trip, you can send the directions to your phone for easy access during your trip. Directions can be sent via text message or email.

Note: You will have to have a Google Account to send directions to your phone.

Google Maps is a great starting point for planning a road trip.

But if you want to harness the power of Google and use it to plan your road trip and as a resource throughout your trip, Google My Maps is the choice for you.

Google My Maps: The Best Road Trip Planning Tool

Planning a road trip can be a daunting task. It’s hard to know where to start, and all the research can feel overwhelming. But that is where the ultimate road trip planning tool, Google My Maps, comes to the rescue.

Google My Maps is a very similar tool to traditional Google Maps, but it’s much more powerful and customizable.

In this section, we’ll start with detailed information on the features of Google My Maps. And then, we’ll get into exactly how we use Google My Maps to plan each one of our road trips.

Using this tool will help you seamlessly organize and plan your road trip.

Once we tried it, we never looked back.

Let’s start by giving you a little introduction to Google My Maps.

What is Google My Maps?

Google My Maps utilizes all of the data in Google Maps to allow you to create your very own custom map for your road trip. It’s a way for you to create a map containing the places important to you .

Once you create your map, you can access all of the personalized information you’ve added, so you never miss a beat while on the road.

Why is Google My Maps the Ultimate Road Trip Planning Tool?

Google My Maps is our favorite tool for planning a road trip. Here is why:

It Helps You Visualize Your Trip Plotting all of your points of interest on a map helps see how your road trip may take shape. At the start of road trip planning, we typically have no idea what route we may take until we see all of the things we want to do on a map. And this is where Google My Maps can help.
It Helps Organize Your Research When planning a road trip, you are likely gathering information from many sources, including websites, tourist bureaus, and recommendations from friends and family. Google My Maps can help you organize all of your research so you can more easily plan your road trip itinerary.
It Consolidates Your Entire Itinerary Using Google My Maps allows you to have all of your road trip information in one place. There will be no need for a separate spreadsheet with your day-to-day itinerary or to bring your travel books with you.

What Are the Limitations of Google My Maps?

Google My Maps Can Not Be Used Offline You will need access to wifi or cellular data to use your map on your road trip. But don’t let that stop you from using it to plan your road trip. There are ways to download your map to other apps for offline use, which I’ll take you through in the tutorial.
You Can Only Add 2,000 Locations to Your Map Likely, you will not need over 2,000 locations when planning your road trip. And if you do, you can make separate maps, possibly divided by days or weeks, to get around this limitation.
You Can Only Add 10 Layers to Your Map Layers are ways to categorize your location points. When using Google My Maps, you can only have ten layers per map.
Planned Routes Can Not Be Accessed for Driving Directions on Google Maps When planning your trip, you may add a direction layer on your map to display the route you plan to take. Unfortunately, you can not use those directions to give you turn-by-turn navigation on your road trip. You’ll have to use Google Maps or click on a destination point on your custom Google My Map to bring up directions. I go through this in detail here .

How to Use Google My Maps to Plan a Road Trip

Now that you know why Google My Maps is the best road trip planning tool, let’s dive into the nuts and bolts of Google My Maps.

We’ll start with an in-depth overview and then show you exactly how we use Google My Maps to plan our road trips. Use the screenshots I’ve provided to help guide you through all of the steps.

Overview of Google My Maps

If you want to know how we use Google My Maps to plan our road trips, then feel free to skip down to the step-by-step guide for planning a road trip here .

But if you want to learn the ins and out of Google My Maps, this is where to start.

You can start from the beginning or jump to the section you want to learn more about by clicking on the links below.

Here is what we will cover to familiarize you with how Google My Maps works so you can start road trip planning like a boss.

Google My Maps Layout

Markers/Locations

Google My Maps allows you to add locations and driving directions to your map while allowing you to organize them as you wish.

To get started, let’s get familiar with the layout of Google My Maps.

I suggest creating your first Google My Map and playing around with the functions of the map to help you get familiar with them.

Note: You must either create a Google Account or sign in to your Google account to start using Google My Maps .

Location Markers

Location markers are points that you add to a map. They can be things like restaurants, hotels, sights-to-see, bathroom stops, etc.

Find things to do along your route with our Favorite Tools to Find Things to Do Along Your Road Trip Route .

Each point you add to a map will include any information that Google already has for that point.

These include things like:

GPS coordinates
Website address
Phone Number

Three Ways to Add Markers to Your Google My Map

You can add markers to your road trip map in three ways:

Using the search function
Selecting a Point already on Google Maps to add to your own map
Add a point manually

Let’s look at how to do all three.

Search Function

You can find a marker by typing in the name, address, or GPS coordinates into the search bar.

Adding a Marker That is Already on Google Maps

Google Maps already has many markers in its database. When you zoom into an area, many points of interest will start to show up. If any of these markers look appealing to you, you can add them to your own map by clicking on them.

Adding a Marker Manually

You may need to add markers manually when you can not find them via the search function and don’t have the location’s GPS coordinates.

For example, sometimes, I struggle to find the exact location of a trailhead via the search bar. In these cases, I find the location of the trailhead via a different resource and plot it on the map myself.

Color Code and Change the Icons of Your Markers

To keep your map organized, you’ll want to customize and color-code your icons to help you group locations together.

Luckily, Google lets you fully customize your markers.

Map layers are a great way to organize your maps.

But before we dive into adding layers, let’s talk about map layers.

What are Map Layers?

A map layer is a set of markers that are layered on top of an existing map. You can see your different layers on the left-hand side of your map.

When you add a marker to a map, Google My Maps will add it to a layer. You can then use these layers to organize your map.

The added marker will appear on the selected layer. If you want to move a marker to a different layer, click and drag that marker to the desired layer.

For example, I made a map of Wisconsin Campgrounds to help me find campgrounds nearby during our road trips.

I have chosen to use separate layers for different types of campgrounds; National Forests, State Parks, and County Parks.

The benefit of using separate layers versus adding all of the campgrounds to a single layer is that I can check and uncheck specific layers depending on what information I want to see on my map.

If I don’t want to see the State Parks on my map, I can uncheck “Wisconsin State Parks,” and they will not be plotted on my map until I recheck the box.

How to Add Layers

Within Google My Maps, you can have up to 10 layers on a single map.

To add layers, click on “add layer” on the left-hand side of your map just below the map title and description.

Image showing how to add layer to Google Map

Google My Maps then adds an “untitled layer” to your map.

To change the title, click on “Untitled layer,” and it will give you the option to rename the layer.

The current layer selected will have a solid vertical blue bar on the left side of the layer panel. Any new markers created will be added to the selected layer.

You can use Google My Maps to plot your driving route. Unfortunately, you can’t use these routes for navigation in Google Maps. This is one of the downfalls of Google My Maps.

But that is not to say that adding driving directions to your Google road trip map isn’t helpful. Adding driving directions helps you visualize your route so you can better understand where you are going while on your road trip. It also will help you figure out how long you can drive in one day .

Here’s how to add and use Directions on your Google Map:

Start by clicking on the direction icon located below the search bar.

Screen shot of adding driving directions to Google Map

You will then continue to add stops along your route to get a visual of your driving route.

Screen shot of creating a driving route in google maps

Google Maps will default to the quickest route when creating your driving route. The quickest driving route will likely be the main highways and not always the most scenic. Therefore, there may be times you want to deviate from the quickest route and take a more scenic route.

Fortunately, you can adjust your route by dragging it to where you want it to go.

Start by clicking on the route, and a small circle will appear.

Screen shot of how to change route on google my maps

Then drag this route to where you want the route to go.

How to Plan a Road Trip with Google My Maps – A Step-by-Step Tutorial

Now that we know the ins and outs of Google My Maps let’s learn how to use it to create your very own customized road trip map.

Create a New Google Map
Add Layers for Different Types of Locations
Add Locations to Your Map
Plan Your Road Trip Route

Step 1: Create a New Google Map

You will need to sign in to your Google Account or create a new account to create your own Google My Map.

Once you’re logged into Google, follow this link to bring you to Google Maps .

Click on the hamburger ( 𝄘 ) in the top left-hand corner of Google Maps.

Click on “Your Places”.

This brings up any saved information you’ve stored in Google maps, like your favorites

Now it’s time to bring up your very first map.

Click on Maps on the top left →, then click “create map” on the bottom left.

You now have your blank map!

Give your map a title, and get ready to create your first custom road trip map.

Step 2: Create Layers for Different Types of Markers

I like to start trip planning by creating different layers for the types of markers I plan to add to my map.

The layers I typically use are: – Places to Sleep – Places to Eat – Places to Drink – Things to Do

You can always add layers while you plan. But I find it easier to stay organized if I start with some layers on my map before adding locations.

Step 3. Add Markers to Your Map

This is the best part of planning your road trip with Google My Maps.

Whether you are in your brainstorming stage of travel prep or you already know where you want to go, this step is where your trip starts to come together.

To start, you’ll research your destinations to find markers to add to your map.

I like to use the following resources for trip research:

Google: Search for things to do, places to eat, places to stay, etc., in the areas you plan to visit or pass through
Visitor Centers: Find tourism information online or request info from your destinations’ tourism bureaus to be mailed to you
Travel books: We like to get ours from the library
Facebook groups: Join a Facebook Group for the area you are traveling to. They are filled with tons of suggestions on the best things to do in the area.

When you find a location you want to make note of, add it to your map.

Do this by entering it into the search bar.

The great thing about Google Maps is that it pulls up all of the information on a location that Google has. If available, you can find the exact address, reviews, and website address.

If the location looks good, you can then add it as a marker to your map by clicking “add to map”.

Once added to your map, you can customize your marker by changing your icon’s color and/or shape by clicking on the paint bucket icon labeled “style”.

I like picking a specific color and icon for each marker category. For example, my “restaurants” may all be blue with a fork and spoon icon, while my “sights to see” will be yellow with a binocular icon.

One of my favorite features of Google My Maps is that I can add my own info to the marker. Typically, this info comes from the research I’ve done on the location. If I found a blog post recommending a specific restaurant, I’ll add that to the marker, so I have that info at my fingertips when we are on the road.

Add any info you want to your marker and click save.

Google My Map image changing the location description

Your marker will now be added to your map.

You can see your marker in two places: one on the map and the other in the layer it was added to in the layers menu on the left-hand side of the screen.

Continue to add locations until your map starts to take shape.

Here is an example of a map we made for a West Virginia Road Trip .

Map of locations added to West Virginia Road Trip Map

Step 4: Determine Your Route / Itinerary

Now that you have location markers on your map, you can determine your route and day-to-day itinerary.

Take a look at where all your location markers are situated and start planning your route.

Start by creating a directions layer on your map.

Once you have your directions layer, rename it, and begin plotting your route.

First, you will need to enter your starting point. This can be done by either entering an address manually or clicking on a marker on your map.

Continue to add stops until your route is complete.

google map image of driving route for road trip

Here is an example of what our Lake Michigan Circle Tour Road Trip looked like.

Google map image or Michigan Road Trip Route

Google Maps will default to the quickest route from two points. If you want to go a different route than the one suggested, you can drag the route to force it to go a different way than it was originally displayed.

You now have your own customizable Google Map for your road trip.

We use these maps for both planning our trip and for reference during our trip.

Now let’s look at how to use your awesome map during your trip.

How to View Your Google My Map on Your Phone

Now that you have your map customized, you’ll likely want to be able to view it on your phone.

You will first need to download the Google Maps app from your phone’s app store.

Once you have the Google Map app, here is how you access your map:

Click on “Saved” on the lower toolbar on your phone
Click on “Maps” on the lower right
Select your customized map

Now you can view your location markers and all the customized information you added to your map.

Click on your marker to bring up basic information. For the more detailed information you added, swipe up.

How to Use Your Google Map to Get Directions During Your Road Trip

Unfortunately, you can’t use the turn-by-turn directions you may have added to your map for actual driving instructions for your trip.

But not all is lost; you can still get directions to the next stop by using your customized map and Google Maps.

To do this, click on the location you want directions to and click on directions.

This will launch your Google Map app and allow you to get turn-by-turn directions to your next stop.

How to Export Your Map for Offline Access

Google My Maps works great when you have cell phone service on your trip. Unfortunately, you will not always have service, and you can’t download your Google My Map for offline use like you can in Google Maps.

Thankfully, there are ways to export your map for use offline.

To do this, we use Gaia GPS .

Let’s walk you through downloading your Google My Map for importing into Gaia GPS, an offline mapping app.

On your computer, click on the ( ⋮ ) in the top left corner by the map’s name. Then click on Export to KML/KMZ.

A pop-up will appear. Keep the default of “entire map” and click “download”.

Now you can import this map into Gaia GPS.

Start by creating a Gaia GPS account .

Once logged in, click “Import Data” and select the .KMZ file you downloaded from Google My Maps.

Your locations will now populate in your Gaia GPS map. Make sure to click “save” .

You can now access your map locations offline on your phone via Gaia GPS.

To do this, download the Gaia GPS App on your phone and log in.

Once logged in, you will see a notification that you have a saved location available.

Click on the Saved folder

You can now see all your locations on your Google My Map. Including the details, you added.

More Road Trip Tips: Road Trip Hacks for a Stress-free Trip Road Trip Activities for a Long Car Ride Road Trip Meal and Snack Ideas Money-Saving Tips for Your Next Road Trip How to Budget for a Road Trip

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Get directions & show routes

You can get directions for driving, public transit, walking, ride sharing, cycling, flight, or motorcycle on Google Maps. If there are multiple routes, the best route to your destination is blue, all other routes are gray. Some directions in Google Maps are in development and may have limited availability.

Important: Stay alert when you use directions on Google Maps. Always be aware of your surroundings to ensure the safety of yourself and others. When in doubt, follow actual traffic regulations and confirm signage from the road or path that you’re on.

On your computer, open Google Maps .

Click points on the map, type an address, or add a place name.

Tip: To choose another route in any transportation mode, select it on the map. Each route shows the estimated travel time on the map.

Google Maps transportation modes

You can get directions for different modes of transportation in Google Maps. Learn about the differences in features and availability between each mode:

If you want to change a driving route, click and hold a spot on the route and drag it to a new spot on the map.

Not all cities have public transit directions in Google Maps. Before you can get transit directions, your local transit agency needs to add their route info to Google Maps.

If you want directions in an area with ride or taxi services, you can compare ride services with transit and walking directions. Learn how to request a ride .

Directions to multiple destinations, or waypoints, aren’t available for public transit or flight searches.
Learn more about how to search for flights .

Learn how to get directions for motorcycles .

Add multiple destinations

You can get directions to multiple destinations for all modes of transportation except public transit or flight.

Add a starting point and a destination.

You can add up to 9 stops.
Click on a route to get the directions.

Tip : You can search for places along your route.

To change the order of your stops:

Find the destination you want to move.
Drag the destination.

Preview directions in Street View

On your computer, under the route you want, click Details.

Point to a step in the directions. If Street View is available, you get a preview photo.
To get Street View for other steps in the route, in the bottom-left box, click Previous step or Next step.

Customize your route

Choose Options .
Check the box next to "Tolls" or "Highways."
Get directions.
After you get your directions, click Leave now .
To change your travel dates or times, select Depart at or Arrive by .

When you enter a destination in Google Maps, we show you how to get there using different travel modes, like driving, cycling, or walking.

Sometimes, the transport options we show you are ranked according to a combination of objective factors designed to help you find relevant and useful information. These factors can include duration, distance, price, your mode preference, or the relevance of a mode to your query. Generally, the most important factors are your mode preference, trip durations, and sometimes price.

Where available, we also show you other mobility services like public transport, scooter or bicycle rentals, and vehicle ride services. These mobility services are provided by third parties who have made their transport data publicly available or who have a partner agreement with us. Any partnerships or business relationships we may have with any transportation service providers do not influence the ranking of these services.

Related resources

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How to use Google Maps as a trip planner and make a full itinerary

You can use Google Maps as a trip planner through the "Places" and "My Maps" features.
Both the Google Maps website and app let you save locations to lists, which you can then get immediate directions to.
When getting directions, you can look up reviews and add multiple stops to your route.

Google Maps has become an essential part of any road trip. After all, it's a GPS, business directory, and reviews platform all-in-one.

But if you spend some time with it, you can integrate Google Maps even more seamlessly into your next vacation. Google Maps has a variety of features you can use to plan your trip and save any interesting spots you find on the way.

Here's how to make Google Maps your trip planner, using the Places feature, My Maps, and more.

How to use Google Maps as a trip planner

Use the 'places' feature to save points of interest.

Let's say you're traveling, and happen to stumble upon the cutest coffee shop you've ever seen. You want to visit, but don't have time right now — what's the best way to remember it?

Google Maps' Places feature can help you out. Both the Google Maps website and app let you save any location on the map to a list, which you can then easily find later.

1. Open Google Maps and click, tap, or search for the location that you want to save.

2. Find the Save icon , which has the icon of a bookmark. You'll find it right under the location's name, but you might need to swipe to find it in the mobile app.

3. Pick where you want to save the location to. You've got three lists to start with — Favorites , Starred places , and Want to go — but you can make a new one by tapping New list .

4. Once you've saved the location, you can find it again by opening the list. In the mobile app, tap Saved at the bottom of the screen; on the website, click the three stacked lines in the top-left and then Your places .

Tap on a location in your list to have the map jump straight to it.

Look at Google Reviews to find the best shops

Nearly every point of interest on Google Maps has a section for user reviews. Similar to sites like Yelp, these reviews can be a great way to see which stops are must-sees and which you can pass.

To check out reviews:

1. Open Google Maps and find the location that you're interested in.

2. At the top of its information page should be a star rating and a number, showing how many people have left reviews.

3. Scroll down until you hit the Reviews section, and you'll find reviews from other users who've visited the location. They'll include a star rating, a date, and occasionally a picture.

If you're interested in leaving a review of your own, check out our article on how to write Google reviews .

Make a custom My Maps page to share your road trip plan

Only available on a computer as of this month , Google's My Maps program lets you make a custom map or plot out a route with as many waypoints as you like, and then save and share it with others.

1. Head to the My Maps homepage and click Create a New Map .

2. You'll be given a world map. In the menu in the top-left, click the Untitled map name to give your map a name.

3. Use the search bar at the top of the page to find any location, then click Add to map to save it. You can add as many points of interest as you like.

4. You can also save multiple separate lists of locations to the same map; just click Add layer in the top-left menu.

5. To save directions between multiple locations, click the Add directions icon that looks like a curved arrow. It'll add a new layer that you can use to plot a path.

6. When you're done, click Share or Preview in the top-left window.

Add multiple stops to one trip

Driving from one city to another is simple. But if you want to make stops along the way — lunch, the beach, a mall — things get complicated.

Luckily, you don't need to start a new Google Maps route for every stop. You can create one navigation route that includes every stop from the start, giving you a clear way to see how long it'll all take.

1. Open the Google Maps app and start navigating to another location.

2. On the screen that lets you pick your starting and ending location, tap the three dot icon .

3. Select Add stop .

4. A third waypoint — labeled "B" — will appear. Tap it to choose your second destination, or drag it to reorder the waypoints.

On a computer

1. On the Google Maps app website, find a location and start getting directions to it.

2. Underneath the menu that lets you pick your starting and ending location, click Add destination .

3. A new field will appear. Enter your third waypoint.

4. Once you pick a new waypoint, you'll be able to click Add destination again and pick another one, as well as reorder them.

You can add up to nine destinations on both the website and mobile app.

On February 28, Axel Springer, Business Insider's parent company, joined 31 other media groups and filed a $2.3 billion suit against Google in Dutch court, alleging losses suffered due to the company's advertising practices.

Main content

Now you can build multi-stop road trips on Google Maps for iOS

Jul 29, 2016

With many people looking to sneak one more getaway into their summer plans, we’ve launched multi-stop directions for Google Maps on iOS (already available on Android). Here’s how it works: 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. When you enter navigation mode you’ll have the same seamless driving experience you’re used to, whether you’re going from errand to errand or hitting scenic spots along Route 66.

3 Maps updates to make summer travel a breeze

6 ways to travel smarter this summer using Google tools

Street View comes to Kazakhstan

How satellites, algorithms and AI can help map and trace methane sources

How machine learning keeps contributed content helpful

A new way to discover places with generative AI in Maps

Let’s stay in touch. Get the latest news from Google in your inbox.

How To Route With Multiple Stops On Google Maps

Google Maps is the world's favorite mapping and navigation app for a good reason. It's free, easy to use and reliable. But what if you need to do more than get from A to B, and plan a route with multiple addresses — say for a road trip? Google Maps can do multi-stop route plans as well!

In this tutorial, we'll show you:

Step-by-step instructions for how to use Google Maps to plan a route with multiple addresses, up to 10 stops.
For routes longer than 10 stops, we'll also show you how to use Google’s My Maps.

Neither Google Maps nor My Maps does any kind of route optimization , so if you have a lot of stops you should know that you probably won’t get the most efficient route this way. If efficiency matters to you, you probably want to consider route optimization software .

If you need to plan a delivery route, you’ll probably need a slightly more advanced approach to using Google route planner — our recommended method is laid out in our Google Route Planner for Deliveries post.

Tutorial: How to use Google Maps as a multi stop route planner

Here’s how to use Google Maps to create a route with multiple locations. You CAN plan a route using the Google Maps app on your Android or iOS smartphone, but we recommend route planning on your desktop instead. On the desktop it’s easy to see your whole route at once, whereas on a phone it’s easy to lose track, accidentally click the wrong thing, and have to start all over again.

So, open up your browser and let’s dive right in!

1: Go to google.com/maps

Map of Vancouver, Canada, with text that repeats the heading above.

Simply open your browser and type google.com/maps in the address bar.

2: Enter a starting address

Still in Vancouver, screenshot of the Google Maps address field with the letters "Stanl" typed in. Google Maps has autosuggested a number of possible locations with Stanley Park at the top.

Start typing the address you want to visit as your first destination into the “Search Google Maps” bar. Google will pop up a list of suggestions. If you see the one you want, click it. If not, keep typing until you see the right destination — just check that you’re in the right city!

Alternatively, you can click anywhere on the map to set your first stop.

3: Click on Directions

The place information pane for Stanley Park open in Google Maps, with the Directions button highlighted.

Now that you have your first address set, click on the “Directions” button to open the route panel.

4: Add another address

The "Add destination" pane is open in google maps. Stanley Park is in the second field from the top, and "Burnaby Lake, Burnaby, BC" has been entered at the top.

You’ll notice that Google uses this step to set your starting point, rather than your next destination. If your route is going to be starting from home, or wherever your current location is, just click in the box to confirm “your location”, and your route will be created instantly.

If your route will be starting somewhere else, add that address and enter – and again, Google will automatically create a route between the two places for you. At this stage, when there are just two destinations, there’s a very good chance you’ve also got the fastest route. Point to point navigation with estimated travel time and live traffic updates is where Google Maps really shines.

5: Click “Add destination”

Composite image. In the first part, the "Add destination" button is highlighted. The second part is zoomed in to show a third destination field opened, and the car icon selected at the top where there is a choice of transport modes.

Click on the “Add destination” button. A new box will appear ready for you to enter your next address.

Now is a good time to check that you’ve chosen the right transport mode. If you’re traveling by car, make sure the car icon is highlighted in blue. If you’re planning a walk or bike ride, choose those modes instead. The public transit mode unfortunately doesn’t allow you to add multiple destinations.

6: Keep adding destinations

A completed 10-stop route visiting multiple destinations around Vancouver. The route makes a long loop across two bridges. The estimated time is 2hrs 42min.

Now just keep adding destinations until you’re done, or until you hit the limit of 10 stops. (If you need to plan a route longer than 10 stops, have a look at our advanced instructions further down this page).

That’s great, right? You have a route! Except, you’ll notice that this route looks like a mess of tangled spaghetti. Google has kept your addresses in exactly the same order you entered them, which is not the same as the most efficient order. In the next step, you’ll see how to create a shorter, more sensible route.

7: Rearrange your stops

The same stops in a new order, with the "Drag to re-order" screentip highlighted. The route now doesn't cross any bridges and the total time is 1hr 37mins.

If you hover your mouse over one of your addresses, you’ll see an icon with six dots and a “Drag to reorder” note. Click and hold on the dots to drag any address to a new place in the list.

You can choose any order that makes sense to you. We’ve chosen to start with the address furthest to the west, and then finish in the east. You’ll notice that our re-ordered route is a lot simpler and avoids a long detour that goes over two bridges. The result is that instead of spending 2hr 42mins on the road, we’re only spending 1hr 37 mins — we’ve saved more than an hour! The difference won’t always be so dramatic, but you can definitely save a lot of time this way.

8: Send your route to a phone

Now it’s easy to send these directions to your mobile device so you can get on the road to your final destination! Click on “Send directions to your phone” and choose an option from the popup menu so you can get directions.

9: Open the route on your phone

Now click the notification that will appear on your phone screen, and your route will pop up ready to navigate!

If you’re already at your starting point, the blue button will say “Start” and you can start your trip anytime. If you’re somewhere else, it will say “Preview” until you’re in position to go.

How to share a Google Maps route with someone else

To share a Google Maps route with someone else, you need to do it from your phone. Just click the ⋯ “kebab” menu at the top right hand corner of your screen and then choose “Share directions” in the popup menu.

How to plan multi-stop routes with Google My Maps

Google’s My Maps is an interesting free alternative to Google Maps route planner. It’s best for when you’re planning a road trip or traveling to a new destination and you want to plan activities or visits ahead of time. You can pin up to 2,000 locations, and add extra information like notes, custom icons and colors. This makes it great for mapping attractions or pit stops when you’re planning a road trip.

The disadvantages are that My Maps is not great at actual route planning, and you definitely won't get optimized routes. You also still have to work in groups of 10 locations at a time, and it doesn’t give live driving directions. But it’s still worth knowing how to do it!

1: Open My Maps

Composite image showing how to open My Maps from Google Maps.

There are two ways to open My Maps:

Open My Maps directly from this link
Find it from Google Maps by clicking on the ‘hamburger’ menu icon ☰, then Your Places > Maps > Create a New Map.

2: Add stops

A map called "Vancouver Trip" open in My Maps, with a location search bar showing Stanley Park.

Once you have your map set up, just click in the search bar, start typing the name of the place you want, and select it from the pop-up list to add it to your map. You can also click on any existing place on the map to add it.

You can add up to 2,000 separate places to each map you create in My Maps. That makes it a great choice if your route is going to exceed the Google Maps limit of 10 stops.

3: Start drawing a route

Now it’s time to plan some routes! One of the neat things about My Maps is the ability to create separate driving, walking and cycling routes on the same map, so to illustrate we’re going to start with a cycling route. Click on the “Draw a line” icon at the top of your screen, and then choose the type of route you want to create. Click on your starting point, then on the next place you want to go, and My Maps will draw the route for you.

4: Add places to your route

My Maps screen showing Vancouver with multiple locations mapped, and the beginnings of a new layer with a route mapped from Canada Place to destinations in Stanley Park.a

Notice on the left hand side of your screen that My Maps has created a new layer containing your route. Click “Add destination” to keep adding stops along your route. If you’ve chosen a cycling route, you’ll see cycle paths highlighted in green.

5: Create a new route using a different mode

The same map two completed routes, one by bike and one by car.

Now we follow exactly the same steps to create a driving route. In the picture below you’ll see we have two completed routes in two different layers, one for cycling and one for driving.

6: View route details

Composite image. The first is zoomed in to show the options that pop up when the three dots next to a layer name are clicked: Rename this layer, Delete this layer and Step-by-step directions. The second image shows the directions, with a time and distance summary at the top.

Unlike Google Maps, My Maps doesn’t display time and distance information right on the route. To see this, click the three dots next to your layer name and choose “Step-by-step directions”. That will pop up a detailed breakdown of your route, with a time and distance estimate at the top.

If things start getting complicated, you can hide or show layers using the checkboxes next to their names.

There’s no need to save these routes, by the way – they've been saved automatically, and you can come back to your map anytime.

7: Share your map

Sharing your map is easy. Once you’ve set up all your places, just click on “Share”, choose the level of sharing you want and copy the resulting URL. “Anyone with this link can view” is the easiest (but don’t put your home or your kids’ school on this map!) Now you can share it with anyone via email or text.

8: View your map on your phone

Composite image showing three iphone screens. 1: Google Maps app open, with the "saved" icon highlighted at centre bottom. 2. The Saved options with the Maps icon highlighted at the bottom. 3: The Vancouver trip map is open showing a route around Stanley Park.

To use the map on your own phone, just open Google Maps and click on “Saved” at the bottom of your screen. Now click on “Maps” and finally on the map you’ve just created. You’ll see all the stops you’ve saved and the routes you’ve created.

9: Navigate your route

Two iphone screens. 1: A destination in My Maps is selected and the "Directions" button is highlighted. 2: Google Maps is showing detailed directions.

Unfortunately, this is where things get tricky. There’s no My Maps mobile app, so if you’ve created a route in My Maps you can’t just open it and start navigating in the same way you’d use a Google Maps route. There’s an easy workaround, though. When you get to your starting point, just open your map, click on the next point you want to visit, then click on Directions — and your route will be mapped out for you with all the usual Google Maps features. Just repeat this step at every stop.

10: (Advanced) Customize your Google route planner

Composite image showing ways to customize My Maps icons and add colors.

In the example above we created two layers, one for each different mode of transport. You can do a lot more with layers, though. For example, you could create a layer with the places you want to visit each day, or group different kinds of places together in layers. You can easily drag and drop places between up to 10 layers to help keep your plans organized.

My Maps also gives you the ability to add more information to your places, including color codes and notes.

To add extra information to a place, just click on it and then on one of the icons along the bottom. Here we’ve added a custom icon and color to identify this as a place to eat, and also created a layer that contains all the parks we want to visit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there an app for mapping a route.

With Google Maps you can map a route with up to 10 stops for free. If you need a longer route or have specific needs — for example if you want to map a hiking, running or cycling route, a delivery route or a trucking route, you will probably need a more specialized app.

Can I plan a route with unlimited stops in Google Maps?

The longest route you can plan in Google Maps is 10 stops. If you need a larger number of stops, your best bet is to use a free trial of a route planning app like Routific.

Liked this article? See below for more recommended reading!

Google Maps Route Planner For Deliveries

Decorative graphic repeating the post title with a Google Maps screenshot.

How To Optimize Multi-Stop Routes With Google Maps (2024)

Illustration of an excel spreadsheet going into Google Maps to plan delivery routes manually.

3 Ways To Plan A Delivery Route With Excel (With FREE Template)

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How to Add Multiple Destinations on Google Maps

Last Updated: March 15, 2024 Tested

This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Darlene Antonelli, MA . Darlene Antonelli is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. Darlene has experience teaching college courses, writing technology-related articles, and working hands-on in the technology field. She earned an MA in Writing from Rowan University in 2012 and wrote her thesis on online communities and the personalities curated in such communities. The wikiHow Tech Team also followed the article's instructions and verified that they work. This article has been viewed 1,308,204 times. Learn more...

Planning a long trip with numerous stops? This wikiHow will teach you how to add multiple destinations in Google Maps in the mobile app and your computer. You can create a map with multiple destinations for drives, walks, and bike rides.

Adding Multiple Destinations on Google Map's Website

Go to https://www.google.com/maps on your computer.
Click the Directions button next to the search bar.
Enter your starting point in the box that says "Choose starting point."
Enter your first destination in the box that says "Choose destination..."
Click the button that says + Add destination .
Enter your next destination in the box that pops up.
Repeat steps 5 and 6 until you've added all your destinations (up to 9).

Using the Google Maps Website

Step 1 Go to https://www.google.com/maps...

You must enter a starting location before you can add multiple destinations.

Make sure that you have both a starting location and a destination set, or the "+" will not appear.
If you don't see the "+" button, you may need to close "Route options." You may also have the wrong travel method selected, as airplanes and transit do not support multiple destinations.

You can set up to ten total locations, including your starting point. If your trip has more destinations, you may have to create multiple maps for your trip.

Step 10 Drag the dots next to each destination to reorder them.

You cannot send a trip with multiple destinations to your mobile device, so this option will be grayed out.
Click the "Print" button to send the map to your printer. You'll have two options: printing with the map, or printing text directions only.
You can also click the Share button and send a link to the map to others via email.

Using the Mobile App

The process for adding multiple destinations is the same for both iOS and Android.

Tap "Choose on map" to place a pin on the map you want to use as your starting location. Drag and zoom the map underneath the pin to position it.

If you don't see this option, your device may be too old to support the feature.

To rearrange your stops, you can drag and drop the two-line place-holder icons that are displayed to the right of the stop's address.

Community Q&A

↑ https://support.google.com/maps/answer/144339?ctx=c2n_directions2&rd=1
↑ https://support.google.com/maps/answer/144339?hl=en&ref_topic=3292869&co=GENIE.Platform%3DiOS&oco=1

About This Article

1. Open Google Maps . 2. Tap Go . 3. Enter your starting location. 4. Tap "Choose destination" and enter your first destination. 5. Ensure that you have driving, cycling, or walking selected. 6. Tap the three-dot menu icon. 7. Tap Add stop . 8. Enter in the second destination. 9. Continue adding more stops (if needed). 10. Tap Done and Start when you're done adding stops and are ready to go. Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Featured Articles

How to Use Google Maps’ Route Planner To Route Multiple Stops

By giacomo rotella, posted in product, sales software / tools, featured.

When it comes to route planners, one of the most common questions people ask is - “What is the best way to plan a route with multiple stops with Google Maps?”

With people increasingly looking for how to find the shortest route between multiple destinations , they are also wondering - “Is Google Maps the best route planning software?’’

If you’re looking for the answers to these questions then you’ve come to the right place!

But before we get down to it, we need to understand that the Google Maps route planner and other route optimization apps are very different things . Sure, they have many things in common, but it’s important to bear in mind that they have different use cases and your needs will sometimes mean you need more options than what Google has to offer.

In this article, you’ll find out:

When it makes sense to use Google route planner for multiple stops
How to use Google Maps to get the fastest route for multiple stops
When you should use an alternative, such as specialized route optimization software
The best multi-stop route planners for outside sales

Ready? Let’s dive right in!

Google Maps Multiple Stops Route Planner

Google Maps as a Route Planner

Does Google Maps have a Route Planner?

Does Google Maps always give the fastest route?

How to use Google Maps with multiple stops for the fastest route?
When to use Google Maps for route planning?
When NOT to use Google Maps for route planning?

Why Google Route Planner is NOT enough for Outside Sales?

Badger maps, my route online, optimoroute.

Is Google Maps the best Route Planner for multiple stops?

Does Google Maps have a Route Planner?

Yes, Google Maps does have a route planner.

In fact, the Google Maps route planner is one of the most popular options out there. It’s reliable, easy to use, and free.

With Google Maps, you can create routes to any place you want, find the best route to get there, get turn-by-turn directions, different types of map views, and real-time traffic updates. You can set your traveling options to include by foot, car, bicycle, plane, or public transportation.

Google Maps is a great tool to find the fastest route to your destination. It’s ideal for those looking to get from A to B, figure out the fastest route to work, or simply find the fastest way home when you get lost. But if your trip includes multiple stops, Google Maps’ trip planner will not give you the fastest route automatically.

To get the fastest route to reach all of your destinations (10 stops max.), you would have to manually reorder the stops according to what you think makes sense. (See the easiest way to do this below )

This is because the Google Maps route planner simply finds the fastest route from point A to point B. It doesn’t optimize the route’s stop order .

If you’re planning a one-time trip, you shouldn’t have too much trouble. You’ll just have to enter your starting and ending points to plot a route on Google Maps.

But if you need to plan multi-stop routes every day (for example, if you’re a salesperson or a delivery driver), Google Maps is not the right solution for you. Google Maps is a great navigational mapping app, but for businesses working with more complicated routes, they would be better off looking elsewhere.

Google Maps Shortest Route Multiple Destinations

How to use Google Maps with multiple stops for the fastest route?

Finding the fastest route with Google Maps can be time-consuming because it is not designed to find the optimal order for multiple stops.

However, it's possible for you to optimize your multi-stop route by following some simple steps. The only limitation is that you can’t add more than 10 stops to your route.

Step 1: Tap the Directions Button

After you open the Google Maps app, you’ll see this screen. On the bottom right corner, tap the blue button.

Step 2: Enter Your Starting Point

Note that Google Maps uses your current location as the starting point by default. To change it, tap on “Your Location”. Then, choose a starting point using the search bar or from your recent addresses.

Step 3: Enter Your First Stop

Likewise, tap “Choose Destination” to enter your first stop using the search bar or from your recent locations.

Step 4: Add More Stops

On the top right corner, tap the three little dots. Then, select “Add Stop” to add more locations. Remember you can only add a maximum of 10 stops .

Step 5: Find the Fastest Route Manually

The order in which you enter the stops is how your route will be planned. If you want to find the fastest route with multiple stops, you must manually reorder the stops until you see the shortest estimated time.

To adjust the order, drag the three lines on the right-hand side of each stop and drop it in a different place. Then, compare the estimated time of arrival (ETA) of different routes. It can be time-consuming to optimize your multi-stop route without a route planning app .

Step 6: Tap “Done”

Once you find the fastest route, you’re ready to start navigating!

When to use Google Maps for route planning?

Google’s route planner is ideal for simple routes with no more than 2-3 stops.

All you need to do is enter your destination, and you’ll get turn-by-turn directions to get there as fast as possible. You can also use it to simply find the distance between two points.

This is usually a great fit for occasional routing and for running daily errands. Some small businesses also use Google Maps before they can transition to a more sophisticated routing software.

Pro Tip : What's the benefit of using a route optimization software designed for field salespeople when you already have Google Maps? Selling 25% more and driving 20% less.

When NOT to use Google Maps for route planning?

There are two main scenarios in which Google route planner is not enough.

Scenario 1: Creating routes with multiple destinations

As you know by now, Google route planner only allows you to add up to 10 stops.

If you work in delivery, logistics, or fleet management, you’ll probably need to add 100+ stops to your daily route. You’ll also need visualization features, and the ability to save routes.

If you work in the field sales or field services industries , you typically visit 15-20 customers every day. The more meetings you have, the better. Plus, you need to keep track of each of your interactions with customers.

Scenario 2: Automatic Route Optimization

Whether you’re a field salesperson, field service technician or you’re just trying to optimize your multi-stop route, you’ll need a tool that gives you the best route by simply entering all your stops.

Google Maps route planner doesn’t do that. You will have to put in extra time to manually plot a route on Google Maps, and it’s not guaranteed that the route will be entirely optimized.

In cases like these, you’ll need more sophisticated software .

For example, if you’re working in the field, Badger Maps allows you to add 100+ stops and build the most efficient route, making it a great alternative to Google Maps for those with more complicated routing requirements.

It then gives you turn-by-turn directions, with the ability to set departure, arrival, and duration times for each stop, so you have an estimate of how early or late you’ll be for each location.

But that’s not all!

With Badger Maps, you can filter leads to find the best opportunities on a map, find new leads around you, get follow-up reminders , and more.

On average, salespeople using Badger Maps spend 20% less time driving and sell 22% more.

With an average of 15-20 prospects and customers to meet in a day, you need to easily view, manage, and optimize your entire day’s route.

Using Google Maps would mean wasting hours each day to plan your route. But if you want to find the best route between multiple locations, by using the right route optimization app you will be able to cut your driving time in half.

While Google Maps is an excellent route mapping tool for a roadtrip, a tailor-made routing app for Field Sales representatives is required to optimize all your stops or integrate field activity with your CRM . These features are a money saver for salespeople and enable them to spend less time driving and more time selling.

Check out our free ROI calculator to see how much you can save with a route planner designed for field sales.

List of Best Route Planners for Outside Sales

Price : Starts at $58/month (Free 7-day trial)

Best for : Field sales teams of all sizes, individual field sales reps

Capterra Rating : 4.6/5

Combining Google Maps with this all-in-one tool results in having all the features field salespeople need to succeed.

Badger Map’s territory management features allow you to view customer information and easily spot your best opportunities on a map . Then, you can plan optimized routes to all your appointments (with 100+ stops) and keep track of all your customer interactions.

With Badger Maps, you can also find new leads around you and include them to your route with the tap of a finger. Other key features include custom reports, follow-up reminders and CRM integration .

What makes Badger Maps different from other route planners is that it offers countless features specifically designed for field sales, making it the most efficient route planner for salespeople.

John O’Kain, the territory manager at NCR Aloha , had this to say -

Price : Starts at $29.95/month

Best for : Logistics, trucking

A popular tool for delivery, My Route Online allows users to add up to 350 stops and optimize routes.

If you’re a truck driver or a delivery person and need a basic map route planner, this might be the right solution for you.

Just keep in mind that this is a web-based only tool, with no mobile app available.

Price : Limited stops: free, Unlimited stops: starts at $41.43/month

Best for : Delivery

Capterra Rating : 3.5/5

Route XL is another great delivery route planner solution.

With this tool, you can easily import a spreadsheet with all your destinations, and you’ll get the optimized route.

One drawback is that it can take some time to learn how to use this tool.

Good news is that it’s free to use for up to 20 stops, so you can give it a try!

Price : Starts at $35.10 per driver/month

Best for : Businesses, mobile workforces

Capterra Rating : 4.5/5

OptimoRoute offers a simple solution for different industries and business functions, including logistics or waste collection.

Like the other tools in this list, OptimoRoute’s main feature is route optimization. But this route planner offers some unique features, in particular for drivers.

For example, users can plan routes for multiple days, weeks in advance. This can be very useful for drivers covering long distances.

Is Google Maps the best route planner for multiple stops?

Google Maps is not the best route planner for multiple stops although it is a great tool if you simply need to get from point A to point B. All you need to do to plot a route on Google Maps is enter your destination, and you’re ready to go.

Obviously, Google Maps has its limitations, and it’s not the optimal route planner for most professionals, in particular for outside salespeople.

In cases like these, you’ll need a robust route optimization app that:

Is incredibly easy to use
Has many stops with the ability to save them and to set departure, arrival, and duration times
Has advanced route optimization, visualization, and tracking features, so you can reach the right customers at the right time
Is compatible with Google Maps, Apple Maps, and/or Waze
Allows you to take meetings on-the-go

If you work in sales, Badger Maps is definitely the best option out there. Start a free trial today to start planning your sales routes more efficiently.

With Google Route Planner, you can route up to 10 stops at a time.

Badger Maps is a great alternative to Google Maps route planner. You can optimize your routes and allow for 100+ stops.

If you need to plan a route with multiple stops, you’ll need route optimization software that can create optimized routes for you in seconds.

There are plenty of free and freemium options available.

If you need to plan sales routes specifically, Badger Maps is the best option out there. See the section above for top options for outside sales , or check out our 10 best free route planners with unlimited stops page to find out which one is best based on your needs .

Google Maps can only be used to find the fastest route between two stops. It was not designed to find the optimal order for multiple stops. Therefore, users will need to manually rearrange the stops and compare the ETA to find the fastest route.

On the main page, tap the blue “Directions” button on the bottom right corner. Enter your starting point and your first stop. Then, tap the three little dots on the top right corner and select “Add Stop”. (See a step-by-step guide here )

BADGER PAYS FOR ITSELF WITH GAS SAVINGS

Sales reps using badger sell at least 22% more and drive 20% fewer miles..

See the potential return on investment you can get by using Badger Maps with your field sales team.

The Best App for Field Sales People

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How to Easily Plan a Route with Multiple Stops on Google Maps

Google Maps is an incredibly useful tool that we often turn to for finding new restaurants, navigating to a different city, or locating nearby gas stations. But did you know that you can also add multiple stops to your route? In this article, we will show you exactly how to do that.

How Multiple Stops Work in Google Maps

Adding multiple stops in Google Maps is a simple process. By adding multiple destinations, the app will automatically create the best route for you. You can add up to 9 stops, excluding your current location or starting point. Based on the order of your destinations, Google Maps will show you the most efficient routes and travel times. And the best part is, you can even add a new stop in the middle of your trip.

However, keep in mind that for an efficient trip, it’s important to rearrange the stops based on your priority. Adding destinations in any order might increase travel time and cause inconvenience.

How to Add Multiple Stops in Google Maps

Adding multiple destinations to your Google Maps app is a breeze. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

Open Google Maps on your iPhone or Android phone and tap on the Direction icon (right arrow inside the box) in the bottom right corner.
Note: Google will automatically pick your current location as the starting point, but you can adjust it if needed.
Tap on the Kebab Menu (three-dot icon) and select the Add stop option.
You can also add a stop from the map by tapping on the POI (Point of Interest) icon and selecting Add stop.
Reminder: You can add up to nine stops only.
Rearrange the stops using the drag icon and the X icon to remove a stop.
Tap Done to finish the setup process.
Note: Multiple stops in Google Maps don’t support public transportation like buses, metro, or trains.

That’s it! Google Maps will now navigate you with multiple stops along the way.

How to Remove a Stop from an Ongoing Route

If you’ve already started a trip and decide to skip a particular stop, you don’t need to exit your navigation to remove it from Google Maps. Here’s how to do it:

Tap on the bottom bar and select the Directions option.
If you want to remove the next stop, simply tap on the bottom bar and select the Remove next stop option. This is the quickest way to remove a stop in Maps, unless you’re removing a stop at a specific number or position.

How to Add a New Stop to an Ongoing Route

While on a trip, you may want to add more stops to your route. Thankfully, Google Maps allows you to easily add a new stop without closing the navigation. Here’s how:

Tap on the Search icon in the top right corner or bottom bar and select the Search along route option to enter the address.
Alternatively, you can also select the places or POI (Points of Interest) icon from the map itself and hit the Add stop button.

Note that Google Maps doesn’t allow users to rearrange stops in the middle of navigation. Any new stops you add will be placed at the top by default. If you want to reorder stops, follow these steps:

Go back to the Route Editing Screen and tap the Direction Panel.
Use the drag icon to rearrange the stops accordingly.
Tap the Done button and start your navigation again.

Optimize Your Route in Google Maps

While planning a route with multiple stops in Google Maps, there are several ways to optimize your trip:

Share your trip progress with others to keep them informed about your routes, recent location, battery status, and mode of transportation.
Enable the Show Traffic on Maps feature to avoid congested routes and make better navigation decisions.
Enable or disable the voice assistant according to your convenience.
Choose to exclude highways, tolls, and ferries from your route.
Switch to night mode to minimize battery consumption on phones with an OLED panel.

Adding Multiple Stops on Google Maps

Say goodbye to outdated navigation methods and make your travels more organized by adding multiple stops in Google Maps. When necessary, rearrange the stops based on your priorities. We hope this guide has been helpful and will assist you in making your journey smoother.

Before you go, you can also learn about the major differences between Google Maps and Google Maps Go.

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A Beginner’s Guide on How to Plan a Route with Multiple Stops

Last Updated: July 31, 2023

Google Maps is a helpful tool for multi-stop route planning as it allows you to add up to nine extra stops per route.
It can help find the shortest and fastest distance between stops, but still you may not have optimized route.
When preparing a delivery route with multiple stops, it’s crucial to take into account real-time factors like traffic and road closures.
Google Maps’ customization capabilities are limited, therefore businesses need more advanced software like Upper.

Are you tired of driving for hours and making multiple stops while navigating through traffic queues? Then, you need an optimized route to save a significant amount of your valuable time and money.

That’s right!

Route planning and optimization have become an essential part of the courier and local delivery service industries.

However, route planning can be a major hassle to perform for businesses. This is where navigation apps or route planners come into play, making the task of planning routes with multiple stops more effective and cost-effective.

So, in this blog, we’ll be discussing the step-by-step procedure for how to plan a route with multiple stops on Google Maps.

Table of Content

How to Use Google Maps for Route Planning with Multiple Stops

Is Google Maps Ideal for Multi-Stop Route Planning?

Is There Any Reliable Route Planning Software to Plan a Route with Multiple Stops?

So, you have to make deliveries to a bunch of stops and want to plan your route as effectively as possible? No issue, pal! We’ll demonstrate how to accomplish it with Google Maps.

For desktop version:

1. In your web browser, open Google Maps and log into your Google account.

2. In the upper left corner, click the “Directions” button.

3. Enter your starting location in the “Choose starting point” field. Then, fill in the “Choose destination” field with the name or address of your first destination.

Enter your starting location and destination

4. Now, click on the “+” button to add more stops. Repeat this procedure for each stop you need to add ( up to a maximum of nine stops ).

5. Let’s now plan your route in such a way that you go along the fastest or shortest route. To get started, simply tap the “Directions” button. The best route for you will be determined automatically by Google Maps, taking into account things like traffic, road closures, and other potential variables that can slow you down.

6. But, what if you now need to change the order of the delivery stops ? No problem at all! All you have to do is tap and hold the stop, drag it to the desired position, and drop it there. The order of your stops will be changed; easy peasy, right?

7. Google Maps can help you if you wish to avoid specific regions with a lot of traffic. Simply press the “Options” button and choose “Avoid tolls” or “Avoid highways.” This will provide you with alternative routes that could be a little bit more time-consuming but will save you money on tolls or enable you to escape the stress of congested highways.

8. Now, select a method of transportation (car, bike, public transit, or walking) and Google Maps will give you the most efficient directions.

9. Now, to get on the road, send the directions to your mobile device. To receive directions, click “Send directions to your phone” and then select a method from the pop-up menu.

10. Now tap the notification that will show up on your phone’s screen, and your route will appear along with navigation options.

For mobile app:

1. Start by opening the Google Maps app on your smartphone and logging into your Google account.

2. Now tap on the “Directions” button on the screen’s bottom left-hand corner. In the “Choose starting point” field, you will be required to specify your starting address.

3. Next, use the “+” button to add your first stop. You just need to input the destination’s address in the “Choose destination” field, and you’re good to go!

4. By tapping the “+” button and inputting each stop’s address, you can keep adding stops.

5. You may tap and hold a stop while dragging it to the new spot if you want to change the sequence of your stops .

6. At this point, if you want to set preferences. Just tap on “Options” and enter your desired route criteria if you wish to avoid tolls, highways, or ferries.

7. When you’re done, click the “Done” button to finish. To get you where you need to go, Google Maps will provide you with the most efficient directions.

8. And don’t worry if you’re concerned about getting lost or missing a turn! Turn-by-turn voice directions are available on Google Maps so you can listen to the app while keeping your eyes on the road. Without having to enter anything, you can even add stops to your route or search for locations using voice commands .

9. Oh, and did we mention that Google Maps can be used offline as well? When you’re in places with weak or no internet connectivity, this is really helpful. You can look at the map even when there is no data connection by simply downloading it in advance for the area you will be traveling in.

Is Google Maps Ideal for Multi-Stop Route Planning?

Google Maps is a great choice to take into consideration if you’re seeking an easy-to-use, dependable, and free route planning app with multiple stops . But, it may not tick all the boxes right.

In addition to the fact that it is freely accessible for desktop, Android, and iPhone , here are some of the primary features of utilizing Google Maps for route planning with multiple stops. But, on the negative side, it has some limitations, and that’s why you need to look beyond Google Maps.

7 key features of Google Maps

Add multiple destinations.

The ability to add multiple destinations is one of Google Maps’ primary features for route planning. Google Maps is a great route planner tool for planning multiple deliveries or a multi-stop route because it lets you enter up to 10 destinations in your planned route.

To add more than 10 stops and for advanced route planning and optimization requirements, you need to use alternatives to Google Maps .

Real-time traffic updates

Real-time traffic updates is another benefit of utilizing Google Maps for route planning. You can get the most precise traffic updates from Google Maps since it continuously monitors traffic conditions. This feature enables you to create the most efficient route while avoiding traffic congestion, accidents, or road closures .

Alternative route options

Alternative routes are also offered by Google Maps, which is useful when planning a route that includes multiple stops. This route planning app gives you the ability to select the route that best matches your needs by offering some alternative route options based on the quickest route, the shortest route, and other factors .

Driving directions and navigation

Google Maps also offers turn-by-turn directions and navigation, making it simple to follow your route. To make sure you reach your location on time, the app gives thorough information about each turn, lane change, and street name .

Voice navigation

With Google Maps’ voice navigation, you can follow directions without having to take your eyes off the road . Voice GPS navigation is a feature of this route-planning app that lets you follow along while keeping your eyes on the road.

Offline mode

The offline mode in Google Maps enables you t o download maps and utilize them later without an internet connection . This function is particularly useful when traveling to locations with poor or weak cell phone service. Before you start your trip, you can download maps of the locale and utilize them afterward without worrying about losing connectivity.

Integration with other Google services

Planning and managing your trips is made simpler by Google Maps’ integration with other Google services like Google Calendar and Google Drive. For instance, you could add an appointment to your calendar and then, use Google Maps to plan the route or save them to Google Drive for the future.

How does it calculate the fastest route?

When determining the fastest route between multiple stops, Google Maps employs sophisticated algorithms that take into account a number of variables, including distance, traffic, and road conditions.

To provide you with the most recent information on road conditions, it takes into consideration traffic data from a variety of sources, including real-time data from mobile devices and the Waze app.

In order to determine the most efficient route, Google Maps further takes into account the number of stops and the priority of your planned stops . It combines time-based and distance-based algorithms to make sure you reach your destination as quickly as possible.

Limitations of using Google Maps for route planning

While Google Maps is an excellent tool for planning routes, it’s crucial to be aware of its limitations so you don’t encounter unanticipated issues when driving. When using Google Maps route planner to plan a route, keep the following factors in mind:

Limited stops can be added

Google Maps is a terrific tool for multi-stop routes with a limited number of locations to visit. But, it’s not the ideal choice for bigger businesses like delivery or courier services that make hundreds of deliveries each day. This is due to Google Maps’ limit on the number of stops you can add at once. Only ten stops, including your starting point, can be added.

Lacks route optimization capability

One of Google Maps’ most significant flaws is the lack of route optimization capabilities. Before you set out, you have to manually map out the most effective route, which might increase the risk of more time consumption, increased fuel costs, and customer dissatisfaction.

Limited customization options

Google Maps route planner does let you customize your route to some extent, but there are limitations. You can decide to avoid tolls or highways, for instance, but you can’t pick and choose which specific routes you wish to travel. If you have a particular route in mind that you know will be better than others, this might be frustrating.

Can’t prioritize stops

If there’s no fixed order of stops you need to follow, then the Google Maps app is a good option. But if you have to focus and prioritize certain stops over others, Google Maps trip planner wouldn’t allow you to do that. All your route destinations will be given the same importance by the algorithm on Google Maps.

No proof of delivery

Another critical aspect of a delivery business is the ability to collect electronic proof of delivery. It can be collected by taking a photo of the delivered parcel and getting a digital signature from the receiver. Google Maps doesn’t offer a way to capture electronic proof of delivery through the mobile app.

No report analysis

There’s no way to generate daily reports related to your delivery tasks when using Google route planner. So there is no way for a business to know the number of successful or failed deliveries.

Upper vs Google Maps to plan a route with multiple stops

Upper is a route planning software, designed specifically for businesses with multiple routes and stops, that can help you optimize deliveries with a route planning feature . In contrast to Google Maps, Upper has tools and features designed with delivery personnel, courier services, and sales fleets in mind.

Did You Know?

In terms of revenue, the market size for couriers and local delivery services is expected to be $157.2 billion in 2023 .

Upper is simple to use and intuitive, and it provides the functionality to add unlimited stops to a route. By streamlining the overall process, it can help businesses save time and money and set them free from hassles.

Here is a step-by-step tutorial on how to use Upper to plan routes with multiple stops:

Step 1: Create a route plan

Log into your Upper account and select the “Create Route Plan” option to get started. By doing this, a new page will open up where you can enter your stops and start creating your route.

Step 2: Import stops

Next, you need to import an Excel file or add stops to create routes. You can add stops manually by clicking on the “+ Add Stops” button and entering the address or by importing an Excel file.

If you have a ready CSV or Excel file, click on “Upload File” or just drag and drop to let the software fetch the data.

Step 3: Optimize routes

Click “Next” to create optimized routes after adding all the stops. In contrast to Google route planner, which lacks route optimization capability, Upper will determine the most effective route based on variables like traffic, distance, and time, helping you to save time, money, and fuel costs.

Step 4: Set preferences

Using Upper, you can customize your delivery options according to your requirements. You can set up recurrent routes, schedule deliveries for specific times, and designate particular delivery drivers or vehicles to handle specific deliveries. With this level of customization, you can have perfectly planned routes to meet your specific delivery needs.

Step 5: Review your routes

To make sure everything is in order, you need to review the optimized routes. Here, you have the option to swap the routes or reassign them to other delivery drivers. While reviewing the routes, be sure to take into account the driver’s and customer’s preferences.

Step 6: Share routes with drivers

Once you are done reviewing and finalizing routes, it’s time to assign the routes to drivers. You can quickly send drivers the optimized routes with a one-click dispatch feature.Your drivers can receive the routes immediately on their mobile apps or through email or text messages. The route can additionally be exported in CSV or XLS format, printed, and given to your delivery driver as a hard copy. Also, you may export the route to navigation applications like Waze, Google Maps, and Apple Maps.

Planning Multi-stop Route is Easier with Upper

Now no need for manual intervention while planning the best routes with unlimited stops on Upper. Get optimized routes in less than a minute.

Although Google Maps’ estimated travel times are mostly accurate, they could vary due to traffic, road closures, and other unexpected circumstances.

No, there is a cap of nine stops per route in Google Maps. Use a different route planner tool if you need to plan a driving route with more than nine stops.

No, Google Maps does not have the capability for multi-stop route optimization. A route can contain up to nine stops, but you will need to organize them in the most efficient order manually.

In Google Maps, you may change the mode of transportation for a route with multiple locations. You have the option of driving, walking, biking, or using public transportation.

Your multi-stop delivery route can be saved on Google Maps for later use. After creating your route, just click the “Save” button, and it will be saved to your “Your Places” section.

No, the ability to plan routes with specific timing is not a functionality of Google Maps. You might have to deal with a different dispatch system or a different route planning tool to get this capability.

Google Maps may not be appropriate for commercial delivery or sales routes because it is made for personal use. It’s possible that you’ll need to employ specialized route optimization software , like Upper, or other route planning apps that have capabilities made specifically for businesses.

A multi-stop route planner is an essential tool if you want to automate your delivery processes. While Google Maps is a popular choice for navigating to multiple destinations, it has its limitations too. This can lead to inefficient route planning, lost time, and dissatisfied customers.

That’s where the role of Upper comes in. The route planner is designed keeping in mind the businesses with multi-stop route planning requirements. Upper improves the delivery process and makes sure that your packages are delivered on time with features like route optimization, customized notification, and proof of delivery.

So, why not use Upper to improve your delivery game by taking a 7 days free trial?

Rakesh Patel, author of two defining books on reverse geotagging, is a trusted authority in routing and logistics. His innovative solutions at Upper Route Planner have simplified logistics for businesses across the board. A thought leader in the field, Rakesh's insights are shaping the future of modern-day logistics, making him your go-to expert for all things route optimization. Read more.

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How to Get Google Maps Quickest Route with Multiple Destinations

Google Maps is a powerful navigation tool that millions rely on for directions, and it becomes even more valuable when you have multiple destinations to visit. If you’re planning a trip with multiple stops and want to find the quickest route to efficiently reach all of them, you’re in the right place. In this guide, we’ll show you how to use Google Maps to plan a route with multiple destinations, allowing you to optimize your journey, save time, and make the most out of your travels. Let’s get started and discover how to plan your multi-destination trips with ease.

Table of Contents

Decide where you want to travel first, then divide that stop into as many as you want to add—you simply need to organize them in the right order.

Option I: On PC

1. Go to Google Maps on website.

2. Then, click on Direction icon .

3. Add a starting point and destination .

4. Click Add symbol on the left, beneath the location.

Note: Pick a different location if you want to include a stop. You may add up to 10 different destinations. You would have to manually rearrange the destinations in the order to obtain fastest route on Google Maps for all of your destinations (10 stops maximum).

5. Go ahead and click on a route to access the directions.

Option II: On Mobile phone

1. Open your Google Maps

2. Tap on Search bar and type your destination.

3. Then, select the Directions .

click on Directions. How to Get Google Maps Quickest Route with Multiple Destinations

4. Tap on the three dots on the right-side corner, select the Add stop option.

4. There will be a third waypoint, “ B ,” visible. To select a second destination, tap it.

Note: You can also drag it to rearrange the waypoints.

Hence, this is how you can get Google Maps quickest route with multiple destinations

Also Read: How to Use Google Maps Offline

What To Do if the Fastest Route is Not Displayed by Google Maps?

At times Google Maps may not show you the fastest route due to minor errors like outdated updates or some background apps that may interrupt the app. You can solve this by updating the app and by clearing caches.

Method 1: Update Google Maps

Firstly you can try to update the Google Maps app as shown the steps below.

1. Go to Google Play Store app.

2. Next, in the search bar above, enter Google Maps to open it.

3. Tap on Update button.

Method 2: Clear App Cache

Another way to fix the issue is by clearing the app cache files.

1. Navigate to the Settings app of your phone and open it.

2. Now, open Apps & permissions in it.

Open Apps and permissions. How to Get Google Maps Quickest Route with Multiple Destinations

3. Next, select App manager from the list of options.

4. Now, locate Google Maps from the list and open it.

5. Further, tap on Storage in the App info .

6. In it, first, tap on Clear data and then on Clear cache .

tap on Clear data and then on Clear cache. How to Get Google Maps Quickest Route with Multiple Destinations

How to Use Google Maps to Determine the Shortest Route to Several Locations

The reason why Google Maps does not display the shortest routes is that Google Maps will hunt for an alternate route if the quickest path contains a controlled access road if the access is temporarily limited.

Fortunately, there are resources you may utilize to determine the shortest path between several locations. Though it does have some shortcomings, Google Maps is one of the most widely used. We’ll go step by step on how to use Google Maps to locate the shortest route and discuss another route planner that will significantly simplify your life.

The shortest route can be easily planned using Google Maps. Follow the given steps to use Google Maps quickest route with multiple destinations

1. Launch Google Maps app.

2. In the search bar , type your destination.

3. Tap on Directions .

4. To let Google know you’re driving, make sure the car symbol is selected.

The distance and travel time for each route are displayed next to them in Google’s list of possible routes. Choose the route with the least distance if the shortest distance is what you prefer. Google Maps typically chooses the shortest route by default. The program may not always show the shortest route in terms of miles, though.

Also Read : How to Check Traffic on Google Maps

What is Google Maps Travel Planner?

Whether you’re planning a single journey or a group outing, Google Maps can help you identify the most effective routes. Google Maps could be your ideal traveling companion if you want to fulfill your vacation objectives but are unsure of how to get there. You may access Google Maps from anywhere, and it aids in planning your trip. As a result, if you frequently travel, then Google Maps travel planner has got you covered.

For adventurous travelers, Google Maps works best for locating a number of locations that are spread out along the route. It aids in finding pertinent data and the travel time needed to get there. Along with providing multiple routes to get to your destination, it also displays real-time traffic.

Reasons to Use Google Maps Instead of Other Travel Planning Tools

Aids in Scheduling Road Trips: Whether your goal is a long-distance trip or a quick excursion to a nearby spot, Google Maps helps you pick the ideal locations for your road trip Itineraries. It will also offer restaurant suggestions once you’ve decided on the tour’s location. Your trip would so be one to remember.
Simple to Use While Traveling: Using Google Maps to plan a trip is simpler because you can access or download it from a mobile device. So, once your road trip itinerary is prepared, you can keep Google Maps open and follow the routes. Additionally, it gives you the choice to use offline maps that include crucial information like approximate time, turning spots, and remaining distance.
Offers effective routes: No matter how far away your location is, Google Maps can help you find affordable routes in a matter of seconds. Road restrictions including closed-off areas, backed-up traffic, and construction sites are taken into account while planning a trip. You’ll probably arrive at your location quickly if you use the Google-approved maps as your guide.
Information on Additional Locations: With regard to the chosen locations, Google Maps keeps you informed of all the information it possesses. Along with sharing data on price, availability predicted arrival time, and customer reviews. Additionally, you can go through the photos that the owner or other users of the mapping platform have posted.
Google Map that can be modified: Users of the well-known mapping platform are free to edit the information and add new details for each site. As a result, it will bring to memory important information related to the chosen stop. To your generated route map, you can also add a color code and different icons for the directions. For instance, you can add the dot icon for hotels or resorts as you choose.
Connects automatically to other Google Maps: You would have many Google Apps on your smartphone if you were a Google user. You may access information on any other app or device thanks to the automatic syncing of such apps with the mapping platform. In short, you can get the route plan through seamless interaction with Google-based services. The fact that you have the Google Maps app downloaded will ensure that other Google products are kept current.

How to Use Google Maps to Plan Routes with Multiple Stops

Prior to beginning a road trip, which can take time, preparing the itinerary should be your top priority. The method can actually be made quite simple to understand if you refer to the guide below, and you will also be able to figure out how to create the shortest and fastest path. Google Maps won’t be usable at all, though, if you add more than 10 destinations.

Google Maps makes it quite simple to organize a multi-stop destination if you’re running a few errands around town.

However, because it only supports a restricted number of destinations and lacks any optimization features, Google Maps can occasionally be unpleasant.

We’ll jump right to the point, which is to design a route with several destinations since you already know how to add numerous destinations to Google Maps as was previously mentioned.

It’s not too difficult to use Google Maps fastest route multiple stops to plan a route. Therefore, if you enter many stops on Google Maps, you must change the addresses during the time you should be driving.

Unfortunately, Google Maps doesn’t have the capability to automatically rearrange the addresses, so if you want to take a quicker route, you’ll have to do it manually.

If you are going for a shorter route then, first

1. Organize Stops

The list must be divided into separate lists with nine addresses each if it has more than nine stops.

through pin code
either by street name or number
by urban quadrant

2. Include Starting Point of all Stops

If you’re starting from a different location than where you are now, you must specify it in Google Maps because it will automatically enter your current position. You might not know which stop will be the first or perhaps the last, so simply hazard a guess. Later, it can be fixed. Finally, once you’ve entered every stop, it’s ready to go on to the following action.

3. Move Steps Around

So that Stop A is closest to your starting position, and you don’t needlessly go backwards, it’s time to try to make all the stops follow a line. Any address in the list can be grabbed and moved up or down in the list by pressing and holding the = sign next to the address.
Drag Stop I up to Stop A on the list, for instance, if it is closest to where you wish to start.
Drag the addresses about the city until they are organized logically. Zoom in to identify the letters if there are numerous stops near one another.
Now, if you are considering the fastest route
A straight line isn’t necessarily the shortest path, so you’ll need to take some additional considerations into account to create fastest route on Google Maps.
You should take note of how long Google Maps fastest route multiple stops, currently estimates the entire trip time before experimenting with the route.

Listed below are a few ways to fasten the journey:

Whenever feasible, go on the roads and interstates.
Avoid traveling through school zones or streets with a high number of red lights.
When Google reveals a red area of your journey, this means traffic has slowed down.

By simply paying attention to highways and traffic bottlenecks, your journey could be shortened by thirty minutes.

Also Read: How to Find Nearest Gas Station on Google Maps

We hope that this explanation of Google Maps quickest route multiple destinations proved useful to you. Also we have briefly explained about Google Maps travel planner. Please let us know in the comments area if you have any ideas or questions for us.

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How to Add More than 10 Stops on Google Maps

We show you how to add more than 10 destinations in Google Maps using Notepad and a handy URL bar trick. Then, we show you how to send it to your phone.

Google Maps How to navigate with more than 10 stops

Table of Contents:

Google Maps is a fantastic tool for online navigation and geographical awareness, but it can start to break down once you try to plan a route with more than 10 destinations.

In a bid to make things less complicated, Google limits the numbers of stops a user can add, which can be frustrating for long road trips. With a relatively simple trick, however, you can bypass this restriction.

Navigating in Google Maps With Unlimited Stops

To add more than 10 destinations in Google Maps, you need access to the web app on PC or mobile. It's then possible to add additional co-coordinates by modifying the URL in your search bar. This method of adding more than 10 multiple stops in Google Maps is a bit more work. But a more complex Google Map route will ultimately stop you from going astray. There are different ways to create a Google Maps route with more than 10 stops. Thanks to Martin Lofaj for sharing the easiest solution with us.

How to Extend a Route With 10 Destinations on Google Maps Adding Additional Stops

This is the easiest and quickest method to create Google Maps routes with more than ten stops. It uses a quick URL fix to create placeholders for additional destinations.

Google Maps - Create Route with 10 stops

How to Plan a Route With More Than 10 Destinations on Google Maps

This method allows you to create an “empty” Google Maps route with more than 10 stops that can then be filled with the destinations of your route.

Web Browser - URL for Google Maps Route with more than 10 stops

Set the starting point Switch back to the route tab and paste the coordinates as the starting point without pressing ENTER.

Google Maps Route with More than 10 Stops - Send to your phone copy link

How to Add More than 10 Destinations on Google Maps Extending a Route (Old Method)

This more complicated method uses exact editing of all the stops in the URL. We leave it here as it illustrates well how Google Maps Route URLs are working and can be manipulated.

Click and drag on your URL bar or press Ctrl + A to highlight all of the text. Then, right-click the bar and select “Copy” or press Ctrl + C on your keyboard.

Press Start and then type “Notepad” . Click the top result.

Delete everything from the “@” symbol or later. We won't need this for our route to work.

Start a new route on Google Maps with your remaining destinations, making sure to right-click and choose “Directions from here” rather than typing the place name.

You'll want to copy all of the text after “dir” and before “@” .

As a reminder, this should replace everything from the “@” symbol forward. Leave it in and your URL will not work.

After selecting your device, you'll get a notification in your Google Maps app. After clicking it, the route will automatically populate with more than ten stops.

Extra: How to Create a Custom Google Map

Extra: How to Measure Distances on Google Maps

Google Maps Determine linear distance between two points

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How do I map multiple destinations on Google Maps?

As an Ecotourism Specialist, I often rely on Google Maps to help travelers navigate their way to multiple destinations. Whether you’re planning a road trip with several stops or mapping out a route with multiple locations, Google Maps offers a convenient and user-friendly platform for all your navigation needs.

To map multiple destinations on Google Maps, the process varies depending on whether you’re using the mobile app or the desktop version. Here’s a step-by-step guide for both options:

On the Google Maps app:

1. On your Android phone or tablet, open the Google Maps app. 2. Search for your destination or tap it on the map. 3. In the bottom left corner, tap “Directions”. 4. In the top right corner, tap “More” and then “Add stop”. You can add up to 9 stops in total. 5. Once you’ve added all your stops, tap “Done”.

On the desktop version of Google Maps:

1. Open Google Maps on your computer. 2. Click on “Directions”. 3. Enter your starting point and destination. 4. On the left side of the screen, below the destinations you entered, click “Add”. 5. Choose another destination to add as a stop. You can add up to 9 stops in total. 6. Click on a route to get the directions.

Now that you know how to map multiple destinations, let’s answer some frequently asked questions related to Google Maps and route planning:

1. How do I get Google Maps to show multiple routes? To see multiple routes on Google Maps, follow these steps: – Open Google Maps and enter your desired destination. – Tap on “Directions” at the bottom of the screen. – Beside the “Your Location” box, tap the three dots. – Tap on “Route Options” to see different routes.

2. Why can’t I add multiple destinations on Google Maps? To add multiple destinations on Google Maps, you need to be in “Directions” mode with a starting location and a destination. Click on the “+” button below the destination to add a new destination line for additional stops.

3. Can I make a map with multiple locations on Google? Yes, you can create a map with multiple locations on Google Maps. Simply enter the addresses or coordinates of the locations you want to include, and Google Maps will display them on a single map.

4. How do I create a multiple destinations route planner in Google Maps? To create a route planner with multiple destinations in Google Maps, follow these steps: – Enter your starting point and destination. – Click the three dots beside your location and choose “Add stop” to add additional destinations. – Repeat the previous step for each stop you want to include. – Click “Done” to generate the optimized route.

5. Can you add multiple locations on Google? Yes, you can add multiple locations on Google Maps. When using the Google Maps app, you can add up to nine stops. However, for routes with hundreds of stops, it is recommended to use multi-stop route planning software like Upper.

6. What is the mapping tool for multiple locations? Mapize is a mapping tool that allows users with a data set to create a map with multiple locations. It supports uploading CSV or Excel data files, as well as copying and pasting column data directly into the map creation box.

7. Can Google Maps do route planning? Yes, Google Maps is an excellent tool for route planning. It offers a user-friendly interface and versatile features, allowing users to get directions and add multiple destinations seamlessly.

8. How do I create a route map? To create a route map using Google Maps: – Open the Google Maps app. – Click on “Directions”. – Enter your start location. – Below your entered destinations, click “Add” to include the next destination. – Enter the address of your next stop and continue adding destinations as needed.

In conclusion, Google Maps is a valuable tool for mapping multiple destinations. Whether you’re a traveler planning a road trip or a professional in the tourism industry, mastering the art of using Google Maps for route planning can greatly enhance your navigation experience.

About The Author

5 Google Maps Tips You Need To Know When Planning Your Next Trip

W hether a brief weekend escape or an extensive expedition across continents, planning a trip can be a daunting task. The challenge of selecting the ideal destinations, navigating through unfamiliar territories, and ensuring that you experience all the essential sights without overlooking anything, can quickly become overwhelming for any traveler. This is where online maps come into play, and one prominent tool that almost everyone has used at some point is Google Maps.

Google Maps goes beyond basic directions . It offers a suite of features designed to make trip planning not just easier, but also more enjoyable. You can map out itineraries, discover new attractions, get insights into local restaurants and services, and even find electric vehicle charging stations . The platform's real-time updates, user reviews, and detailed information on points of interest can help you make informed decisions while exploring new destinations. Moreover, its customization features allow you to create personalized maps that cater specifically to your travel plans, which are also shareable. Here are five essential Google Maps tips that every traveler should know. These tips will not only help you streamline your trip-planning process but also ensure that your travels are as smooth and enjoyable as possible.

Read more: 12 Smart Gadgets You Didn't Know Existed

Utilizing Offline Maps

When you're heading out on a trip, one thing you definitely don't want to worry about is losing access to your maps when your signal drops. That's where offline maps come in handy. Google Maps allows you to download maps for offline use, ensuring you never get lost even when you're off the grid.

Downloading maps for offline use is a straightforward process. Follow these steps:

Open the Google Maps app on your smartphone or tablet.
Tap on your profile icon in the top-right corner.
Choose Offline maps.
Tap Select your own map in the following window.
Drag the map window to your desired area.
Select Download.

Depending on the size of the area you're downloading and your internet connection speed, this process may take a few moments.

Once the download is complete, you'll be able to access the map even without an internet connection. Offline maps are not only convenient, but they can also save you time and frustration. Imagine hiking in a remote area and losing your cell signal — having the offline map ensures you can still navigate your way back to your starting point without any hassle. This is also one of the many secret Google Maps features that can come in handy.

Customizing Your Route With Multiple Stops

We all have days packed with errands or sightseeing, where we just wish we could plan the routes efficiently. Google Maps allows you to do that by customizing your route with multiple stops. It's a nifty feature that can save you time and make your trips more organized.

Follow these steps:

Open Google Maps on your device and enter your final destination.
Click on the three buttons next to your starting point and select Add stop.
You can add multiple stops by repeating this step.
Rearrange stops by dragging the three lines next to each destination.

Now, Google Maps will calculate the most efficient route for you, taking into account all your stops along the way. This is perfect for those days when you have several places to visit or errands to run, but you want to make sure you're not zigzagging all over town. It can also save you time and fuel. Plus, it's a great way to ensure you don't forget any important stops along the way.

When customizing your route with multiple stops on Google Maps, keep in mind to arrange your stops in a logical order to minimize backtracking and optimize efficiency. Additionally, consider traffic conditions and estimated travel times between each stop to plan your schedule accordingly. Lastly, ensure that all stops are accurately inputted to avoid any confusion or missed destinations along the way.

Taking Advantage Of Live Traffic Updates

This feature provides real-time information about traffic conditions, allowing you to avoid packed routes and save valuable time.

As you navigate with Google Maps, the app constantly monitors traffic conditions along your route. If there is heavy traffic, accidents, or road closures ahead, Google Maps will highlight the problematic area on the map using yellow or red markers.

To enable live traffic updates, open the Google Maps app and enter your destination. Once your route is set, Google Maps will display real-time traffic information along the way, including any incidents or slowdowns. You can then choose to follow the suggested route or explore alternative options based on the traffic conditions.

When using live traffic updates on Google Maps, keep in mind to regularly check for updates throughout your journey to stay informed about changing road conditions. You can also report problems on the road yourself on Google Maps . Lastly, be flexible with your travel plans and prepared to follow alternative routes suggested by Google Maps to avoid congestion and minimize travel time.

By taking advantage of live traffic updates, you can make informed decisions about your route and avoid getting stuck in gridlock. Whether you're commuting to work or heading out on a road trip, this feature can help you reach your destination more efficiently.

Exploring Nearby Attractions And Restaurants

When you're in a new area, or even just exploring your own neighborhood, Google Maps can be a great tool for discovering nearby attractions and restaurants.

To start exploring:

Open Google Maps and zoom in on the area of your interest. You should see several options below the search bar, including Restaurants, Gas, Coffee, Shopping, ATMs, and more.
Click on the option you want to explore. For instance, if you are looking for places to eat nearby, select Restaurants to see a list of dining options in the area. Each restaurant will be marked with its location on the map, along with details such as the establishment's name, its rating, and sometimes photos or reviews.
Refine your search further by applying filters for rating and distance.
After selecting a restaurant that catches your interest, click on it to view more detailed information, including its address, hours of operation, contact details, and directions on how to get there.

Google Maps also allows you to call the restaurant directly from the app if you wish to make a reservation or inquire about menu items.

You can explore all these categories by swiping right on the options pane below the search bar. To view the full list, click on the More button (three dots) at the very end.

Create A Custom Map To Share With Friends And Family

You can also easily create a custom map and share it with whoever you want on Google Maps. It's a great way to collaborate on travel plans, recommend must-visit places, or simply share your favorite local hangouts.

Open Google Maps on your computer and sign into your Google account.
Click on the menu icon and choose Saved > Maps > Open My Maps.
Start a new map by clicking the Create A New Map button.
Give your map a title and a description that encapsulates the essence of your adventure or theme. This could be anything from "Family Road Trip to Yellowstone" to "Best Coffee Shops in New York City."
Populate your map with markers. Click on the marker icon, then click on the location on the map you wish to mark. For each marker, you can add a detailed description, upload photos, and even include links for more information.
Additionally, Google My Maps allows you to draw paths and shapes, perfect for outlining routes or highlighting areas of interest.
Once your map is ready, click on the Share button. Here, you'll be prompted to set the map's privacy settings. You can choose to make it public, share it with specific people, or keep it private with a link.
Finally, invite your friends via email or simply send them the link.

Read the original article on SlashGear .

How to use Google Maps as a trip planner on iPhone

How about planning your long drive beforehand and choosing places to explore.? Now you can set future travel time and make a route plan with multiple stops using Google Maps trip planner. It shows the traffic conditions for the day and hour you want to depart with route planning. So, plan your journey accordingly. Let’s know how to use the trip planner in Google Maps on iPhone.

Explore popular points of interest on Google Maps

Save places you want to go, add multiple stops in a single trip in google maps on iphone, create your map or directions and share it with others, set departure and arrival times in google maps on iphone.

When I plan my road trip, at first, I look for places to explore. In Google Maps, You may search for cafes, restaurants, shopping malls, parks, etc., at your destination location, like “cafes near LA.” It will show you a complete list of cafes with customer ratings, estimated pocket pinch, opening time, etc. Choose any one and tap Reviews . Now you can read reviews, see the photos, and decide whether you want to go there.

I hope you have selected the places you want to visit on your road trip. But how to remember all the places? I save them on Google Maps trip planner. The Places feature allows bookmarking locations and creating lists like Favorites, Want to go, Travel plans, and Starred places. Also, you may add a note about the place to remember.

Google Maps is among the best route planners for multiple stops. Setting a road trip map between cities is easy, but what if you want to stop in between? Like Apple Maps’ multi-stop routing , you can add multiple stops in one road trip on Google Maps. Therefore, it lets you check the distance and drive time between each stop.

Open Google Maps , search for your destination, and tap Directions . It will show you the time and distance.
Tap the three-dots icon .
Choose Add stop from the context menu.

Steps to add multiple stops to your itenary on Google Maps

Google offers a cool feature called My Maps to create customized maps and share them with others. You can add multiple stops, choose your preferred routes, and save them.

Launch Safari on your iPhone and visit Google My Maps .
It will show your created maps. Tap the red plus sign to make a new one.
Now search for your destination location and tap Add to map . It will save the place. Also, you can add as many locations as you want.
From the side menu, rename your map by tapping Untitled Layer. You may also add multiple lists of locations on the same map using Add layers . Just give different names to the layers.
If you want to show navigation on the map, tap the curved arrow icon. It will add a new layer with a start and end location.
After you have finished, select Share or Preview . Sharing the map will ask for a map title and description. Then you can copy the link and set who can see the map.

Whenever I drive anywhere, I first check the distance , set the departure time, and check the arrival time on Google Maps. The app then predicts how much traffic will be on that route. So, I can leave at the right time and reach the destination at the right time.

Launch Google Maps on your iPhone.
Tap Search here → enter your destination and tap Directions .

Select the three-dots button from the top right corner on Google Maps

Tap Set depart or arrive time .

How to set arrival and departure times on Google Maps

The Depart by option will show you when you will arrive at the destination, and the Arrive by option will tell you when you should leave. If Google Maps departure time is missing, you must update your app.

So, that’s all for today, folks!

Besides future travel time settings, Google Maps lets you set a reminder to leave. Therefore, you’ll never be late! Have you enjoyed the tip? Read more tips and tricks for using Google Maps.

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How to Plan a Trip With Multiple Stops: Road trip tools and tips

Do you enjoy the freedom of traveling by car to get off the beaten track? Planning a road trip with multiple stops is an easy and fun way to explore the world! Here are the best free apps and tips for planning your trip.

Going on a long road trip and needing to break up the journey? Or maybe you're excited by the freedom of exploring by car rather than having your route dictated by train stations and bus stops. Planning a road trip with multiple stops can be great fun.

There are many free resources to help you plan your journey, such as these top travel apps and essential packing lists . I'll share my top five picks for route planner apps in this article with you. I'll also share my top ten tips for ensuring your trip goes smoothly so you can make some great memories on the road.

Planning a Trip With Multiple Stops

You can plan a trip with a desired destination in mind and decide on multiple stops en route from your starting point. Search for exciting things to see along the way and add them to your route. Remember to also flag up service stations and plan pit stops for gas.

Of course, you don't always have to be at the wheel. You can make reservations at cafes and restaurants along the way for meals or coffee breaks. Or if you want to spend more time in a specific area, book accommodation in advance. This also gives you a few days off the road to relax so you can continue your journey feeling re-energized.

When planning your route, estimate your driving time realistically, considering speed limits and traffic. Of course, traffic can always be unpredictable, and this is where route planner apps come in handy.

Route planner apps are more than just maps. They let you key in your desired destination and find the best route from A to B or A to B to C to Z in the case of multiple stops. Such apps often give you several options, such as the fastest routes or ones without tolls.

5 Best Free Route Planner Apps

These are my top five apps for planning a trip with multiple stops. They all have desktop and app versions that sync with one another. So you can plan your trip on your computer at home, then implement it with your smartphone in the car.

They all allow you to download your map to consult offline, which is vital if you lose connectivity. All their features help you minimize the time spent on driving and logistics. This way, you can maximize your time exploring your surroundings on a road trip with multiple stops!

5. Google Maps

Google Maps is the best-known route planner and the app most people will use to plan a trip. It redirects you to the best route if you miss a turning or spot something exciting you want to check out.

Since it's powered by a great big search engine, it has abundant data to find where you want to go and points of interest. With a cell phone connection, you can use voice commands and go completely hands-free in your car. You can ask Google what road you're on or to divert you to the nearest McDonald's for a snack stop.

If you need help remembering where you parked your car, save your parking location on Google Maps before you wander off. You can then use your phone to navigate back to your vehicle later. If parking is timed, you can also have the app remind you when to move your car.

You can use the app to share your location with someone you trust if you're worried about safety in a particular area. With multiple stops, Street View mode can be helpful when you're struggling to match where you are on the map. The app will also track your journey, so you can go back and review it later.

4. MapQuest Route Planner

MapQuest has been around for more than 25 years and is trusted by many "old school" drivers who spend much time on the road. This deceptively simple application offers plenty of features for more complex route planning.

Say you prefer to make your own decisions on traffic routes and the best places to get gas. Rather than choosing for you, Mapquest can overlay data on your map, giving you all the information you need to plan your route.

If you let MapQuest do the work, it can help you find the fastest route or the one with the least tolls. You can also ask for route suggestions that will maximize your fuel efficiency.

MapQuest offers more detailed directions than many route planner apps. This is useful if you're driving in an area that you aren't familiar with. It can alert you to landmarks that will let you know if you're on track or have gone too far. You can even view real-time traffic cameras.

3. Waze Route Planner

Waze was bought by Google back in 2013, so how is it different from their flagship route planner tool?

Waze feels more personal and interactive as it uses real-time data from other users to inform you of road conditions. This also means you can get info that Google doesn't include, such as police stops.

Waze can advise you on the best departure times based on current and past traffic data. The app also pulls up suggestions as needed, such as gas stations and parking. Essential information is available as shortcuts from the main navigation screen.

If you want company on the road or need help with gas money, you can switch to carpool mode in Waze. The app will find other users who are heading in the same direction. This feature may come to your rescue if something happens and you find yourself stranded!

2. inRoute Planner

inRoute lets you plan a journey with up to 150 stops. You can organize your route manually or ask the app to optimize one for you. Once you've planned your trip, you can export it to navigation apps such as Google and Waze.

inRoute stands out among route planners and map apps because it offers live weather alerts while you're driving. This is helpful if you're nervous about driving in big storms or want to avoid getting caught on icy roads.

inRoute has a free version, but many features only kick in when you pay for the Pro version. Getting a temporary subscription can be worth it if you know you'll be driving around an area where the weather is a concern. inRoute planner is currently only available on iOS.

1. Roadtrippers

Roadtrippers is an app for adventurers rather than people who just want to get from A to B as quickly as possible. You can plan routes with up to 150 stops.

Once you have your primary locations, Roadtrippers will do most of the work for you and recommend exciting places along your route. These are curated by the app and often include reviews from other travelers.

The app will also mark gas stations where you'll likely need them. It also estimates how much you'll spend on gas, which is extremely useful when budgeting your trip.

If you upgrade to the app's Pro version, you can get discount deals and additional features such as planning the best route for an RV. Read this full Roadtrippers review to decide if it's right for you.

10 Top Tips for Planning a Multi-Stop Road Trip

What else can you do to get as much enjoyment as possible out of your multi-stop road trip? As well as using a good route planner app to map out your journey, here are some of my top tips:

Take your car for a check-up with your mechanic before you go. This way, you can avoid getting stuck on the side of the road due to something easily preventable.
Pack a first aid kit for yourself and for your car. This should include a spare tire, a monkey wrench, and essential engine replacement parts. If your car breaks down, you can often find good Samaritans who will know how to get it running again. All you need is to have the right tools on hand.
Join a roadside rescue plan active in the area you're traveling in case your car has a breakdown.
Download essentials such as maps and playlists before you go. Even with good cell phone coverage, you'll likely encounter dead zones on the road and may have to pass a few hours without reception. Plus, this helps you save your data for more important things.
Bring a paper map. Even if you download everything and bring a phone charger, there's no guarantee that you'll always have access to your online maps. Be prepared with a paper map in the hope you won't need it.
Download a range of playlists, podcasts, and audiobooks to keep you entertained on the road. Autio is an app that delivers road trip stories based on your travel location. These make the time pass quicker and help you stay focused and awake longer while driving.
Be realistic about how much time you plan to spend driving each day. Spending hours behind the wheel can be tiring, so plan enough rest stops in your itinerary. You should also provide ample buffer time for how long it'll take to get to each destination.
Pack food and beverages if you need help finding good places to get a snack. A small cooler at the base of the front passenger seat can be a lifesaver. You can get creative with the finger foods you bring along on your journey.
Plan accommodation along the way to have a safe place to pull over for the night. Avoid sleeping in your car overnight, as you're unlikely to wake up feeling refreshed and ready for another day on the road. But do pack a pillow in case you need a quick nap.
Have a thorough itinerary, but leave space for flexibility. You never know what exciting things you might encounter on the road. Locals might tell you about nearby waterfalls and must-see museums you didn't find in your research. If you pack your schedule too tight, you won't have time for these treats. A little spontaneity is what road trips are all about.

Looking for more tips? Read this beginner's guide on how to plan a driving trip stress-free .

Road Trip With Pilot

Planning a road trip with multiple stops is similar to planning any other type of trip. You just need to make a few more reservations along the way. You'll want to take advantage of travel apps to make sure you get everything essential for your trip. So start planning your multi-stop road trip with Pilot!

Disclosure : Pilot is supported by our community. We may earn a small commission fee with affiliate links on our website. All reviews and recommendations are independent and do not reflect the official view of Pilot.

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Google will now let you use AI to build travel itineraries for your vacations

As we inch toward the summer holidays, Google is announcing a slate of travel updates that place it squarely in the travel planning process and give it a lot more insight into purchasing intent in the travel sector.

First up, Google is rolling out an update to its Search Generative Experience (SGE) that will allow users to build travel itineraries and trip ideas using AI, the company announced on Wednesday.

The new capability — currently only available in English in the U.S. to users enrolled in Search Labs , its program that lets users experiment with early-stage Google Search experiences and share feedback — draws on ideas from sites across the web, along with reviews, photos and other details that people have submitted to Google for places around the world.

When users ask for something like “plan me a three day trip to Philadelphia that’s all about history,” they will get a sample itinerary that includes attractions and restaurants, as well as an overview of options for flights and hotels, divided up by times of day.

For now, the itineraries are just that: There are no options to buy services or experiences on the spot. When you’re happy with your itinerary, you can export it to Gmail, Docs or Maps.

Google has not commented on when or if it might roll this out more widely. But it points to how the company is experimenting with how and where it can apply its AI engine. A lot of players in the travel industry may be eyeing up the role that generative AI will play in travel services in the coming years — some excitedly, some warily. But even now, startups like Mindtrip and Layla , which provide users with access to AI assistants that are designed to help you plan your trips, are already actively pursuing this.

But with this new update, Google is taking on startups like these while also gathering data about travel purchasing intent (useful for its wider ad business) and learning what kind of appetite its users might have for such services.

Image Credits: Google

Google also announced that it’s making it easier to discover lists of recommendations in Google Maps in select cities in the U.S. and Canada. If you search for a city in Maps, you will now see lists of recommendations for places to go from publishers like The Infatuation, as well as from other users. You will also see curated lists of top, trending, and hidden gem restaurants in 40+ U.S. cities.

Finally, the company is adding new tools to help you customize lists you create, so you can better organize your travel plans or share your favorite spots with your friends and family. You can choose the order the places appear in a list so you can organize them by top favorites or chronologically like an itinerary. Plus, you can link to content from your social channels.

Android Police

Google wants to help plan your next trip with new tools in maps and search.

AI itineraries in Search and curated lists in Maps, just in time for summer travel season

Google's Search Generative Experience (SGE) will allow you to plan trips with detailed itineraries and suggestions.
The update is further bridging the gap between SGE and Google's dedicated Gemini chatbot.
Meanwhile, Google Maps is introducing curated lists of must-visit places, simplifying travel planning for users in the US and Canada.

Generative AI has pervaded nearly every aspect of Google’s business , right from Workspace tools to other core pillars of the business like Search and standalone projects like the Gemini chatbot. Although a lot of details still need to be ironed out, Google seems intent on including its Search Generative Experience (SGE) in Search results by default. To ensure users get the most out of this change, this summer, the company is maintaining the steady cadence of improvements with new capabilities coming to SGE and a few handy tweaks to Google Maps.

What is Google Search Labs?

If you haven’t heard, SGE started life as a Google Search Labs experiment in May 2023, and has since become available to billions of users around the world as an opt-in enhancement for the conventional search results page. The AI-generated summary usually collates information from the top links and summarizes it in a digestible format that’s a few paragraphs long. Now, Google is blurring the lines between the capabilities of the Gemini chatbot and SGE, introducing full-fledged itinerary planning support for the latter.

In its announcement, the company says anyone with access to the Search Generative Experience in the US in English can now type in a search query like “plan me a 5-day trip to Los Angeles that’s all about music culture.” The results should include a day-wise list of the places to visit, suitable restaurants, and a brief overview of your options for hotels and flights.

Google says it will pull reviews and photos from Business Profiles of the area you plan to visit along with information from other websites. You can use the quick summary to compare destinations and plan your trip efficiently. If you’re traveling with someone else, SGE also has shortcuts to export the suggestions to Google Docs, Gmail, and Maps, enabling easier sharing or a way to keep the results for later reference.

Lists could make Google Maps more useful

Speaking of Maps, Google also announced a few features to simplify summertime travel in the app. Say, you’re planning that trip to LA, you can just look up the city in Maps and swipe up. The app should display a few lists of must-visit attractions and stores. Google has special restaurant lists including a Trending list updated every week, a Top list for the all-time favorite restaurants, and a Gems list for the unheard-of secret places which you might otherwise miss. Additionally, you will find lists from popular sources like Lonely Planet, The Infatuation, OpenTable, and The New York Times.

Presently, the company is rolling out this feature only for users in the US and Canada, with curated lists available for a little over 40 cities. If it takes off, we hope to see it expand to other regions as well, because integrating advice from Google’s Local Guides community and the abundance of online listicles for popular destinations should be a piece of cake for the company.

Google is also giving Maps users convenient list customization tools when you hit the New list option in the Saved tab. Options include sorting by date added, manual sorting to create a ranked list, and support for linking to content from social media. AI also plays a role here, with photos and reviews summarizing important information about a place you’re looking up.

IMAGES

How to Plan a Route with Multiple Stops on Google Maps (In-depth Guide)
How to Plan a Road Trip with Multiple Destinations in Google Maps
How To Put Multiple Locations In Google Maps: How to add multiple stops
Google Maps now lets you add multiple stops to your trip
How to use Google Maps for Delivery Route Optimization
Here’s how to add multiple stops in a single trip in Google Maps

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COMMENTS

How to Plan a Road Trip with Multiple Destinations in Google Maps
First, open up your browser and head on over to Google Maps. Click the "Directions" button to the right of the search bar. By default, Maps will use your device's location for the starting point. If you want this to be a different location, enter it now. Next, enter the location of your first destination into the field provided, and then hit Enter.
How to Plan Route With Multiple Stops on Google Maps
1. Tap on the Search icon in the top right corner or bottom bar and select the Search along route option to enter the address. 2. Now all you need to do is tap on the Add stop button. Alternatively, you can also select the places or POI (Points of Interest) icon from the map itself and hit the Add stop button.
How to Use Google Maps with Two Destinations: A Step-by-Step Guide
Step 4: Press the three dots and select 'Add stop'. On the top-right of the screen, you'll see three vertical dots. Tap those, and a menu will appear with the option to 'Add stop.'. When you select 'Add stop,' you'll be able to input a second destination into your route. This can be done before you start your journey or even ...
How to Plan a Route with Multiple Stops on Google Maps (In ...
After all, Google Maps is the the most widely used navigation app worldwide.. But with a limit of just nine addresses - using Google Maps to plan a route with multiple stops can be time-consuming, confusing, and frustrating.. Especially with Google Maps' lack of route optimization.Making it tough to know if you've planned an efficient trip — leading to more time on the road and more ...
How to Plan a Road Trip with Google Maps: A Step-by-Step Tutorial
Step 1: Create a New Google Map. You will need to sign in to your Google Account or create a new account to create your own Google My Map. Once you're logged into Google, follow this link to bring you to Google Maps. Click on the hamburger ( 𝄘 ) in the top left-hand corner of Google Maps. Click on "Your Places".
Planning Multi-Stop Routes with Google Maps
Using Google Maps to plan a trip with multiple destinations.If you are a delivery driver, or have many errands to run, you can use these features to plan the...
Get directions & show routes
On your computer, open Google Maps. Click Directions . Add a starting point and a destination. On the left, below the destinations you entered, click Add . To add a stop, choose another destination. You can add up to 9 stops. Click on a route to get the directions. Tip: You can search for places along your route.
How to Use Google Maps As a Trip Planner
1. Head to the My Maps homepage and click Create a New Map. Any map you create will appear on this page. Google; William Antonelli/Insider. 2. You'll be given a world map. In the menu in the top ...
Now you can build multi-stop road trips on Google Maps for iOS
Here's how it works: 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. When you enter navigation ...
How to add multiple stops in Google Maps
Open Google Maps. Tap the Directions icon. Create multiple stops, as illustrated in the above section. Once you've created multiple destinations, tap the three-dots icon in the upper-right corner ...
How To Route With Multiple Stops On Google Maps
2: Add stops. Once you have your map set up, just click in the search bar, start typing the name of the place you want, and select it from the pop-up list to add it to your map. You can also click on any existing place on the map to add it. You can add up to 2,000 separate places to each map you create in My Maps.
How To Plan A Road Trip With Google Maps [5 Easy Steps]
Steps To Plan a Multi-stop Road Trip Using Google Maps App. Follow this step-by-step guide to plan a route for your road trip itinerary on Google My Map. 1. Create A New Untitled Map. Firstly, log in with your email into the Google account and go to Google Maps website > Your Places > Maps > Untitled Maps.
How to Add Multiple Destinations on Google Maps (with Pictures)
Click the route you want to use. If there are multiple possible routes for your trip, they'll be listed below your destinations, along with the total travel time. Click the route to view the turn-by-turn directions. You cannot send a trip with multiple destinations to your mobile device, so this option will be grayed out.
How to Use Google Maps' Route Planner To Route Multiple Stops
If you want to find the fastest route with multiple stops, you must manually reorder the stops until you see the shortest estimated time. To adjust the order, drag the three lines on the right-hand side of each stop and drop it in a different place. Then, compare the estimated time of arrival (ETA) of different routes.
How to Easily Plan a Route with Multiple Stops on Google Maps
Here's how: Tap on the Search icon in the top right corner or bottom bar and select the Search along route option to enter the address. Tap the Add stop button. Alternatively, you can also select the places or POI (Points of Interest) icon from the map itself and hit the Add stop button. Note that Google Maps doesn't allow users to ...
Trip Planner
Trip Planner is a Google My Maps project that helps you plan your trips and share them with others. You can customize your map with markers, routes, photos, and descriptions of your destinations ...
How to Plan a Route with Multiple Stops on Google Maps (In-depth Guide)
1. In your web browser, open Google Maps and log into your Google account. 2. In the upper left corner, click the "Directions" button. 3. Enter your starting location in the "Choose starting point" field. Then, fill in the "Choose destination" field with the name or address of your first destination. 4.
How to Get Google Maps Quickest Route with Multiple Destinations
Follow the given steps to use Google Maps quickest route with multiple destinations. 1. Launch Google Maps app. 2. In the search bar, type your destination. 3. Tap on Directions. 4. To let Google know you're driving, make sure the car symbol is selected.
How to Add More than 10 Stops on Google Maps
Set all stops as you would normally do until you reach the 10th destination. Edit the Google Maps Route URL. Click on the address bar, go to the end of the address, and replace everything after ...
How do I map multiple destinations on Google Maps?
As an Ecotourism Specialist, I often rely on Google Maps to help travelers navigate their way to multiple destinations. Whether you're planning a road trip with several stops or mapping out a route with multiple locations, Google Maps offers a convenient and user-friendly platform for all your navigation needs. To map multiple destinations on Google …
Multi-Stop Route Planning and Optimization Tools
Provide up to 26 locations and Route Planner will optimize, based on your preferences, to save you time and gas money. Find the shortest routes between multiple stops and get times and distances for your work or a road trip. Easily enter stops on a map or by uploading a file. Save gas and time on your next trip.
5 Google Maps Tips You Need To Know When Planning Your Next Trip
Open Google Maps on your computer and sign into your Google account. Click on the menu icon and choose Saved > Maps > Open My Maps. Start a new map by clicking the Create A New Map button.
How to use Google Maps as a trip planner on iPhone
I save them on Google Maps trip planner. The Places feature allows bookmarking locations and creating lists like Favorites, Want to go, Travel plans, and Starred places. Also, you may add a note about the place to remember. Add multiple stops in a single trip in Google Maps on iPhone. Google Maps is among the best route planners for multiple stops.
How to Plan a Trip With Multiple Stops: Road trip tools and tips
This way, you can maximize your time exploring your surroundings on a road trip with multiple stops! 5. Google Maps. Google Maps is the best-known route planner and the app most people will use to plan a trip. It redirects you to the best route if you miss a turning or spot something exciting you want to check out.
Google will now let you use AI to build travel itineraries for your
First up, Google is rolling out an update to its Search Generative Experience (SGE) that will allow users to build travel itineraries and trip ideas using AI, the company announced on Wednesday.
Google wants to help plan your next trip with new tools in Maps and Search
Speaking of Maps, Google also announced a few features to simplify summertime travel in the app. Say, you're planning that trip to LA, you can just look up the city in Maps and swipe up. The app ...

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How to Plan Route With Multiple Stops on Google Maps

How Multiple Stops Work in Google Maps

How to Add Multiple Stops in Google Maps

How to Remove a Stop from an Ongoing Route

How to Add a New Stop to an Ongoing Route

Optimize Route in Google Maps

Adding Multiple Stops on Google Maps

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How to Use Google Maps with Two Destinations: A Step-by-Step Guide

Step by Step Tutorial: How to Use Google Maps with Two Destinations

Step 1: Open Google Maps

Step 2: Enter your first destination

Step 3: Tap ‘Directions’

Step 4: Press the three dots and select ‘Add stop’

Step 5: Input your second destination

Tips: Mastering Google Maps with Two Destinations

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Google Maps offline with two destinations?

Is it possible to change the order of destinations after adding them?

Will Google Maps reroute me if there is traffic on the way to my second destination?

Can I save a route with two destinations on Google Maps?

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Related posts:

How to Plan a Route with Multiple Stops on Google Maps (In-depth Guide)

How to add multiple stops in Google Maps: Quick start

#1: Add your first stop

#3: Add all your stops

#2: Press “directions”

#4: Get your route

The importance of efficient route planning

Poor route planning costs time and money

Using Google Maps for route optimization: Pros and cons

Limited accuracy

Minimal information on buildings

No route optimization

A limited number of stops

How Google Maps plans your route

Plan a route with multiple stops: In-depth guide

Google Maps for desktop

Google Maps for Android and iPhone

How to reorder stops with Google Maps

Managing stops on desktop

Managing stops on a mobile device (iPhone or Android)

3 ways to plan the shortest route in Google Maps

#1: Organize your stops first

#2: Add your starting location and all your stops

#3: Reorder your stops

Planning the fastest route in Google Maps

Best route planning apps: 5 alternative multi-stop tools

#1 Circuit Route Planner - best for easy route optimization

#2 My Maps — best for planning longer routes with Google Maps

3 more route optimization apps

5 tips to maximize route efficiency

#1 Use route optimization tools

#2 Group deliveries by location

#1 Order your routes before setting out

#2 Plan for traffic and road conditions:

#3 Load the vehicle in order of delivery

#4 Consider your vehicle

#5 Communicate with customers

Google Maps route planning FAQs

Can I customize my multi-stop route in Google Maps?

Can I save my multi-stop route in Google Maps?

Can google maps optimize multiple stops?

How many stops can I add in Google Maps?

Does Google Maps always give the fastest route?

How does Google Maps calculate route time?

Why is multi-stop route planning important for delivery drivers?

Google Maps multi-stop route planning: a summary

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How to Plan a Road Trip with Google Maps: A Step-by-Step Tutorial

How to Use Google Maps to Plot Your Road Trip Route

Step 1: Open Google Maps

Step 2: Plot Your Road Trip Route

Step 3: Reorder Road Trips Stops

Step 4: Move the Driving Route

Step 5: Send the Driving Route to Your Phone