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I love to use maps to help with my travel planning. One of my favorite maps for travel planning is Google My Maps. While it is similar to Google’s better known Maps, the My Maps feature allows you to add layers of directions and plot points along the way for an easy travel planning experience.
Setting up your Google My Map
To start with Google My Maps, go to mymaps.google.com. If you don’t already have a Google account, you will need to set one up to get started using the My Map feature.
![Create a Travel Planning Map in Google My Map. Click Create New Map in top left corner](https://greetingsfromkelly.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Google-My-Maps-Travel-Planning-Map-11-1024x482.png)
Once you’re here, click the “Create a New Map” button in the top left corner. Your new map is now created. To name your map, click on where it says “Untitled Map” to rename it. I like to name my maps after where we are traveling to. I’ll also include other information such as how long we’ll be staying, who we are with, and the dates of our trip.
![Rename your new travel map by clicking untitled map in the top left corner](https://greetingsfromkelly.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Google-My-Maps-Travel-Planning-Map-10-1024x476.png)
![Add important details such as where we are going or the dates of our travel. In our case, we were visiting Nashville, TN](https://greetingsfromkelly.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Google-My-Maps-Travel-Planning-Map-8-1024x481.png)
Plotting Points on Google My Map
The first and easiest point to plot on your map is the place you’re staying. You can plot this point either by finding it on the map and clicking on it, or by searching for it in the search bar on the top. We stayed just outside of downtown Nashville for our trip. Click on “add point to map” to save the point to your map.
![Click Add to Map to update your travel map](https://greetingsfromkelly.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Google-My-Maps-Travel-Planning-Map-7-1024x479.png)
For quick and easy identification of the points you’re plotting, you should change the color and icon of the place you’re staying to make it stand out. The ability to color code destinations is one of the biggest benefits to using digital maps for travel planning.
![Use color coding to differentiate your points on the map](https://greetingsfromkelly.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Google-My-Maps-Travel-Planning-Map-6.png)
Add your second point by searching for your next destination in the search bar. If you need ideas for how to find points to add to your map, check out my post Five Ways to use Social Media to Plan your Next Vacation.
Organizing your Map
When using digital maps for travel planning, you are also able to add notes to your points along the way. I use this feature to add notes about parking cost if I’ve found any tips about cheap or convenient parking lots. I also like to use this feature for adding confirmation numbers for reservations we have.
![Use the notes section to remember important things, like how much you'll have to pay for parking](https://greetingsfromkelly.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Google-My-Maps-Travel-Planning-Map-3.png)
![I also like to use the notes section to gather confirmation numbers for places we have reservations with](https://greetingsfromkelly.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Google-My-Maps-Travel-Planning-Map-16.png)
Once all your points are plotted, you can click the name of any save place on the sidebar to jump to that spot on the map. Google also pulls up information about the spot, including the website and phone number.
![Click any point on the sidebar to immediately jump to that point on your map](https://greetingsfromkelly.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Google-My-Maps-Travel-Planning-Map-1-1024x483.png)
I like to organize my points by type. You might prefer to organize yours by day or location, and that’s fine too. I prefer to use the layer feature to plot out our route.
![I like to arrange my points by type of location, but you can arrange yours however it makes sense for you](https://greetingsfromkelly.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Google-My-Maps-Travel-Planning-Map-22.png)
Using Layers
To utilize layers on your map, click on the directions icon at the top. It will automatically create a new layer that will allow you to plot out each point you’ve saved onto a route. I like to map out where we will be going for an entire day so I can see where we will be and when.
![Use the direction layers tab to take your map travel planning to the next level. I use this feature to help lay out itineraries](https://greetingsfromkelly.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Google-My-Maps-Travel-Planning-Map-21-1024x474.png)
You can edit the name of the layers to keep your itinerary for your trip. To do this, simply click on the default name just like when you named your map.
![Rename each directional layer after the itinerary day for quick reference](https://greetingsfromkelly.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Google-My-Maps-Travel-Planning-Map-14-1024x482.png)
Finalizing the Map
When you’re done plotting points, you can see the finalized map by clicking the preview button in the sidebar. Here, you’re able to turn layers on and off so you can see all your points or check your routes by day. If you choose to share your map with someone else, this is the view they would have.
![In the preview mode, you can toggle on and off each day to help see where you will be going when](https://greetingsfromkelly.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Google-My-Maps-Travel-Planning-Map-12-1024x520.png)
![Day 1 is toggled off in this image so you can only see day two on the travel map](https://greetingsfromkelly.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Google-My-Maps-Travel-Planning-Map-27-1024x462.png)
In preview mode, you can also click on any plotted point on the map for a more detailed view of each spot, including photos.
![A more detailed look at the points on your map are available in preview mode.](https://greetingsfromkelly.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Google-My-Maps-Travel-Planning-Map-23-1024x484.png)
I love to print out a copy of my map before we embark so that I always have a hard copy of the information we gathered in case we don’t have service or my phone dies. To do this, click “print map” from the menu in the sidebar.
![Use the menu in preview to print a copy of your map for offline reference.](https://greetingsfromkelly.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Google-My-Maps-Travel-Planning-Map-26-1024x432.png)
Your final printed map will look something like the image below. I don’t find this map to be super helpful for navigational use. It is, however, useful for getting oriented in a new city and having a quick reference list of places you want to see.
![This is a copy of what your printed map (or PDF) might look like.](https://greetingsfromkelly.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Google-My-Maps-Travel-Planning-Map-24.png)
Did you find this guide useful for your next trip? I’d love if you dropped a link to your map below so I can see where you’re exploring next!