Planning a trip? Check out the list of “Top 10” Google search tips and tricks for travellers seeking to make their travel planning simpler and more efficient:
1. Find hotel prices directly on Google Maps: No more copying-and-pasting the address from one site into a map to see its location – for several major cities you can now easily see nightly rates when you do a search for hotels in Google Maps.
Try it now: Search for a “hotel in London”.
2. Search for airline tickets: Booking travel? Type in the airport codes where you’ll depart and arrive, then enter your travel dates and select which ticket vendor site you’d like to visit.
Try it now: Search for an airline ticket between San Francisco and New York.
3. Preview your destination using Google Street View: Check out the attractions near your hotel by viewing Google’s 360º ground-level photos in 27 countries around the world.
Try it now: View the surroundings of the Plaza Hotel in New York.
4. Weather: Check out the weather for many cities around the world by typing “weather” followed by the name of the city or zipcode. To plan what to wear on a day of sightseeing, type “weather” into the search box and see the weather of your current location.
Try it now: Search for “weather in Paris”.
5. Parlez-vous Francais? Google Translate can translate words from English to French and back, as well as translate words in Spanish, German, Chinese, Hindi, and many other languages.
You can also use this service to translate entire documents or web pages to/from different languages or, enter any website address into translate.google.com, and Google will automatically detect the language and translate it into English. You can also translate phrases by typing directly into Google’s search box.
Try it now: Translate “Parlez-vous Francais?”
6. View local search results on a map: When you’re somewhere unfamiliar and want to quickly find somewhere to eat, enter the type of food, plus the town or postal code and Google will display the results on a useful map and give you directions for getting there.
Try it now: Search for “risotto in Rome” on Google Maps.
7. Easily perform currency conversions: Type “£10 in €”, “£10 in euros”, or “ten pounds in euros” to see the latest exchange rates for currencies traded around the world.
Try it now: Convert R100 into US dollars.
8. World clock: To see the time in many cities around the world, type in “time” and the name of the city. See what time it is at home so you can check in with a loved one when it’s convenient for both of you.
Try it now: What time is it in Cape Town?
9. Flight Tracker: To see if your flight will be on time simply type “flight status” and the flight number into Google. Try it now: check the status of Virgin flight VIR601 from London Heathrow to OR Tambo.
10. Plot your trip by adding your own icons to Google Maps: Make travel planning a snap with My Maps, a feature of Google Maps that lets you personalise the map by adding your own icons. Before your trip, you can use this tool to mark all the hotels you’re considering staying at and all the sights you want to be sure to see. Then decide which is in the most convenient location. You can also share My Maps with friends and family so they can all participate in mapping out your trip. When the trip’s over, use My Maps as a virtual scrapbook: add icons on the map for the great picnic spot you found in the park or for the great little ice-cream stand you kept revisiting. You can even add text, photos and videos within the My Map to help keep the memories alive. Example: Travel guide Hawaii. - Saturday Star