Google Maps Is a Lifeline for People Under Siege

When most people want spoken driving directions, they start up Google Maps. But the app’s real muscle appears between rides. With over 1 billion people using it every month and hundreds of billions of Google Street View images taken, Maps has become a daily tool to cut stress, save time and discover locales you might not otherwise find. Here are six clever ways I rely on it even when I’m not in transit mode.

Preview Routes to Jog Your Memory Before Driving

If I haven’t driven somewhere in a while, I open Maps to “rehearse” the route. A cursory review of roads taken, major turns and hairy intersections with names can often serve to lock the route back into memory. I’ll drop a pin on the map, step through the route and use Street View to check out landmarks so that I’m not second-guessing behind the wheel. It’s a five-minute confidence ride that eliminates wrong turns and mid-stride U-turns.

Scout Parking and Drop-Offs With Street View

Before I go somewhere new, I look for parking lots, signed bays and safe drop-off points. Street View and satellite layers make it easy, and the capture date in the corner helps me estimate how recent the imagery is. If curbside space appears tight, I’ll look up the word “parking” in search to find the nearest garages, check prices and hours in the listing, and decide whether my ride-hailing fare will be cheaper than driving around the block. Many say this kind of pre-check can shorten aimless cruising time by 15-20 minutes in crowded areas.

Work Around Traffic With Depart At Times

Traffic conditions change all the time, and a guess can be awfully costly to a close timetable. Maps’ Depart at and Arrive by options calculate travel time using historical information and live conditions. I’ll put in an imaginary afternoon departure to see what the time estimate skyrockets to during rush hour, then plan my schedule around the slower window. Transportation analytics companies often demonstrate how the daily commutes of people in a big city lose dozens of hours each year to congestion; poking around for two minutes in Maps helps me keep from adding extra time to that total.

For time-sensitive trips, like airport runs, I add those, with live incident alerts on, so I can pad a buffer if there’s a crash, construction or weather pinch point. I’m not just shaving minutes off — it alleviates anxiety, too, because I’ve already gamed out the worst possible scenario.

Discover Under-the-Radar Spots Nearby With Google Maps

As search engines return the same trending restaurants and shops, Maps helps me discover alternatives that fall through the cracks of the internet’s “best of” lists.

I’ll zoom in to a quieter neighborhood I enjoy; filter by cuisine or “open now”; and read recent reviews to get a sense of the relative quality, accessibility and vibe. Google says the service contains information on hundreds of millions of places around the world, and that reach is useful for discovering small businesses with no slick website but up-to-date listings and community photos.

I also put finds into custom Lists — human-compiled, clearly organized archives of spots I’ve been to and discovered but have not visited yet — “Weeknight Eats,” “Gift Shops,” “Rainy-Day Cafés” — so that my next good idea is standing right there when I need it.

Check Current Hours and Crowd Levels Before You Go

Hours can be sporadic, especially near the holidays. Maps listings commonly have “Popular Times” and “Live” busyness barometers, synthesized from aggregated anonymized data that can help prevent long lines and overload of the senses. I always double-check recent user photos and reviews for telltale signs of temporary closures, appointment-only windows or special event nights.

It isn’t flawless. Some list 24-hour availability even though you won’t be able to book an appointment during those hours, and some simply promise “any time.” When I don’t want to leave things to chance, I ring the venue — Maps does give me a phone number and a fast idea of what to expect at the door.

Measure, Note and Share Using Custom Maps

For a day of errands, or on a photo walk (or even when we were house hunting), I will make a custom map in My Maps and drop color-coded pins with little notes like “wheelchair ramp entrance on 3rd St” or “best entrance off Elm.” I can use the built-in measure tool to estimate distance between stops (which is handy if I’m pacing activities according to energy levels or weather). And being able to share that map with friends is more convenient than dropping 12 addresses in a chat box.

Gyms, Reviews and Location-Based Support

Location-based games are built on a pool of IRL spots. For the kinds I’m nominating or reviewing most in games like Niantic Wayfarer — for titles like Pokémon Go — Maps is invaluable. I’ll confirm pedestrian access, see if a candidate is unique or duplicative, and use Street View to make sure that a mural or trail marker is where someone said it was when they placed the pin. Wayfarer even launches locations directly in Maps, which makes validating just a tap away.

If you’re not a player, the photos, edits and reviews you contribute to Maps help the data everyone is searching for. According to Google, people make millions of such contributions each day, and just as the site’s notorious traffic map is more accurate when more users click on it to see where the congestion is building up, everything improves with broader participation: better driving directions, safer arrivals and fewer wasted trips.

The takeaway: Google Maps is much more than a disembodied voice in your dashboard. With a bit of curiosity and some lesser-known tools, it becomes a daily planning pal — one that helps you remember routes, dodge traffic, park smarter, find hidden gems, avoid crowds and even improve the map for the next person.