Whether you’re headed across town or across states this week, your journey will go better if you let Google Maps be your copilot. Whether you’re having difficulties locating your hotel or you need to make a fast dinner reservation, Google’s navigation app is ready to assist, even when you don’t have internet.

There are a multitude of ways Google Maps may assist make your vacation simpler — from helping you navigate airports to making restaurant reservations. Check out some of the app’s most handy functions for travelers, below.

For more travel information, here’s the ideal time to browse for airline tickets and how to locate inexpensive flights.

This post is a part of 12 Days of Tips, which aims to maximize your health, home, and technology over the holidays.

1. Easily travel around airports and rail terminals

If you need to quickly locate a shop in a major mall or transportation hub, Google Maps provides a Directory option for all airports, malls and transit stations. This may assist while you’re dashing around the airport trying to locate a spot to dine or purchasing a last-minute memento before making your flight.

Find this option by searching for an airport, for example, and then pressing the Directory tab at the bottom to discover a destination’s business hours and what floor it’s on. Restaurants, shops, bars, and parking lots are all open for inspection.

2. Before you go, find out how crowded a place is.

Use the Busyness feature on Google Maps to assess how crowded a location is. You might already search for a place, such as a company, to see a chart that displays the popularity of that location at the period you are browsing. You may notice, for instance, whether whole map regions are less busy than normal or crowded with people thanks to a feature called Area Busyness.

Find a broad region, such as downtown, a riverwalk, or a charming neighboring town, by navigating the map using the Google Maps app on your Android or iPhone (or the browser on your PC). Now, you won’t have to expressly search for a location to see how crowded it is since the busyness information will show up on the map automatically. When you click for further information, Google Maps may display “Busy Area” followed by “As busy as it gets” or “Not too busy.”

To check busy vs non-busy hours, you may also search for the place you’re looking for and scroll down.

3. Reserve a table at a restaurant without phoning

It may be difficult to plan a dinner night out with a big party, particularly if you go at a busy period. You may use Google Maps to make reservations for lunch or supper. Here’s how.

1. To get a list of dining options, hit the Restaurants icon at the top of the map in Maps.

2. Pick a restaurant that appeals to you, and if it offers it, make a reservation or sign up for a waitlist in the window that appears (not all do).

Keep in mind that you may choose the least crowded location by using the bustle function described above. Additionally, keep in mind that some eateries that ban dine-in may nevertheless accept deliveries, curbside pickup, or outside sitting.

The Google Maps GPS app

Use Google Maps when your mobile signal is weak.

Are you going somewhere far away where you may not have access to a cell network? Even when you’re not online, Google Maps can still provide you with instructions.

1. Look up the address where you need instructions in Maps before you go.

2. Pull up the menu in the location window and scroll until a menu with a More option appears at the bottom.

3. Select “Download offline map,” then “Download again” after making sure that’s the region you want a map to appear in the following window. Maps will download a map of the region you have chosen to your phone.

Google Maps will now utilize the offline map to lead you in the event that your cellular connection is lost while you are using it to get directions in the region you downloaded. Keep in mind that Maps cannot provide real-time traffic information while you are offline.

5. Locate local EV charging stations

Google Maps can assist you in locating EV charging stations along your route, as well as the approximate wait periods for a charging port, whether you’re driving an EV for a trip, supper, or shopping. To see just the stations that are compatible with your EV, you may further refine your search by connection type, such as J1772, CCS (Combo 1 or 2), and Tesla. Keep in mind that you may use these similar instructions to look for petrol stations. (Here are some ways to reduce gas prices.)

1. Navigate through the tabs at the top of the screen in Maps, then choose More.

2. Choose Charging stations from the Services section after scrolling down.

3. Maps will show the number of charging stations in the location you are looking for or those that are close by.

4. To add a charging station as a stop on your journey, tap on it.

This method may also be used to look for other locations, such as a coffee shop, along your trip.

6. Let friends and relatives know where you are.

When the group splits up and nobody can locate one another, is there anything more annoying than that? You can all get back together with the aid of Google Maps.

1. Select Location sharing by tapping your profile symbol in the upper right corner of Google Maps.

2. Select who you want to share your location with and for what duration by tapping Share location.

3. After you tap Share, Google Maps will communicate your location to all of the people you’ve chosen.

4. Tap the person’s symbol at the top of the window, then choose Request to see their location.

7. Making, sharing, and accessing lists that have been curated

How can you ensure that your trip includes seeing everything? You can bookmark future locations and have them all accessible at a glance if you make a list in Google Maps.

Just choose the + New list button under the You tab. You may choose an icon and give the list a name and description. You may then browse straight through the tabs and hit the Save button to add a location on the map that you wish to see later to your new list. You may ask your fellow travelers to work together by sharing this list with them.

For further information, see our checklist for travelers and tips on how to increase the likelihood that your flight won’t be delayed or canceled.