How to Make a Street Map Route
Long gone are the days when a traveler had to pull out a wrinkled old map and squeaky highlighter to plan a trip. Today, the Internet is the most effective, efficient way to organize a road trip. Not only do websites such as Google Maps give you visual, interactive pictures of your route, but they also spell out specific directions for your trip, turn by turn. Simply follow the step-by-step directions below to plan your next trip on Google Maps. Whether you are trying to get to the mall across town or drive to a city across the country, Google Maps can give you the peace of mind that you will get there as quickly and safely as possible.
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Instructions
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Open your web browser and type in the following url: http://www.google.com/maps.
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In the upper left-hand corner, directly underneath the "Google" logo, there is a link entitled "Get Directions." Click on this link. Two text boxes will appear, one labeled "A" and the other labeled "B." In the box labeled "A," type in the address of your starting location. In the box labeled "B," type in the address of your destination.
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Below box "B," there is a link entitled "Add Destination." If you wish to build an itinerary around multiple-destinations, click this link and another text box labeled "C" will appear. You can continue adding destinations until your itinerary is complete. To the right of the "Add Destination" link is another link called "Show Options." By clicking on this link, you can choose to avoid highways or tolls. You can also choose whether you want your calculations measured in miles or kilometers.
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Beneath the destination text boxes, there is a button labeled "Get Directions." To the left of this button is a drop menu with the following choices: by car, by public transit or walking. Choose your desired method of transportation by clicking on one of the options in the drop menu. Then click "Get Directions."
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After clicking "Get Directions," Google Maps should give you step-by-step directions from step A to B to C, etc. To the right of the written instructions is a visual street map outlining your route in yellow. There are multiple ways to navigate along the map, including dragging and dropping the map with your mouse or clicking on the arrows located in the upper left hand corner of the map. Below the arrow key is also a negative and positive key that you can use to zoom in and out of your map, giving you a view as broad as your entire trip or as narrow as a single block.
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If you wish to edit your route, you have two options. First, to change the destination, simply edit the text in the text boxes. Secondly, if you want to change the route between one destination and another, simply click on the yellow line between the two on the map and drag it wherever you please. For example, if you are driving from Washington, D.C., to New York City and would like to make a detour through Baltimore, simply drag the yellow line to Baltimore and Google Maps will calculate the rest.
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To print your map, click on the link entitled "Print" located to the right and directly above your map. Zoom in, zoom out, and drag the map to print copies of your route from whichever perspective best meets your needs.
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Tips & Warnings
For the most accurate directions, it is best to enter exact addresses into the destination text boxes. However, if you do not know the address, you can enter the nearest cross street. Sometimes, Google Maps will also recognize famous landmarks. For example, if you were trying to drive to the Empire State Building but do not know the exact address, you could enter "Empire State Building" into one of the destination boxes and Google Maps would display a list of possible destinations. At the top of the list would be the link "Empire State Building," with the New York address. When you click on the link, Google Maps will insert it into your destination text box.
If possible, it is always best to double check your directions with other navigation sites. Some other websites that may prove useful are Mapquest.com, maps.live.com, and maps.yahoo.com.
