This Summer, Let Google be Your Free Personal Travel Concierge

August 2014

Google Travel Tools

From selecting the best girlfriend getaway destination to real-time travel information to translating street signs, Google has you covered

With the sun finally shining, women travelers are looking to get the most out of summer after a long, cold winter. Women planning summer holidays are especially interested in shedding their extra baggage. Searches for ‘how to pack light’ have been popular amongst all travelers. Whether you’re travelling with children, friends or solo, you can swap out the extra weight and pack your mobile device. Google’s travel tools can help you navigate, translate and share your memories from the palm of your hand. Happy travels!

Before you go

1. Google Flight Search: Flight Search helps you explore air travel options and plan your trip with just a few clicks of the mouse. Not sure where you want to travel? No problem. Just type in your departure city and surf around the map to see ticket prices for various destinations. You can filter by airline, number of stops or flight duration. Once you have a destination in mind, click the calendar icon to see what dates will get you the best prices.

2. Google Now: When you’re packed and on your way, a Google Now card pops up on your device to provide you with helpful travel information. Google Now is like a personal assistant — when you opt in, it connects with your Gmail and Calendar to give you relevant information at times when it’s useful to you, including if your flight is currently on time and what terminal you need to go to.

3. Google Play: Don’t leave in-flight entertainment to the airlines. You can listen to music and rent or buy movies or TV shows from the Google Play store. There’s also an offline mode, so you can download a film or pin a music playlist to your device and enjoy it even without an internet connection!

When you arrive

4. Google Now: Just landed? Google Now landed with you. As you walk to the taxi line you’ll get instant directions to your hotel, a link for translation, a virtual travel guide that anticipates your next question. Traveling abroad? With Google Now, receive currency conversion when you land so you can figure out that cab fare, and suggestions for hot spots nearby.

5. Google Maps: Now that you’ve arrived, plan your itinerary using Google Maps and the actual street view imagery of wherever you are. Google has captured streetview imagery for locations around the world from the trails of our National Parks here at home to majestic mountains of the Swiss Alps.

While you’re away

6. Google Translate: The Google Search app is great for quick translations, but the app can also be used in Conversation Mode to have a dialogue with new friends in near real time. Another useful feature is the Phrasebook. You can put in phrases you think you’ll need before you even leave for your trip and look them up later when you need them – even when you don’t have an Internet connection.

Reading street signs or menus? Use the Camera Mode in the Google Translate app. Just take a picture of what you’re looking at, use your finger to highlight the items, and Google Translate automatically recognizes the text and gives you a translation or says it outloud. Never again will you mistakenly order frogs’ legs!

7. Google Play Music: Recently launched, Google Play Music is the only music service that lets you stream music and store your own collection online. Don’t have mobile data while you’re away? Not to worry — albums and playlists can be pinned and kept on your phone, tablet or computer so you can listen when you don’t have a data connection. Whether you’re on a flight, or blissfully falling asleep on a beach, check out some of Google’s carefully curated playlists — or better yet, make your own!

When you get home

8. Google+: Taking and sharing photos is one of the most pleasurable aspects of travel. Google+ takes the work out of sorting through your photos. After automatically backing up your images, the Auto Awesome feature finds the best photos in your albums, removes duplicates and blurry images, and makes them look better with the Auto Enhance feature. The Auto Awesome feature also connects similar photos together to create panoramas, not to mention videos and GIFs!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.