Let's say that you've just bought tickets to London, you picked out a hotel, and even have a few museums you want to see. It's party time, you're going on a trip!
You've got your major sites figured out, but what will you do with the rest of your time there? You might want to stop in a pub or two, compare fish and chips shops, or simply go shopping. But where should you go? The choices are almost endless. Guidebooks won't have many options, so you're stuck doing it yourself. I'll show you how you can use Google Maps to help you solve this problem.
I'm not suggesting that Google Maps will magically provide you with an itinerary, complete with walking directions, and a free coupon to the Wax Museum. However, it CAN help you find interesting restaurants, shops, and pubs near the places you want to go. All you have to do is do a little searching (both in your soul and online) and make a few maps.
What I like to do when I'm preparing for a trip is create a few maps, one for each neighborhood that I'm going to. (how do I do that?) Start off by adding a home base for you to fall back on, such as your hotel or a friend's home. Then, search for your major points of interest and add them each to your map. Once you've got your anchor points, you can move on to searching for, and adding your rest stops, your shopping trips, and your afternoon snacks. Seen a great restaurant mentioned on your favorite blog? Find it and add it to the map.
It's that simple. Print it, throw it in your bag, and go.
The magic in this process is that when you print out your personalized maps, each of them have a list of the places you saved, complete with their addresses and phone numbers.
I used this approach when Kelly and I went to Portland, and it really helped us plan out our days. Instead of having to spend copious amounts of time planning, we were able to simply pick out a map and go. Kelly also made this little map for a short trip to New York, it's a great example of how helpful personalized mapping can be.
Gone are the days where you leave an art museum, tired from walking all day, and have to search endlessly for a place to get a snack. Instead, with a personalized map in hand, you'll be able to spend less time wandering and more time exploring, eating, drinking, and having a better trip.
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