Getting Driving Directions


Google Maps provides more than one method for plotting a course to your destination. If you have followed the steps in the preceding section and already have an information balloon, you are practically there. Try this:

  1. Click the to here link in the information balloon. Google Maps prompts you for a starting address.

  2. Type your starting address as completely as possible (street number, city, state) in the Start Address box and then click Go (or press Enter). Google Maps refreshes the map, charting a course from your start point to your destination. New DOT icons appear with a green start (or play) icon marking your start address and an orange stop icon at your destination.

    On the left side of the screen, as shown in Figure 12.5, step-by-step instructions appear outlining each turn you will make and the distance traveled on each road. These steps are numbered. Click on the number for an intersection and another information balloon appears at that portion of the route. The balloon reveals another small inset map of just that portion of the route. You can zoom in or out of this map using the +/ buttons, or, like the main map, switch to Satellite or Hybrid views. Click the Start address or End address links to get the inset map for your start and end points. Click the Reverse directions link to rechart a course from your destination to your start point. All the route steps are updated.

    image from book
    Figure 12.5: Follow the simple directions on the left or use the map guide to navigate between locations.

Get quick directions

To generate directions using Google Maps’ single search box convenience, type your start and end points separated by to; for example, type flint michigan to dallas tx in the Search box, and Google Maps produces the appropriate maps and instructions.

Click the Get directions link and a second search box appears, representing the end points of your trip. If you have already loaded a specific map, one of these search boxes will already be filled in for you. Fill in the other box, click the Get Directions button (not the Get directions link) and let Google Maps chart your course.

Saving waypoints

You may find it useful to save a particular map as your start location. Here’s how:

  1. Click the Search the map link to find your home street, hotel, or workplace. C

  2. Click the Make this my default location link. On all subsequent visits to Google Maps, this map appears and this address is the default starting point in the Get Directions feature, eliminating the need to type this starting point (for example, your home address) each time. You can change this default any time by repeating these steps.

Note 

When you go to http://maps.google.com, your saved default address/location appears in the upper-left corner of the screen. Click the Clear link to restore the Google Maps default start page.



Google Power Tools Bible
Google Power Tools Bible
ISBN: 0470097124
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2004
Pages: 353

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