When visiting New York City, you’re dependent on a combination of ride-sharing services and public transportation to get around. Google Maps makes navigating the combination of trains, subways and buses much easier than in the past. Type in where you want to go and instantly receive several choices on how to get there, taking into consideration schedules, connection times and even delays.
The more I depended on Google Maps, I more I realized that while the directions it provided were the fastest or most efficient way to get from one place to another, they might not be the way I wanted to go. Maybe I wanted to use a station I was familiar with, or I might not want to go and try to hunt down a bus stop in an unfamiliar neighborhood at 11 PM.
That was, until I found a way to tweak the settings that put me more in control of the results.
For example, say you’re staying at JFK and want to travel to Times Square for the evening. Google Maps will get you there, taking a bus to the subway.
But what if you don’t want to take a bus? That’s where the Options page is a lifesaver. Somehow, I never paid attention to it until this trip.
You can toggle the settings to tell the map only to provide directions using the modes of transport you want. The most helpful thing is the Connecting Modes tab. This lets you add Ride Services (or auto rickshaw) as part of your travels.
Listed below the directions telling you to take a bus to the train to the subway, there’s now a listing for Mixed Modes which gives directions for taking a Lyft to the subway station. I prefer that second option, which falls under my rule of spending a few extra dollars when traveling if it will make my life easier.
Final Thoughts
The ability to select a route with the fewest transfers or the least walking forces Google Maps to display options that meet your travel preferences. I was glad I stumbled across the options page while fooling around with the app. Hopefully, this hint will help you customize your directions from Google Maps to better match your travel style.
Want to comment on this post? Great! Read this first to help ensure it gets approved.
Like this post? Please share it! We have plenty more just like it and would love it if you decided to hang around and get emailed notifications of when we post. Or maybe you’d like to join our Facebook group – we have 16,000+ members and we talk and ask questions about travel (including Disney parks), creative ways to earn frequent flyer miles and hotel points, how to save money on or for your trips, get access to travel articles you may not see otherwise, etc. Whether you’ve read our posts before or this is the first time you’re stopping by, we’re really glad you’re here and hope you come back to visit again!
This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
The post How To Get Google Maps To Show The Directions You Want appeared first on Your Mileage May Vary.
Written by Your Mileage May Vary @ https://yourmileagemayvary.net
Written by Your Mileage May Vary @ https://yourmileagemayvary.net