We may not be traveling as freely now as we were years ago but holiday season is almost upon us and there are still those who want to be able to book some vacation time away. Google says 40% of Americans are still planning to travel and so they are reminding people of the features that you can take advantage of when planning a safe trip snd knowing where are places you can actually go to. But if you’re not traveling, there are some ways you can relive your past ones through Google products too.
Google will have all the information about flights, places, hotels, and all the travel advisories and restrictions that are in place. And in case any of those restrictions are lifted, you’ll be able to see info about travel reopening as well. All can be seen in your search results and you can also see details on google.com/travel like trends for flight and hotel availability and links to resources like how many COVID cases are in the area.
They previously had a free cancellation filter on Search and the travel link mentioned earlier and now they’re adding information on what additional measures are being taken in hotels and vacation rentals. You can see the information by tapping on the about tab of the place. Google Maps also has an additional COVID layer so you can get related information in the area before you decide whether or not to go through with the trip.
If you’re planning to stay at home but you miss traveling, you can relive all your past trips on Google Maps and Google Photos. You’ll see a new Trips tab in your Maps timeline with a summary of your past vacations, that is if you chose to turn on your Location History setting. You’ll also see a new Timeline feature on Photos to enhance the interactive map view that you already have.
The important thing to remember if you chose to travel in the next few months is that there are tools out there to help you stay safe and make informed decision. And if that decision is to just stay at home, well, you’ll alway have past trips to tide you over until we can all safely travel.