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'The simple Google Maps trick that I swear by every time I travel'

March 7, 2024 - 10.01am

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While I have a whole arsenal of apps on my phone that I rely on while travelling, there's nothing closer to my heart than Google Maps.

Yes, I love my translation app, my budgeting app, the trusty weather widget and SeatGuru when booking plane seats.

But Google Maps takes the cake.

If you're thinking - girl, what? Surely it can't be that good - then you probably don't know about everything it can do.

READ MORE: 9travel's top holiday tips

Young woman using phone in a cafe, travel concept — Forget about paper maps, get an offline digital version on your phone. Getty Images/iStockphoto

There's one particular feature that I want to highlight today, which is a total game changer while you're travelling.

Did you know that you can save your maps offline and access them even without an internet connection?

As someone who steadfastly refuses to ever turn on my global roaming and pay the hefty fees, learning about offline maps was a gift from heaven.

How to download offline Google Maps

Open the Google Maps app Maps.
Tap your profile picture or initial Account Circle and then tap Offline maps.
Tap Select your own map.
Adjust the map according to the area you want to download.
Tap Download.

And there you have it - it's saved.

This map will stay on your phone for the next 365 days unless you delete it first.

Downloading your maps for offline use couldn't be easier. Google Maps

Now, you'll be able to see the maps as if you were connected to the internet, including all the bookmarks and places you've saved.

Speaking of which, if you haven't been saving your key places to your maps app - here's how to get started.

Say you've just finished a walking tour in Prague, and you're standing in the main square of the Old Town.

You know that you saved the location a cafe nearby that someone recommended for their excellent pastries, but all the cobblestoned alleys look the same and you have no clue where you are.

Whip out your Maps app - no internet connection needed - and boom, the cafe's location is right there.

The only downside is that you can't use the 'directions' function to navigate somewhere so you'll have keep an eye on your blue dot as it moves through the streets toward your destination.