User generated travel content on Google Maps
By Darren Cronian on Friday, May 30th, 2008

This travel blogger is a bit of a geek, actually, more than a bit, but whilst updating my travel video map I noticed a few new features on Google Map that I thought would be really useful for travellers. You can now view tons of user generated content in the way of photographs and videos within the map.

User generated travel content on Google Maps
Click on the map to view in real time

Let’s pretend I am visiting Seville, and my hotel is on a street called Calle Velrade, I can visit the map, and view photographs that other travellers have taken. I can watch a video of the Reales Alcázares Palace, a popular tourist attraction.

Users can also create maps, for example one tour company has created a map of the best tourist attractions in Seville, so I can view and print that map out to take with me on my trip. This is the reason why I love the internet, because it makes life so much easier for travellers.

Last year I wrote how you could create a map of your hotel with links to local restaurants from Yahoo local data, and mash it up with Google maps, and view the hotel and restaurants from street level, but until recently Google only provided the street level maps in popular US cities.

Yahoo Pipes and Google Maps for Trip planning
Click on the map to view it in real time.

You might be glad to hear that Google have started to record street level maps for Spain, and will be adding Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and other popular destinations in the next few months, pretty damn good stuff.


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6 responses to “User generated travel content on Google Maps”

familyonbikes | 30 May, 2008 at 5:58 pm

Whatever happened to regular ol’ maps? Yes - all those fancy gadgets are nice, but I can’t but think the basic art of using a map is being lost.

We travel on bikes, and can’t fire up the laptop at the spur of the moment to check the map - so we don’t use all that fancy stuff at all. I lot of people are amazed that we don’t even carry a GPS - but we didn’t let lost (not often, anyway) before the GPS was available, so why should we get lost now?

We will be taking off soon to ride our bikes from Alaska to Argentina, and we’re really, really, really excited about helping our sons learn to use maps - the plain, ol’, old-fashioned kind!!

BW | 30 May, 2008 at 6:19 pm

This is good to know.

I have my own google map on my site that highlights attractiosn etc. I also link the various points on the map to relevant posts on the site.

I think its a great way to give visitors access to articles that they may miss, just by navigating the site in the notmal way.

Darren Cronian | 31 May, 2008 at 2:02 am

@ Familyonbikes

Good point. I would use this more when reseasrching my destination, rather than using it on the move.

I think it’s really important that young people learn to read maps properly, so good for you to sticking with traditional maps.

@ BW

I agree, and its why I created my travel map (which I need to update) and the travel video map so people could search the map to find videos on destinations that they want to visit.

Debbie | 31 May, 2008 at 4:31 pm

We’ve used google maps for our own trips for a while. Travel guidebook maps often aren’t great (and often we’re planning from more than one book), so it’s useful to create a map of everything you want to see and make a printout before you go. That way you have a great map that shows attractions, restaurants, shops, etc all in one place, and it’s easy to slide into your daybag.

On my website, we’ve used google maps to provide printable 1/2 day itineraries for families that show our recommendations within a specific neighborhood. I think this is a nice way to blend the online resources and the need for a great printed map.

@ Familyonbikes, we’re huge fans of traditional maps just like you are. We learned long ago not to rely on tourist maps or guidebooks. In fact we almost always buy a Michelin spiral bound city guide for our destination (they’re terrific) to help us find our way around

Debbie

Darren Cronian | 31 May, 2008 at 11:35 pm

@ Debbie,

Sorry, I had to remove some links, advertising isn’t allowed in the comments. Hope you understand.

As for maps, the advantage of an interactive map like the ones in the post are good to get a picture of where restaurants are near the hotel.

The Nokia N95 is a good gadget to have on the move, because it has GPS, and google maps preinstalled.

Rohan | 3 June, 2008 at 5:15 pm

Niceeeeeeeee!!

When I get home tonight I will have a look at Sri Lanka to see if I can find any pics or videos as we are off there in six weeks!

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