If you’re planning a road trip or just want to orchestrate the ideal day on the town, you’ll need to map a driving route with multiple stops. One of the most popular ways to do this is through Google Maps.
When you create a map with Google, it lets you add up to nine stops, minus your starting point, on both the website and mobile app. However, if you need to add more than nine stops, you’ll need to use an alternate app, such as Maptive. Read on to learn how to create a driving route on both Google and Maptive.
How to Map a Driving Route with Multiple Stops
Use the Google Maps Website to Add Multiple Stops
The first thing you need to do is open your browser and navigate to https://www.google.com/maps. Next, click the “Directions” button to the right of the search bar.
Google automatically uses your device’s location as the starting point. If you want to use a different starting point, you’ll need to enter it in the field labeled “Choose a starting point.” Then, enter the location for your first stop in the field below. Hit “Enter.”
To enter an additional location, click the “+” button located below your first destination. A field will appear where you can add your next stop. You can repeat this action up to nine times. If you need more stops, you will need to create a new map or use a different app.
If you need to change the order of your stops, you can drag and drop any destination up or down on the list using the circles on the left.
After you’ve created your map in your web browser, you can click the “Send directions to your phone” link to send it to your mobile device by either email or text message. If you have the Google Maps app installed, you can open the directions directly in the app.
Google will show you your total drive time, but unlike Maptive, it doesn’t offer drive time polygons. This tool will quickly show you how much time you need to get from one point on your map to another. This is useful for budgeting your time at individual stops. See below for more information on Maptive’s tools.
Use the Google Maps App to Add Multiple Stops
Using the Google Maps app to add multiple stops to a driving route is similar to using the website.
First, open up the app on your mobile device, and then click the blue “Go” button on the bottom right-hand side of your screen. As with the website, the app will use your device’s location as the default starting point. If you want to use a different location as the starting point, enter it in the blue field “Your location.”
Next, type in your first destination. To add a second destination, you’ll need to click the three dots at the top right-hand side and then select “Add Stop.”
To change the order of your stops, you can drag the destinations up or down the list using the three stacked lines on the left-hand side of the location. Once you’ve added all your stops, click “Done,” and your journey is ready to begin.
Use Maptive to Add Multiple Stops
Maptive’s online multi-stop route planners let you create the most efficient trip between up to 25 locations with up to 73 stops.
To begin, select a starting point. This can be done by either selecting your current location, selecting an existing map marker, and clicking “Add to Route” or manually typing in an address in the location window. Then, click on the + sign in the location window to add the first stop you want to make. Continue in this manner until you’ve added all the stops and locations you want to visit.
Alternatively, you can upload an excel file with your starting location and the addresses of all the stops you want to make. The program will create a driving route from this data, and then you can drag-and-drop locations to arrange them in your preferred order.
After your locations have all been added, you can view your route by clicking the “Get Directions” button. Then you have the option to optimize your route by viewing different route options or optimizing the order of stops for the most efficient route.
Once you’re happy with your driving route, you can export your map direction as an Excel spreadsheet or print it directly from Maptive.
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