Now that COVID-19 vaccinations are starting to roll out, the prospect of going on vacation is becoming a reality again. To help plan your next trip, Google has rolled out a new update to its Travel page that will give you all of the information you need about any travel restrictions you need to take into consideration.
The new tools were announced in a blog post in response to the uptick in searches for travel-related information, including 'travel restrictions', as well as 'where to travel.' So when you're perusing information on flights, hotels, and activities, Google will give you a heads up on any restrictions in place, as well as any relevant COVID-19 travel advice you need to be aware of.
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That includes details on whether you need to quarantine on arrival at your destination of choice, and if you need to provide evidence of being vaccinated or of a negative COVID result. It'll also let you know if travel between your local area and your destination is completely prohibited, so you won't waste time planning for a trip that you can't actually go on.
What with the travel situation being somewhat fluid as different regions adjust their advice based on various factors, you'll want to know if restrictions are being lifted, or new ones are put in place. To that end, you can opt to receive email notifications if the guidance changes for your destination. The updates are for both international travel between countries, as well as state-specific notifications.
Additional tools that have rolled out to make your vacation planning less of a headache include an overhaul of the Travel page which has given Explore its very own tab. So you can filter by destinations based on particular interests, i.e. skiing, outdoors, beaches etc. Regardless of any post-vaccine travel plans, be sure to bring plenty of masks.
Meanwhile, Google Maps now offers a feature allowing you to search along routes which is useful for planning a road trip. Visit Google Maps on desktop, and enter your starting destination and end point. You'll then be able to choose from a range of places at the top of the map including hotels, camping grounds etc, and select locations as stops along your route.
Once you've mapped out your road trip, you can send the directions to your smartphone via email, text, or the Google Maps app, so it's easily accessible once you hit the road. You can tweak your route along the way, adding and deleting stops if needed.
The new suite of tools should make vacation planning a lot easier in the midst of the pandemic, so you've got one less thing to worry about.
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