Planning road trips abroad with Google Maps
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: France
Programs: Krisflyer, Flying Blue, Skywards
Posts: 62
Planning road trips abroad with Google Maps
I take lengthy road trips with my husband and pre-trip, I plot points of interest all over a google map. Normally, I would export the KML and he would import into our GPS which already has a map downloaded. This time, we are going to South Korea and we cannot find a compatible map. So we need alternatives.
Is there an iOS app we can use that might function as a GPS and at the same time use the KML map we extracted from Google Maps? We mainly need audio directions from Point A to Point B.
The car rental offers a GPS for rent, which we might take up, but we have read on forums that it's in Korean. That would make it useless for us since we don't speak Korean. Even if it is in English, there would be no way to import our KML file once we are in Korea.
How else do travellers sort out this sort of independent road trip travel? I'm from the GPS era, so to actually mark and read off a physical map is going to suck out some joy.
Is there an iOS app we can use that might function as a GPS and at the same time use the KML map we extracted from Google Maps? We mainly need audio directions from Point A to Point B.
The car rental offers a GPS for rent, which we might take up, but we have read on forums that it's in Korean. That would make it useless for us since we don't speak Korean. Even if it is in English, there would be no way to import our KML file once we are in Korea.
How else do travellers sort out this sort of independent road trip travel? I'm from the GPS era, so to actually mark and read off a physical map is going to suck out some joy.
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: Seat 1A, Juice pretty much everywhere, Mucci des Coins Exotiques
Posts: 34,339
What I do is use Google Maps on my iPhone which does speak out the turn by turn instructions to you. If you don't want to pay for 3G/4G data roaming or get a local SIM, then you should be aware that you can load the map while in your hotel on the WiFi and it will stay loaded on your phone as you are driving. Thus no need for a separate GPS.
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: France
Programs: Krisflyer, Flying Blue, Skywards
Posts: 62
I didn't know Google Maps did this now because I recall trying some time ago and there seemed to be no way to import or use the maps I'd created on the computer. Thanks for this, I'm going to give it a go!
#4
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: K+K
Programs: *G
Posts: 4,871
iirc, google maps does not let you take offline snapshot of korea??? due to licensing restrictions. this means no "manual" routing,
one way around is to set the route while you are connected, which will download the path for turn-by-turn navigation.... but it is useless if you stray off the route
there are many reliable, open-source-map based navigators out there for offline maps and turn-by-turn navigation. on android i liked OSMAND. on iOS there is maps.me
one way around is to set the route while you are connected, which will download the path for turn-by-turn navigation.... but it is useless if you stray off the route
there are many reliable, open-source-map based navigators out there for offline maps and turn-by-turn navigation. on android i liked OSMAND. on iOS there is maps.me
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: France
Programs: Krisflyer, Flying Blue, Skywards
Posts: 62
iirc, google maps does not let you take offline snapshot of korea??? due to licensing restrictions. this means no "manual" routing,
one way around is to set the route while you are connected, which will download the path for turn-by-turn navigation.... but it is useless if you stray off the route
there are many reliable, open-source-map based navigators out there for offline maps and turn-by-turn navigation. on android i liked OSMAND. on iOS there is maps.me
one way around is to set the route while you are connected, which will download the path for turn-by-turn navigation.... but it is useless if you stray off the route
there are many reliable, open-source-map based navigators out there for offline maps and turn-by-turn navigation. on android i liked OSMAND. on iOS there is maps.me
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: France
Programs: Krisflyer, Flying Blue, Skywards
Posts: 62
What I do is use Google Maps on my iPhone which does speak out the turn by turn instructions to you. If you don't want to pay for 3G/4G data roaming or get a local SIM, then you should be aware that you can load the map while in your hotel on the WiFi and it will stay loaded on your phone as you are driving. Thus no need for a separate GPS.
#7
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: Seat 1A, Juice pretty much everywhere, Mucci des Coins Exotiques
Posts: 34,339
That said, I've never done this in Korea and I think deniah is correct that Google doesn't have licenses for Korea because when I try this at maps.google.com it only allows me to map public transport and not private automobile routes.
#9
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Bay Area
Programs: DL SM, UA MP.
Posts: 12,729
First of all the new Google My Maps no longer allow you to save driving directions as custom My Maps.
Secondly, Google has a separate app. for Android to bring in your custom My Maps containing all the custom POIs you saved.
For iOS, there is a third party My Maps for $5 which will import all your custom My Maps. Then when you click on a POI, you can send it to either Apple or Google Maps on your phone and from there, use it for navigation.
Secondly, Google has a separate app. for Android to bring in your custom My Maps containing all the custom POIs you saved.
For iOS, there is a third party My Maps for $5 which will import all your custom My Maps. Then when you click on a POI, you can send it to either Apple or Google Maps on your phone and from there, use it for navigation.
#10
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: Seat 1A, Juice pretty much everywhere, Mucci des Coins Exotiques
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Or are you talking about something else?
#11
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Bay Area
Programs: DL SM, UA MP.
Posts: 12,729
When you search directions on the desktop version of Google Maps, you used to be able to save that route, with waypoints that you determine, to a custom My Maps.
It no longer allows that, because the new mapsengine doesn't support it apparently.
Another regression is that in the custom My Maps, there would be a scale to estimate distances. No longer, now you have to actually trace a route for it to return a distance.
It no longer allows that, because the new mapsengine doesn't support it apparently.
Another regression is that in the custom My Maps, there would be a scale to estimate distances. No longer, now you have to actually trace a route for it to return a distance.
#13
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Bay Area
Programs: DL SM, UA MP.
Posts: 12,729
Yes, you're talking about saving map tiles in the app. for offline use.
I'm talking about customized maps with customized POI layers.
And before they moved to a new engine, those customized maps could contain layers with specific routing or directions.
I'm talking about customized maps with customized POI layers.
And before they moved to a new engine, those customized maps could contain layers with specific routing or directions.
#14
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 1
Slightly off topic but if you use the Google Maps app and want to save maps while you are on Wifi for offline use later on, type "Okay maps" into the search bar and it will ask you to name the map and it will download all the different zoom levels for a set area.