I built a trip itinerary in Google Maps, and it held up better than any travel app I've tried

Published Jul 31, 2026, 8:15 AM EDT Nick Lewis is an editor at How-To Geek. He has been using computers for 20 years --- tinkering with everything from the UI to the Windows registry to device firmware. Before How-To Geek, he used Python and C++ as a freelance programmer. In college, Nick made extensive use of Fortran while pursuing a physics degree. Nick's love of tinkering with computers extends beyond work. He has been running video game servers from home for more than 10 years using Windows, Ubuntu, or Raspberry Pi OS. He also uses Proxmox to self-host a variety of services, including a Jellyfin Media Server, an Airsonic music server, a handful of game servers, NextCloud, and two Windows virtual machines. He enjoys DIY projects, especially if they involve technology. He regularly repairs and repurposes old computers and hardware for whatever new project is at hand. He has designed crossovers for homemade speakers all the way from the basic design to the PCB. Nick enjoys the outdoors. When he isn't working on a computer or DIY project, he is most likely to be found camping, backpacking, or canoeing. Every time I plan a trip, I go through roughly the same steps: I download a specialized trip planner, spend a day carefully planning my days to optimize time, and then I spend the entire time reading out of my Google Keep notes and using Google Maps instead. The last trip I took, I forewent pretending that I'd actually make use of a dedicated travel planning app and just tried building an itinerary directly inside Google Maps Lists instead. Google Maps beat the dedicated travel apps Sometimes simple is better Credit: Jason Montoya / How-To Geek At its core, a Google Maps list is just a saved-places folder with a notes field, it doesn't really do much else. You have your default lists—Favorites, Want to go, and Starred places—but you can create your own named lists with custom emoji icons to keep things organized. You can also add text notes to each save location, which I've found is sufficient to keep myself organized. Google Map's lists can be kept private, shared via a link, or made collaborative, so a travel partner can add anything they find interesting. Most importantly, they sync across devices automatically and appear on downloaded offline maps. Everything in one place The primary advantage is that your pins are stored in the same app that you actually use to navigate. There is no exporting data, no second login, and no switching between two different apps just to figure out how to get to a restaurant you planned six weeks ago. Just tap the pin, tap directions, and get moving. If you're traveling with a group, you can send one link; nobody has to install yet another new app or create a million new accounts. Beyond the storage convenience, Google Maps has another perk: the data is as recent as you're going to get without calling a place yourself. When you use most dedicated travel apps, or worse, most AI, you're often looking at data that was scraped a long time ago. Restaurants close or relocate, and absolutely no one wants to Uber to a location only to discover that the restaurant has been boarded up since 2020. Google Pixel 10 Pro $749 $999 Save $250 Brand Google SoC Google Tensor G5 Display 6.3-inch Super Actua, 20:9 RAM 16 GB RAM Storage 128 GB / 256 GB / 512 GB with Zoned UFS / 1 TB with Zoned UFS The Pixel 10 Pro offers an upgrade over the base model with the powerful Google Tensor G5 chip, more RAM, and more storage (if you need it). Google Maps uses live data, or as close to it as is reasonably possible. You get up-to-date hours, phone numbers, website links, and a flag if they're closed. You can now even leverage Gemini to specifically build an itinerary directly using Google Map's data and your saved locations, which is much better than most of the alternatives available. It also works without a cellular connection, you just need to download the map in advance for offline use. Once you do that, your pins will remain visible and useable, which is helpful if you're in a subway station with poor service or in the middle of driving between cities in the Andes. Keep the notes on each entry After trying it out, there are a few things I found that helped me keep things straight. First, don't label things by city if you have to respect a schedule day by day—name them by day instead. So, my first day in Quito would be Day 1 — Quito and contain a list of restaurants and places I'd like to visit. Alternatively, Google Maps does support tags, which makes it easy to add "Day 1" or "Day 2" to a specific place you'd like to visit. I also tried to cluster my locations spatially first, then order my day, at least as much as is practical. With the pins in place, I put the actual information—arrival time, reservation numbers, things like that—in the note. I found that I haven't really missed the kind of "special" organization and storage that comes with travel apps. The few tickets I have wind up stored in Google Wallet anyway. As a final safety measure, screenshot each day's list the night before and then them to whomever you're traveling with. It's a simple backup, but it'll be nice to have if something goes wrong. Keep Google Maps for small trips Google Maps works well for small trips—two to seven days—with relatively few people in only a few locations. If you are mostly traveling via car, on foot, or public transit, this is a great option. However, it doesn't have the tools to handle more complex trips. If you're managing multi-city travel with flights, trains, and a half-dozen hotel reservations, it'll be too limiting. It can also get unusably messy if you're traveling with a large group that is going to split up and do different things. Still, the perks when it works are huge: up-to-date information, your itinerary, and travel directions all in one place.