2016-05-14 16:30 – Louzel Lombard

Cape Town – While people usually think of apps like Google Maps as a means to find out where they need to be and how to get there, Google Maps can also show you where you’ve been, let you share your images and experiences with users around the globe, show you places of interest on your route, and make sure you get there with minimal traffic.

The handy smart-phone app has been revolutionising the way we look at travel – from the people who document Google’s travel maps’ data, to the people that get to virtually travel the globe and expand their horizons.

If you consider yourself a Google Maps beginner, check out these four handy functions to need to know about:

Timelines

Google Maps Your Timelines shows you your location history, provided you have location history switched on on your device.

This can tell where you go the most often, provide a log of your business travel, or give you an easy way to remember all the places you visited on your last holiday.

Photos you took at those places will show up in your timeline if you use Google Photos, making it a one-stop holiday reference for when you get home.

SEE: Google lets you map your steps with new Timeline feature

Local Guides

If you’d like to share your experiences with the Google user community, you can sign up as a Local Guide.

You can post reviews of places you’ve been to (either on the day or when you get home) and add photos so other user can see what to expect. As a Local Guide you earn points for your activity and advance through levels – at Level 1 you get a Local Guides newsletter and the opportunity to join Local Guides hangouts and workshops.

Level 2 gives you early access to Google products and features. Further up the level you get 1TB of Google Drive access and exclusive access to the Local Guides community.