Map out your holidays with these tips from Google Maps

The holidays are rapidly approaching–which means a time of food, family and fun. As we kick off this season, feast your eyes on our best Google Maps tips to help you save time, reduce stress and navigate the festivities with ease.

Let Google Maps be your ultimate sidekick 

Google Maps is here to help you get around, explore your city and get your holiday to-do list done efficiently–while maintaining your sanity. Check out our favourite tips to keep your festive season as stress free as possible:

• Search along your route: If you’re on the road and realise you need to make a stop–say you’re running low on fuel or-gasp!-found out the ham was burned–use Google Maps to search for a servo, butcher or other places along your drive so you can tackle your tasks without going too far out of your way. 
• Share your ETA: No one likes having to wait to pop the Christmas crackers. Let friends and family know when they can expect you with just a few taps. 
• Find hidden gems: If you’re heading home for the first time in a while or travelling to a new city, use the Explore tab find the best restaurants, sights and events happening in your area. 
• Don’t get lost: If you’re exploring on foot, Live View can help you figure out which way to walk with arrows and directions clearly overlaid on the map. 
• Save precious time: Use the Popular Times feature to see when holiday destinations are most crowded so you can know exactly when to visit. 

For Sydneysiders, we’ve also mapped the trends to help locals better avoid holiday crowds, or find places and activities your whole family will enjoy.

Avoid the crowds

Holiday crowds can easily transform a quick stop into an hours-long adventure. To save you time, we analysed Popular Times data at bakeries, liquor stores, movie theatres and shopping centres during Christmas week so you can know exactly when the crowds tend to peak and when to avoid them. Pro-tip: If you don't like lines, avoid shopping centres on Christmas Eve around 2pm!

Inspiration for travelling family and friends 

If you have friends and family joining you this festive season, and want to show them some local sights, take them out for a meal to give you and your kitchen a rest, or pick up a Boxing Day bargain, we’ve got the top trending places. No surprises we’re headed outdoors -- park cricket anyone?

Happy holidays!