The COVID-19 pandemic has made traveling to places a bit difficult due to strict quarantine protocols. To help those who plan on making a trip soon, Google announced today a few updates to some of its services meant to provide users more details about travel restrictions in their destinations.
Google noted a spike in travel-related queries on its platform including searches for travel restrictions by country. Google Search already shows restriction advisories when you try to book a flight or hotel room. Today"s update means the platform will let you know when there"s a need for you to undergo quarantine when you arrive at your destination. You"ll also get information about other health safety protocols like when you need to show your COVID test results or vaccination documents.
In addition, you can choose to receive an email notification when travel advisories or restrictions in certain places change. To do so, you can simply log in to your Google account and switch on “Receive an email if this guidance changes". You will then get alerts when your destination country or state in the U.S. lifts or minimizes its travel restriction.
Additionally, Google rolled out a makeover to the Explore tab in Google Travel. Previously, the portal would display flight prices for certain destinations. The updated experience now shows images of cities and national parks on the map. You can even filter your view according to what type of trip you"d like to have like outdoors or beaches. The new interface also features Travel mode for when you want to see only the cities with airports.
Finally, Google Maps will now suggest some pit stops for you ahead of time when you hit the road. The feature is available on Maps" desktop version and it"ll recommend hotels, parks, campgrounds, and rest stops after you"ve entered your starting and final destination points. You can choose individual stops and then share your directions to your phone through text, email or the Maps app in order to navigate with your mobile device. Google will also let you edit or update your journey on the fly by swiping up on your phone.