I joined the Local guide team on Google map some years ago, before my 3 weeks trip to America in 2014. Until thís trip, I didn’t know any places nor transportation and driving rules in the United States.
Let me tell you how we, the group members, have debated about my intention to hire a car and drive to the national parks in the US
Initially, to have an idea of locations in the United States, I downloaded a road map with the boundary of the state, to know where I should visit. Then I started using Google map to plan my movements.
When we decided to drive to the Grand Canyon and other National parks, my girlfriend said:
I am afraid of driving ourselves in the Arizona, Nevada or Utah desert.
Why are you afraid? - I asked
“Because there may be no vehicles around us on our way. I feel afraid” - my friend said.
I myself don’t know how to say, because I don’t know myself anything about the roads in the American desert.
Later when I zoom in to the roads, I discovered that google map has ‘Street view mode’ that allows me to land onto a part of a road and even move along the roads, see other people and cars moving…
I activated Google’s Street View mode on and showed roads to my friend. She then could see on the roads 40, 64, and 89 from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon and other places many cars moving. Not many cars were on the road, but it is enough to reassure my friend…
It was only then that makes she relieved about my plan to rent a self-driving car, go through the deserts of Arizona, Utah, Nevada to National Parks …
Later when we went to the US, google map was always an important tool to help us find hotels, shops, eating places and travel orientation …