My Google Map Blog

With November well under way, we candycane’t help but get excited for the holidays! Whether you’ve been naughty or nice this year, Google Maps has your back. We’ve compiled nine of our favorite tips — no matter what your holiday persona is — so you can sleigh your plans and to-do list this season.

For the person who already made their list and checked it twice:

1. Figure out the best time to leave: Holiday traffic can be unpredictable. To make sure you’re on time, get driving directions on Google Maps and tap the three dots on the right side of your screen. Set the time you’d like to arrive by to see how long it’ll take you to get to your destination.

2. Save money on gas: With eco-friendly routing, you can now choose the most fuel-efficient route to your destination. A quick search for “gas prices” shows you prices for nearby stations so you can pick the cheapest one.

3. Save time grocery shopping: Whether you’re grabbing a missing ingredient or stocking up before your in-laws arrive, pickup with Google Maps is the new grocery pickup experience that can get you in and out of the parking lot in less than five minutes. Simply place an online order from a participating Kroger Family store, then add it to Maps from your order confirmation page. This is currently available in the US only.

For the spontaneous shopper:

4. Search along your route: Forget a hostess gift? If you’re on the road, use Google Maps to search for malls, grocery stores and other places along your drive so you can tackle your tasks without going out of your way.

5. Tap and go with contactless payments: Avoid pulling out your wallet or touching a parking meter by paying for street parking or public transit right from Google Maps. When you’re out and about, just type in your meter number, hit pay and refill. If you’re taking public transit, you’ll see an option to pay as soon as you arrive at the station.

6. Find your way around malls, airports and transit stations fast: With the new Directory tab, you can easily see where all of the places are within a large building — like where the jewelry store is inside your local mall. With just a few taps, get helpful information about the place — such as if it's open now, what floor it's on, and how highly it's rated — so you can get in and out in no time.

For the holiday party hopper:

7. Find people and places with ease: If you’re strolling through a new neighborhood, let Live View guide your way with augmented reality arrows and directions overlaid right on top of your world. Meeting up with a friend who shared their location with you? Just tap on their icon and then on Live View to see where and how far away they are — and quickly follow the arrows to find them.

8. Share your ETA: ‘Tis the season to run between Friendsgiving meals and holiday parties. You can use Google Maps to let friends and family know exactly when they can expect you to arrive with just a few taps.

9. Find the fun (or hibernate far away from it) with live busyness information: Before you head out, search for a place on Google Maps and scroll down to see how busy it is right now so you can plan your social life accordingly. This holiday season, we’re also launching Area Busyness, a new tool stemming from the existing busyness feature, that shows you when parts of town are busier than usual, so you can know how to avoid those packed streets near hot brunch spots or see which neighborhoods are bustling with activity.

This holiday season, many of us are feeling more comfortable traveling to see loved ones, shopping in person and scoping out the things to do and places to visit.

As we continue to navigate this new normal, we took a look at Google Maps trends in the U.S. — from the most popular times to visit certain places to what foods Americans are ordering most — to help you make your list, check it twice and get through the holiday season safely, efficiently and joyfully.

No thyme for lines and crowds? No worries

Whether you’re shopping for the perfect Thanksgiving turkey or refilling your hand sanitizer supply, no one likes waiting in line. According to Google Maps data, these are the best and worst times to visit the grocery store, based on the live busyness information in Google Maps:

Last year we saw popular gift stores like Kay Jewelers, Bath & Body Works and Barnes & Noble trend in December, with Maps searches for these places increasing 100% from the month before. With expected shipping delays, it’s important to get ahead of your holiday shopping. Here are the best and worst times to fill your sleigh at shopping centers and department stores, according to Google Maps data:

Once you’ve gathered all your gifts and written your cards, it’s time to head to the post office to spread holiday cheer. With fewer people traveling to meet up with loved ones, Maps searches for post offices were up nearly 150% month over month last December. Check out the best and worst times to visit the post office so you can get those holiday cards out without the hassle.

After all that holiday hustle and bustle, it's time to treat yo’elf! According to Google Maps searches, people look for nail salons more than three times as much as they search for gyms in December. If you’re looking to get pampered at the salon, consider making your appointment at a less busy time:

But wait, there’s myrrh. Once you know where you’re going, the next step is figuring out how you’ll get there — whether it's a plane, train or Polar Express.

According to Google Maps, it looks like Americans are getting back to familiar methods of transportation, with national interest in public transit up 40% compared to last year. This jump is higher in metros known for their public transportation: San Francisco leads the way with transit interest up nearly 95% compared to last year, followed by Washington D.C. (up nearly 75% since last year) and Chicago (up nearly 65% over the same period of time).

Should you choose to travel through the skies (red nose not included), book your travel around these least busy times:

Eat, drink and be merry

While some people spend the holidays cooking up a storm, some of us like our meals like we like our presents: delivered. In fact, on Christmas Day, Americans search for food delivery options on Google Maps more than twice as much as on a typical Saturday.

Here’s a look at what food Americans search for and order on Google Maps during the holiday season: