How to Use Google Maps to Plan a Road Trip

Planning a road trip? Whether you’re tackling the full stretch of Route 66, cruising the Pacific Coast Highway, or following the Mississippi down the Great River Road, you’ll want a reliable way to organize your adventure. One of the best ways to do that is by using Google Maps to plan a road trip. From quirky roadside attractions to scenic overlooks, a little digital prep can go a long way. By combining Google My Maps with a spreadsheet tool like Google Sheets, Excel, or Airtable, you can create a fully customized itinerary that includes every stop, snack, and snapshot opportunity—no matter which road you roam.

Google offers more than just basic navigation. With the right strategy, you can use Google Maps as a multi-stop road trip planner, building a custom route that hits all your must-see spots. Want to map a road trip on Google Maps with dozens of quirky stops? No problem. Need to create a route with multiple stops on Google Maps so you don’t miss that giant blue whale in Oklahoma or the Wigwam Motel in California? Totally doable. Pair it with a spreadsheet to keep your destinations organized, track hotel reservations, and plan meals or detours and you’ve got yourself a rock-solid Google map trip itinerary.

This guide will show you exactly how to use Google Maps to plan a driving route along Route 66—or any scenic highway. From how to create a road trip in Google Maps to tips for optimizing your route, avoiding backtracking, and syncing with mobile directions, we’ve got everything you need to hit the road with confidence. Whether you’re tackling the whole Mother Road, cruising a short stretch, tor just driving to grandma’s house, this method is perfect for anyone looking to plan a custom road trip itienrary. So grab your laptop, rev up your spreadsheet, and let’s get to plotting the perfect drive—one quirky roadside stop at a time.

How to Plan a Road Trip with Google Maps

When you’re road-tripping, every mile matters. Whether you’ve got a week to weave through the Midwest or a couple days to hit the highlights of the East Coast, you don’t want to roll past something amazing—like the world’s largest catsup bottle or a muffler man with a chicken head—without even knowing it was there.

Now, I’m not a full-time traveler—I’m a real-world road tripper. That means I often have a limited window to hit the road, and I want to make every minute count. So, I build a solid plan before I head out on any road trip. Not a minute-by-minute schedule, but a well-researched, thoughtfully organized, flexible itinerary that lets me see as much roadside weirdness and wonder as possible without feeling rushed or overwhelmed.

That’s where Google Maps comes in. Planning a road trip on Google Maps is like having your own multi-stop route planner in your pocket. You can drop pins on quirky attractions, map bathroom breaks, flag must-eat diners, and even build in time for spontaneous detours. With a combo of Google My Maps (to build your visual map) and a spreadsheet like Google Sheets, Excel, or Airtable (to track your notes, addresses, opening hours, and priorities), you’ll have everything you need to map a road trip with multiple stops on Google Maps and actually enjoy the ride.

My planning process is detailed—but it’s designed to be flexible. I build out all my options ahead of time, so when I’m on the road I can make game-time decisions. That way, I’m not scrambling to find the next stop while barreling down the highway at 65 miles per hour. Instead, I already know what’s nearby, how much time I need, and how important that stop is to me.

In this post, I’ll walk you through my six-step method for using Google Maps to plan a road trip—perfect for Route 66, but just as handy for the Oregon Trail, the Loneliest Road, an ultimate 48 state road trip, or any ribbon of asphalt you’re ready to explore. You’ll learn how to create a road trip map on Google, how to organize your stops, and how to stay flexible while still feeling prepared. So buckle up, grab a notebook (or a spreadsheet), and get ready to plan a road trip using Google Maps like a pro—with all the sights and none of the FOMO.

All the Stops. None of the Stress.

From Chicago to Santa Monica, we’ve researched over 1,400 stops along Route 66 so you don’t have to. Download our Route 66 Planning Toolkit and start building your dream trip with our ready-to-use spreadsheet, guide, and video walkthrough.

Get Your Toolkit

Why Should You Plan Your Road Trip on Google Maps

When you’re planning a road trip—whether it’s Route 66, the Lincoln Highway, or any scenic stretch of road—you want a plan that helps you stay organized without taking away your freedom to explore. Google Maps and Google My Maps offer exactly that: a free, reliable, and flexible way to build out a custom road trip itinerary that keeps you on track and helps you make the most of your time.

First, it’s completely free to use. You don’t need a subscription or any special software to start building a detailed map of your trip. With Google My Maps, you can create a road trip map with multiple stops and start adding everything from major landmarks to obscure roadside attractions right away.

One of the biggest advantages is how many stops you can include. Each custom map allows for ten layers and up to 2,000 pins per layer. That’s more than enough for even the longest road trip. Whether you’re adding iconic Route 66 attractions, food stops, photo ops, or overnight stays, you’ll have the space to mark it all.

Once you’ve created your map, it’s easy to take it on the road. Just open the Google Maps app on your phone, go to “You,” then “Maps,” and access all your saved maps. From there, you can check your next stop and get directions without re-entering any addresses. It’s a simple way to stay on track while you’re on the move.

Another useful feature is how visual the platform is. You can assign colors or icons to your pins based on categories—like food, attractions, rest stops, or hotels—or priority levels, like must-see spots versus optional detours. That makes it easy to plan a road trip route with multiple stops and quickly understand what’s ahead.

Using Google Maps as a road trip planner helps you stay organized, stay flexible, and avoid missing key stops. If you’re the type of traveler who doesn’t want to realize you passed by a major roadside attraction without even knowing it, this is the kind of planning tool you need.

Watch the Video: Plan Your Road Trip with Google Maps & Sheets

Want to see exactly how to plan a road trip for free using Google My Maps and a spreadsheet? Follow along with our step-by-step video tutorial! We’ll walk you through everything—from creating your custom map to organizing your stops in Google Sheets—so you can start building your perfect road trip itinerary today.

Press play below to get started! Perfect for Route 66 or any road trip with multiple stops!

Click here to accept Marketing cookies and load this content

How to Use Google Maps to Plan a Road Trip

Ready to start planning your route? Whether you’re mapping out the full stretch of Route 66 or organizing a shorter drive packed with must-see stops, this step-by-step process will help you use a spreadsheet and Google My Maps to build a flexible, detailed itinerary. Here’s how to plan a road trip with multiple stops, stay organized, and make sure you don’t miss a thing along the way.

Step 1: Set Your Road Trip’s Foundation

Before you dive into maps and markers, you need to nail down the basics. Every great road trip starts with a solid foundation: where you’re going, how long you’ve got to make the drive, and the major stops you just have to see along the way. This step is all about figuring out the big picture so you can build a route that makes sense, maximizes your time, and keeps things flexible on the road.

Start by choosing your starting point, your ending point, and a general idea of your route. Are you doing a round-trip from home, or starting in one city and finishing in another? Maybe you’re finally driving the full stretch of Route 66 from Chicago to Santa Monica. Or maybe you’re just planning a section of it (like through the Southwest) or branching out to another route entirely, like the Pacific Coast Highway or Appalachian Trail.

If you’re not sure where you want to go just yet, ask yourself:

• Where have I always wanted to drive?
• Do you want to experience one of the best USA road trip routes? A particular scenic byway? A specific state?
• How much time do I have, and what distance can I realistically cover?
• Can I start at home, or would it make more sense to fly and rent a car? (Find out more about renting a car for a Route 66 road trip.)
• What time of year am I traveling, and what destinations are best for that season?
• Do I want to visit specific landmarks, cities, or national parks?

Once you’ve answered these questions, sketch out your route’s “anchors.” These are your major stops—the key places you want to plan your trip around. Think of them as the landmarks your full itinerary will connect. If you’re doing Route 66, for example, you might highlight stops like the Cadillac Ranch in Texas, the Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona, or Roy’s Motel & Cafe in California. For another route, it might be a national park, a theme park, or a can’t-miss festival.

This doesn’t need to be perfect or detailed yet—just enough to give you direction. Once you’ve got your basic framework, you’re ready to move on to plotting the fun stuff and building your road trip map in Google.

Step 2: Build Your Route in Google My Maps

Once you’ve figured out your starting point, end point, and major must-see stops, it’s time to lay it all out on a map. This step is where your road trip starts to take shape—visually and logistically. Using Google My Maps, you can map a road trip route with multiple stops, customize your itinerary, and make adjustments as needed. It’s a simple but powerful way to stay organized and get a clear view of your drive from start to finish.

Knowing your driving route ahead of time is key. First, it gives you a big-picture view of how you’re getting from Point A to Point B (with plenty of points in between). Second, it helps you plan out the stops, attractions, and detours that make the journey just as exciting as the destination. Whether you’re planning a road trip on Google Maps for Route 66 or another iconic drive, this step sets the stage for everything that comes next.

Here’s how to create your driving route in Google My Maps:

• Go to google.com/mymaps in your web browser.
• Click “Create a New Map.”
• In the top left corner, click “Untitled Map” and give your road trip a name—something simple like “Route 66 Road Trip” or “Summer Adventure.” You can also add a description for quick reference.
• Under the search bar, click the “Add Directions” icon. This creates a new directions layer in the left-hand pane.
• Next to A, type in your starting point.
• Next to B, type in your ending point.
• Click “Add Destination” to add your next stop. Keep clicking and adding until all your major destinations are included.
• Use the sidebar to drag your stops into the right order to reflect your planned route.
• Want to tweak your path? Click and drag the blue line on the map to make manual adjustments—great for scenic detours or avoiding high-traffic areas.
• When your route is ready, click on the layer title and rename it something like “My Route” so it’s easy to find.

And just like that, you’ve got your basic Google map trip itinerary in place. You can build on this by adding pins for food stops, attractions, hotels, and more—but for now, you’ve created the core structure of your trip.

Step 3: Research Your Stops and Build Your Options

Now comes the most time-consuming—but also the most exciting—part of planning your road trip: finding all the stops you want to make along the way. This is where your route really comes to life. Whether you’re planning a Route 66 trip or heading off on a different adventure, this step is all about gathering ideas, plotting possibilities, and making sure you don’t miss anything worth seeing (or eating) along the road.

Start by thinking about your travel style. What do you want to see? I’m all about roadside attractions—giant fiberglass animals, historic neon signs, quirky museums—so that’s always my focus. But this method works just as well if your road trip is all about national parks, street art, diners, scenic drives, or city sightseeing. You can mix and match categories, too. After all, no one says your road trip can’t include both a classic Route 66 muffler man and the best pie in the state.

Planning a Route 66 Trip? Skip the Research!

If you’re planning a Route 66 road trip and want to save hours of research, check out the Route 66 Road Trip Planning Toolkit! We’ve already done the hard part for you with:

• A pre-filled spreadsheet featuring 1,500+ attractions, restaurants, motels, museums, and roadside oddities across all 8 states
• A detailed Route 66 eBook to help you plan your journey
• A step-by-step video guide to walk you through building your custom itinerary

Instead of starting from scratch, you can jump right into customizing your perfect trip!

Where to Find Stops for Your Road Trip

Here are some of my go-to resources for discovering stops worth adding to your Google Maps road trip planner:

• Route 66 Road Map – Your one-stop shop for planning the ultimate Route 66 road trip with detailed stops from Illinois to California.
• Silly America – A site dedicated to all things quirky, kitschy, and classic along the roadside.
• Roadside America – An essential tool for weird and wonderful roadside finds. You can search by state or region and find attractions near your route.
• Roadtrippers – Great for finding all types of points of interest and has its own mapping tool. In fact, if you don’t want to create your route in Google Maps, you can get the Roadtrippers Pro app to plot your points!
• Atlas Obscura – A must for uncovering hidden gems and offbeat destinations.
• National Park Service – Find a Park – Perfect if your trip includes stops at National Parks, Monuments, or Historic Sites.
• Museums USA – For museum lovers, this site helps locate institutions of every kind across the U.S.
• Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives Locations – Track down spots featured on the show for food-based stops.
• United Plates of America – Discover signature dishes in every state and where to find them.
• Official Tourism Websites – State and city tourism boards are full of curated ideas, events, and recommended itineraries.
• Google Searches – Sometimes, simple is best. Search things like “best museums on Route 66,” “weird attractions in Arizona,” or “best milkshake in California.” You’ll be surprised at what you uncover.
• Booking.com or your favorite lodging site – Great for finding hotels along your route and pinpointing places to sleep between stops.

Keep Track of Everything in a Spreadsheet

Once you start collecting ideas, open up a spreadsheet to organize them. This will be your working list—a place to store all the stops you’re interested in, even if you don’t visit every single one. The goal is options, not a rigid plan. More options mean more flexibility when you’re on the road.

Use a spreadsheet tool like Google Sheets, Excel, or Airtable, and add the following columns:

• Attraction – Name of the place.
• Street Address – The full location. You can also add City and State columns if your trip spans multiple regions.
• Website – A direct link for more information.
• Description – A short blurb about what the place is.
• Notes – Anything else: opening hours, entrance fees, parking tips, personal recommendations.
• Category – To group similar types of stops (roadside attractions, restaurants, hotels, parks, etc.).

Don’t worry about narrowing things down just yet. You might list five diners in one city or a dozen roadside attractions on a single stretch of highway. That’s OK. The idea is to give yourself choices. You can filter, sort, and prioritize later when you build your final Google My Maps itinerary.

Once you’ve added your hotels, attractions, food stops, and anything else of interest to the spreadsheet, you’re ready for the next step—turning your list into an interactive map and plotting your road trip with multiple stops on Google Maps.

Skip the Research. Hit the Road.

We’ve already mapped out the quirkiest roadside attractions, historic sites, motels, and diners along Route 66. With our Toolkit, you’ll have everything you need to plan the ultimate Route 66 trip—without starting from scratch.

Get Your Toolkit

Step 4: Rank Your Stops by Priority

Once you’ve collected a long list of possible attractions, it’s time to start narrowing things down. You probably won’t have time to hit every single museum, diner, statue, and scenic overlook you added to your spreadsheet, so ranking your stops helps you figure out what matters most and where to be flexible. This step ensures you don’t miss the stops that mean the most to you, while still keeping options open for spontaneous detours or long stretches where you just want something interesting to break up the drive.

The goal here isn’t to delete anything—it’s to prioritize. Ranking your road trip stops lets you focus on your must-see destinations without tossing out those “maybe” spots that might come in handy later. It also helps you optimize your time, especially when using tools like a Google Maps multi-stop route planner. If you’re short on time or trying to squeeze in one last stop before sunset, you’ll already know what to keep and what to skip.

How to Rank Your Road Trip Stops

Open up the same spreadsheet you’ve been using and add a new column labeled “Rank”. Use a dropdown menu (or color coding, if you prefer) to sort your attractions into four categories:

• Must See: These are your non-negotiables—the top stops that are the reason you planned this trip in the first place. It might be the St. Louis Arch, Buck Atom’s Cosmic Curios, or a specific diner with your favorite pie. Keep this list small and focused. These are the stops you’ll go out of your way for and rearrange your schedule to make sure you don’t miss.
• High Priority: Just a step below must-see, these are the places you really want to stop at. They’re not make-or-break, but you’ll do your best to work them into the schedule. If you’re using a tool like Google Maps to plan your road trip, these will be the pins you try to include in your finalized route.
• Medium Priority: These are the “nice to see” attractions. You’ll stop if it’s convenient, if you’re ahead of schedule, or if they’re right on the way. If not, you won’t sweat skipping them.
• Low Priority: These stops are filler—worth keeping on the map just in case you need a break, a stretch, or something quick to see next to a gas station. They may not be exciting, but they’re useful for flexibility. Think of them as backup plans when you’re on a long, empty stretch of road and need to stop somewhere.

As you go through your list, reference the descriptions and websites you added in Step 3. Sometimes you’ll forget why you saved a particular attraction—having those extra details helps jog your memory and make a more informed decision about what to prioritize.

Over time, this process gets easier. The more you plan road trips with tools like Google Maps for road trips, the more you’ll naturally start ranking stops as you research. But even then, reviewing everything in one sitting can help you see the big picture—especially when you’re deciding between two attractions that might seem equally interesting on their own, but not equally worth the detour when compared side by side.

Once your list is ranked, you’re one step closer to creating a smart, flexible road trip itinerary that makes the most of your time without missing the things that matter most.

Step 5: Populate and Style Your Road Trip Map in Google My Maps

You’ve laid the groundwork: you’ve mapped your route, researched stops, and ranked them by priority. Now it’s time to bring it all together and populate your map. This step is where your road trip officially starts to take shape in Google My Maps, turning your spreadsheet into a visual, interactive tool you can reference on the road.

By importing your spreadsheet into the map, you’ll see all your stops plotted on your route—color-coded, categorized, and ready to guide you from start to finish. Whether you’re planning a multi-stop road trip on Google Maps or just want a clean visual of your top priorities, this step brings your planning into focus.

How to Import Your Spreadsheet into Google My Maps

1. Open the custom map you created back in Step 2 at google.com/mymaps .
2. On the left side of the screen, click “Add Layer” to create a new layer.
3. Under the new layer, click “Import.”
4. If you used Google Sheets, select Google Drive and find your planning spreadsheet. Highlight the file and click Select.
   • If you used Excel, Airtable, or another spreadsheet program, export your list as a .CSV file and upload it here instead.
5. When prompted to “choose columns to position your placemarks,” select the column that contains the address information. This tells Google where to place each stop on the map.
6. Click Continue.
7. Then, select the “Attraction” column (or whatever you used to label your locations) to name the map markers, and click Finish.

Just like that, all of your road trip stops should appear on the map.

If any of your addresses were incomplete or not formatted correctly, you might see an orange warning box in your layer. Click “Open data table to fix any issues” and Google will point out which rows had errors so you can make corrections.

Style Your Map for Better Organization

Here’s where Google My Maps really shines as a road trip planner with multiple stops—you can style your map to visually organize your stops based on priority or type. This makes it easier to glance at your route and know what’s a must-see, where you’re staying the night, and what can be skipped if you’re short on time.

To style your map:

1. Under your imported layer title, click “Uniform style” and select “Individual styles.”
2. Under “Group places by”, choose “Style by data column.” Then select either:
   • “Priority” to color-code by Must See, High, Medium, or Low Priority
   • “Type” to group by categories like attraction, food, hotel, etc.
3. Hover over each category and click the paint bucket icon to assign a color or icon.
   • Use bright, bold colors to highlight Must See stops
   • Use unique icons (like a bed for hotels or a fork for restaurants) to quickly recognize categories

This extra step turns your map into a fully functional Google road trip itinerary planner, helping you navigate more efficiently and make in-the-moment decisions with confidence.

Once styled, your map is ready to go—and you’re one step closer to hitting the road with a visual plan that’s easy to read, flexible, and built just for you.

Step 6: Refine Your Road Trip Itinerary

Now that your map is populated and styled, it’s time to turn your list of stops into a realistic, day-by-day road trip itinerary. This step helps you organize your trip in a way that’s both manageable and enjoyable, so you’re not overloading one day and racing through another, or finding yourself in the middle of nowhere with no place to eat or sleep.

Using your Google My Maps and your spreadsheet side by side, start by figuring out where you’ll stop each night. Look at your route and decide how far you want to drive each day, then choose logical stopping points where you can rest, eat, and reset. Once you’ve locked in your overnight locations, check to make sure those towns or cities have hotels or motels, dinner spots, and breakfast or lunch options nearby.

This is also a great time to look for gaps or imbalances in your itinerary:

• Are there stops without nearby lodging or restaurants?
• Do you have more hotel options than needed in one place, or none at all in another?
• Is one day jam-packed with high-priority stops while another has only a couple of low-priority ones?
• Are you trying to squeeze in too many “must-sees” into a short stretch of time?

If the pacing feels off, make adjustments. You may need to re-rank some stops—bump a high-priority stop down if it’s out of the way or promote a low-priority one that fits better into your timeline. You might even shift your overnight stop to even out long driving days or create a better meal or lodging situation. Flexibility is key.

Add a Day Column to Your Spreadsheet

To keep things organized, add a “Day” column to your spreadsheet. You can label each stop by:

• Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, etc., or
• Use actual calendar dates if your trip is date-specific.

Then, go through your map and assign each stop to a day. This helps you visualize your progress across the route and keeps your trip balanced from day to day. If you’re planning with Google Maps for road trips, this step also gives you a clear structure to follow once you’re on the road.

As you finalize your itinerary:

• Make sure each day has a reasonable number of stops.
• Confirm there’s time for meals and breaks.
• Double-check driving distances between key points.
• Review lodging and dining availability for each overnight.

Once you’ve assigned each stop to a day and smoothed out any bumps in your plan, you’ll have a polished, well-paced road trip itinerary that’s ready to hit the road—no surprises, no FOMO, and plenty of room for spontaneous detours.

Plan Smarter, Not Harder.

Our Route 66 Toolkit gives you a head start on planning with a fully loaded spreadsheet of must-see stops, a detailed guidebook, and a video tutorial that walks you through the whole process. Perfect for travelers who want to focus on the fun, not the logistics.x

Get Your Toolkit

Step 7: Finalize Your Road Trip Itinerary and Map

You’ve researched your stops, ranked your priorities, mapped your route, and organized your days—now it’s time to pull it all together and finalize your road trip itinerary. This final step ensures everything is sorted, synced, and ready to go before you hit the road. Here’s how to wrap it all up and prepare for an unforgettable trip.

Sort and Filter Your Spreadsheet

To make your itinerary easy to reference, add filters to your spreadsheet so you can sort by day, type, or priority:

• In Google Sheets, click on the top row (where your column headers are).
• Then click Data > Create a filter from the menu.
• Little filter icons will appear on each column header. Use these to sort your data—for example:
  • Sort by Day to view your itinerary in chronological order.
  • Sort by Priority to check your top stops.
  • Sort by Type to quickly see all hotels, restaurants, or attractions.
  • Filter each column to only show specific entries, like only your high-priority stops for Day 3, or only hotels across the entire trip. This makes it easy to focus on what matters most at any given time.

This makes it easy to scan your plan by day, check for missing pieces, and make final tweaks.

Update Your Map

If you’ve made changes to your spreadsheet—added new stops, adjusted rankings, or filled in dates—you’ll want to re-import your spreadsheet into Google My Maps to update your map.

To do this:

1. Go to google.com/mymaps and open your saved road trip map.
2. Click on the layer that contains your imported data.
3. Click the three-dot menu next to the layer title and choose “Reimport and Merge”.
4. Choose “Replace All Items” or “Update Matching Items.”
5. Re-upload your spreadsheet (from Google Drive or as a CSV).
6. Choose the address column again to map your pins, and select the attraction column to label them.

Google will merge the data, so any styling or icons you’ve already applied will remain intact—and your map will be refreshed with all your final updates.

Access Your Map on Your Phone

Take your trip on the road by syncing your custom map to the Google Maps app on your phone:

• Open the Google Maps app.
• Tap the “You” tab at the bottom.
• Scroll down to “Maps” and tap it.
• You’ll see all the custom maps tied to your Google account, including your road trip map.
• Tap your road trip map to view all your saved stops.

From there, you can tap on any pin to get directions, view info, or navigate directly. This makes it easy to explore your route on the go, without flipping through multiple documents.

Book Your Trip

Now that your itinerary is set, don’t forget to take care of the logistics:

• Book your hotels or motels for each night you’re on the road.
• Reserve your rental car if you need one (and consider car insurance or roadside assistance).
• Pre-book any tours, museums, or experiences that require advance tickets.
• Double-check hours of operation, holiday closures, and time zones for key attractions.

Once that’s all taken care of, your road trip is ready to roll—mapped, organized, and optimized. Whether you’re traveling the Mother Road or charting your own course, you’re set for the adventure of a lifetime.

Let Us Handle the Planning.

Our Route 66 Road Trip Planning Toolkit includes a pre-filled spreadsheet with 1,400+ attractions, a comprehensive eBook, and easy-to-follow video instructions—so you don’t have to spend hours researching. Just plan your priorities and go!

Get Your Toolkit

Ready to Hit the Road?

And there you have it—your complete step-by-step guide to planning a road trip using Google Maps, a spreadsheet, and a little road trip know-how. From deciding where you’re going, to plotting your route in Google My Maps, to researching and ranking your stops, building out your itinerary day by day, and finalizing all the details—we’ve covered every mile of the planning process.

Whether you’re driving the length of Route 66, cruising the Pacific Coast Highway, following the flow of the Great River Road, or carving out your own cross-country path, this system will help you stay organized, flexible, and ready for anything the road throws your way.

So go ahead—fire up that map, pack your bags, and get ready to see the sights, take the detours, and make the memories. Your perfect road trip is just around the bend.