CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Technology has changed just about every part of our lives and that includes how we travel.
Google's Justin Burr walked us through the new features now available within Google Maps.
Gone are the days of it just being a way to get from point A to point B. Burr said the app can even tell you when a store or location is busy.
“When you’re searching for businesses like a grocery store or a restaurant, obviously you don’t want to hit those at the most crowded times," Burr explained. "There’s going to be a little bar graph of sorts and it’s going to show you in real-time how busy that business actually is so you can determine if you want to go there at that specific time."
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You can also find out the most environmentally friendly route to take.
“We just introduced a new feature called eco-friendly routes," Burr explained. "There’s a little green leaf next to the most eco-friendly way to get to that destination.”
Making stops along your road trip route can be easier too.
“If you’ve got to go to the bathroom or get gas, you can search gas prices and it will actually show you the gas prices at the gas station near you," he said. "It will actually tell you how far you need to deviate off of the route to get to that place.”
If you’re flying to your destination this year, you might want to check out this new feature.
“There’s now a directory within Google maps and that shows you where the nearest airport lounges or where the nearest specific food that you’re looking for is," he said.
Contact Carolyn Bruck at cbruck@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.