Because of the burning desire to want to do it as much as you can, for as long as you can, it only makes sense for you to want to be a travel blogger and make somewhat of a lifestyle business out of your travels. Obviously I’m talking from personal experience here and one of the many tools you subsequently go on to experience and make use of in a little bit of a different way to that of the average person, is indeed Google Earth. Sure, if a traveller watches any television at all, the likelihood is that you only watch shows for which you have a particular interest in the specialist topic discussed, or you watch travel shows.

You know what I’m talking about. For example, a sports enthusiast would watch their favourite sports team live and supplement that bit of TV-watching with gluing their eyes to the likes of the Travel Channel or shows like Border Security. Google Earth, which is basically a 3-D, interactive map of the world, would likely make for a better “timewaster” or source of visual inspiration.

It’s not just about wasting time and dreaming of an escape with some visual cues, though.

Getting a feel for an impending destination you’re going to visit

Using the Street View feature is about as real as it gets with Google Earth, whether you’re using the web version or you’ve downloaded the app to your computer. You can basically “walk around” any destination which has been captured by the Google Maps 3-D camera car, which means that you can use it to get a real feel for any destination you’re about to visit. It has become somewhat of a tradition for me to do this, something which I should perhaps incorporate into my blog.

Getting some inspiration for places to visit

Often long before I even use Google Maps to virtually explore a destination I’ve confirmed my impending visit to, I’ve likely used it to pre-discover that place. I’ll be honest in saying that the actual, real-life setting is usually just a little bit different to the virtual experience, but this difference is usually very tiny. Places are dynamic and they evolve, sure, but it’s much more accurate than pre-exploring a destination via the conventional destination guides and filtered Instagram images of some bloggers and influencers who’ve gone before you.

Re-living a travel experience

Google Earth’s Street View feature is also a great way to re-live a travel experience you might have particularly enjoyed. You can also use it to “explore” further some of the corners you might have missed, or those dangerous places you were warned to stay away from.

Trip planning

I find Google Earth to be a great tool that forms part of the trip-planning process. I do indeed like to walk to many places when I arrive at a particular destination, but it can also help you get a good idea of the best routes to take, what you can expect to see and also arm you against the very real reality of some taxi drivers who might be out to get one over you.

Mollie Webb

About the Author

Hello there! My name is Mollie and I dream of seeing every major city in the world. Travelling is always incredible but there’s something special about the hustle and bustle of a big city that always entices me. Whether it be Tokyo or Mumbai, there’s always so much to discover from the locals and the side streets. Come along with me on my journey!