How to Upload a Klm File to Maps.me App
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When it comes to travel, map apps are an indispensable part of our toolkit that sits loaded on our smartphone. We utilise information technology to find read reviews of nearby restaurants, find pins on a pre-planned route, browse custom maps, and maybe even the best closest emergency bathroom. Information technology's one of the single reasons I don't go as lost every bit I do before (I still do) and why I call back we're all more comfy with travelling off the gage.
The thing is, equally much as Google Maps has become synonymous with mapping, it isn't the only game in town. I promise I'm not the only one simply offline functionality is incredibly important to me. That may be because I'm sometimes as well cheap to pay for roaming or possibly I'm in a blackout area just I've learned that I should always be "offline ready". I'thou here to share with you lot an alternative to Google Maps that offers the best offline maps app solution – Maps.me and from there, I'll also show y'all how I drift maps that I plan with Google's My Maps and import them via KML files.
Tabular array of Contents
Looking for something specific in this itinerary? Leap to what you want to read.
Here'south what we're roofing:
- Table of Contents
- Best Offline Maps App for Travellers
- Why offline Google Maps kind of suck
- Enter Maps.me
- Why Maps.me is awesome for travel
- What could be improved with Maps.me
- How I utilize Maps.me
- How to drift your Google My Maps to Maps.me
- Step i: You lot need a custom Google Map
- Step 2: Export the Google Map
- Step 3: Email the file to yourself
- Step 4: Open the file with Maps.me
- Step 5: Automatically imported to bookmark listing
- Stride 6: Edit the bookmarks if needed
- Best offline maps app solution that isn't Google Maps?
Best Offline Maps App for Travellers
Equally much every bit I love dearest LOVE Google Maps, there are things to be desired and for me that really comes downwards to offline capabilities. Tell me if you tin can relate.
Why offline Google Maps kind of suck
For years, the offline feature was a bit of a surreptitious. You had to use "Ok Maps" in the search bar and based on what y'all have in the app's field of view, information technology'll save that offline. Today, they've fabricated it a bit more than obvious with the "Offline" role of the menu where you tin encounter all of your saved maps but information technology largely works the same and you can still "Ok Maps" every bit y'all please.
And then here'due south why information technology's a bit of a letdown. I loved beingness able to pin places or more specifically, add "Relieve" places in Google Maps every bit either "Favorites", "Starred places", "Want to get", or even your own custom listing. It'southward super user-friendly because I can program on the computer and it'll prove up on my telephone or vice versa.
When I'yard at home, information technology's peachy but when I don't accept data, you lot pull upwards the app and while you can see the topography of the map, those pins disappear.
Those pins disappear
Over the years, I've learned to hack it by making certain I pull up my map while I accept wifi/data and just keep Google Maps open the whole time so information technology doesn't accept to reload.
Fifty-fifty then, need to find a point of interest on the fly without information or desire to zoom in the map to come across detailed places, forget almost it!
Enter Maps.me
I could've probably created this guide past listing out ALL of the other possible mapping apps that are out there just I wanted to keep it simple and just focus on the flat out best one that travellers use.
Maps.me started off a a small startup based in Zurich and won a startup contest in 2012 to propel them forrard. Fast-forward to today and they've since then been acquired past a Russian cyberspace visitor and continues to use OpenStreetMap as its foundation for their maps.
The key behind their success is that they continue to employ OpenStreetMap equally its foundation for their maps. This is open-source software that is made gratuitous for the public to use. Then instead of propriety tech by giants like Google, almost of what you encounter through OpenStreetMap is created through entries by enthusiasts, professionals, engineers, and anyone else passionate about edifice ameliorate maps. To give yous an thought of how involved the customs is, 9 months after Maps.me allowed app users to brand changes, over 1 million edits were recorded.
Why Maps.me is awesome for travel
What it comes downward to is really offline usage. All of those issues offline with Google are essentially solved with Maps.me.
- You can actually search offline – yous tin can search by name, accost, categories, or coordinates.
- Goes beyond only travel in the city – for those that hike or spend time in the wilderness, Maps.me has a ton of item including trail names.
- Metro overlay is available – If yous don't have a transit map in a separate app, you can utilize this to aid figure out how to get around in a city.
- Travel guides – Yous tin download user generated guides that are self-guided walking tours.
- Bookmarks – Similar to those custom pins on Google Maps, you tin can besides create your ain pins in Maps.me and they exercise show up when you utilise the app offline.
- Turn-by-turn navigation available – now I normally wouldn't utilize this characteristic information technology'south just not going to be equally good as Google Maps, it'south at that place in a pinch when offline.
- Bonus features – You tin search hotels with their partnership with Booking.com and even book an Uber. You can also share your location with friends.
- Local guides feature – I've never used this but the app has a "Discover" characteristic and they'll show y'all locals that run their own tours that y'all can book.
- Ability to import KML files – We'll get into this presently but it'southward a super handy characteristic for those that programme trips with Google My Maps or if you're a serious hiker and want to pull in something similar the entire Milford Track trail in New Zealand.
What could be improved with Maps.me
As with all apps, there are things that I'thou not completely in love with when it comes to Maps.me. Hither's what annoy me almost Maps.me
- Not super slick – If yous're used to Google Maps, Maps.me but won't look or feel very polished. Polished might non be the right word but it's only not as skillful of a user interface and the maps tin often feel a footling overcrowded.
- Takes getting used to – Part of this is that you lot get used to using Google Maps and when you get to Maps.me, the interface is jarringly different. You have to figure out what these new icons mean and how to use the menu.
- Ads – It's a free app then they've had to add imprint ads in a number of places which can get quite annoying because of the limited screen space on your phone.
How I use Maps.me
I pretty much use Maps.me exclusively for its offline functionality. It's my lifeline when I'm on the route and as someone that'south an OCD planner like myself, I like to be ready.
If yous've read the art of trip planning, you'll know that maps are a big part of the process. I plan out my itinerary on with my Google spreadsheet template and and so I plot all of the places onto a map.
This map normally ends up being on Google'southward My Maps tool. At present this is honestly just part of the Google Maps product but they had to accept some other proper name for it. I create a custom map and it was a great thought because I learned that I could pull up custom maps from Google Maps on my phone ( Menu > Your Places > Maps tab) and it'd have all of my planning details in there.
Great thought until you don't take data and and then it completely fails.
That's when I started using Maps.me and added another step (abrasive I know) where I simply export my map into something called a KML file and import information technology into Maps.me as a bookmark listing and voila information technology's all in there.
Now when I travel, I know I can reliably pull upwards Maps.me with the local maps downloaded offline and pins loaded to effigy out where I need to go and how I can go to the next spot.
How to drift your Google My Maps to Maps.me
Alright so I'm going to go through a very specific scenario of mine to provide you step-past-stride instructions for how y'all can import your custom Google Map pins into Maps.me.
Step 1: You need a custom Google Map
This is the obvious step but I want to brand sure I'm clear that this really simply works if you used the My Maps tool with Google to create your own custom maps.
I created i for my latest Tokyo trip focused on ramen.
Step 2: Export the Google Map
The option to export is pretty easy but you'll need to make sure you lot have the checkbox selected to save it every bit a KML file which Maps.me can read. This KML file won't include any map data but volition contain all of those pins yous've created and notes if any.
There'll also be a dropdown that will allow y'all to cull what layers of the map you want exported but most likely you'll want all of information technology to be exported.
You demand to exercise this on a desktop/laptop reckoner.
Footstep 3: Email the file to yourself
I'm sure there are a number of dissimilar ways y'all tin can practise this only this is the simplest. Driblet the file you just saved from Google into an e-mail and send information technology to yourself.
Step 4: Open the file with Maps.me
With your favourite e-mail service app, open the e-post you lot just sent to yourself and tap on the attachment to open it. Information technology might open up a page of gibberish lawmaking. From here, tap the share icon and go to the option which says "Copy to maps.me" in iOS. Android should exist similar.
Step five: Automatically imported to bookmark listing
Open up up Maps.me and you'll see the pins y'all imported in the Bookmark part of the app. They'll be organized together in a folder.
Footstep six: Edit the bookmarks if needed
At this bespeak, all the pins have been imported into Maps.me from Google My Maps and y'all tin can manipulate it as you please. Annotation that the one thing that doesn't get translated over are the custom icons that Google Maps has and that's simply considering Maps.me doesn't take whatsoever of those. All the pins are the aforementioned but y'all tin can alter the colour afterward if you want.
All-time offline maps app solution that isn't Google Maps?
So that's my pitch for Maps.me and why I retrieve information technology's a super handy tool to have for any traveller. I'd beloved to hear from your experiences though. Beloved it or hate information technology, what are your thoughts on Maps.me every bit a mapping tool, how practise y'all use it, and how do you wish it could exist improved?
Source: https://goingawesomeplaces.com/best-offline-maps-app-for-travel/
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