Chart Your Voyages And Share With Friends Via Google Earth

Maps are great visualizing tools that help tell a story and Google custom maps lets you create and share personalized, annotated maps of your world. The above map is just a few of the voyages I’ve taken around North America during my career at sea, but with a little time and effort, you can easily map out your world travels to share them with family and friends.

Here’s how:

1. Create a Google custom map

   1. Visit maps.google.com and sign in to your Google Account.
   2. Click the My places button in the upper left of the page.
   3. Click the Create Map button.
   4. Enter a title for your map and choose if you’d like your map to be private or public.
   5. Click Done.

2. Add places to your map

   In order to add points of interest, roads or areas to your map, use the icons in the upper right corner of the map. Note that these tools do not appear until you create or edit a map. Here are some of the tools you can use:

   • Selection tool. Use this to drag the map and select placemarks, lines and shapes.
   • Placemark tool. Use this to add placemarks.
   • Line tool. Click this button to select a tool to draw lines, shapes and draw lines that automatically snap to roads.

   You can choose from a range of markers to represent your location or upload your own personalized markers. Click the Add an icon link, enter the URL in to the grey window and your personal icon appears.

   

3. Share your custom map

   When you’re done creating and editing your custom map, you can share your map with other people. If you choose your map to be Unlisted, only people who you invite can view your map. If your custom map is Public, anybody can see it. See our privacy page for more information.

   In order to share your map, click the letter icon in the top right corner of the map. In the window that opens, enter the email addresses of the people with whom you want to share your map.

   Then, click the Send button to invite your friends or loved ones to view your map.

    

Not too difficult, eh? But if you run into trouble just visit the Google maps blog Lat Long for a full set of details.

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