Love me a map!

[Patricia55]

One of the most frequently-asked questions by our potential guests is: how far is it from your place to, for example, the university, or, can you walk to town from your place? So, given that I love playing with Google Maps, I mapped the walking route to town and the metro journey, took screenshots and put the resulting pics into our listing photos.

*[Personal information hidden from photo for safety reasons]

I thought this might be a useful function for others, for all sorts of different routes and methods of travel – obviously being careful not to too closely locate one's home!

Well, I had fun with it anyway 😉

(Sorry if this has already been covered.)

[Lawrene0]

I love google maps, too, @Patricia55. I have made one for the various canoe launch and takeout points along our river, and one of suggested bicycle routes. I haven't put them into the listing photos, but I do send the links when a booked guest asks. It saves lots of explaining. Worth a thousand words.

I would book your place, seeing that walking along a moor was part of the deal 🙂

[Patricia55]

Thanks @Lawrene0, we are so lucky here, to have an actual town moor, with cows even! - you can pretend you're in the countryside while being minutes away from the centre of town 🙂

Off to have a look at your listing, sounds fab!

[Patricia55]

Wow, your place is my kind of place 🙂

[John1080]

@Patricia55 @Lawrene0, I do the same. I use a map I've created on 'My Google Maps' which can be saved and the link shared. My place is rural with lots of turns, so the map is just one extra tool to make sure they find their way there and back to town. 

[Patricia55]

@John1080

Don't think I've come across 'My Google Maps' – must have a look-see. Yes, link-sharing may be a better option... I have a feeling I'll get my wrists slapped for putting maps into my listing photos 😉

[John1080]

@Patricia55, yes check it out. One can draw lines and put in points of interest or whatnot. 

I think I read on another thread a while back that someone did have their map removed from their photos. 

[Patricia55]

@John1080

Just found it - oh, the fun I shall have! Thanks.

[Paul154]

I will be avoiding Spital Tongues though.

I've already had my shower this morning.

Bad joke.

[Patricia55]

@Paul154

Haha, sure there've been many a bad joke made about that name 😉 It's a nice little historic area though. Spital apparently is a corruption of hospital, and tongues = outlying areas of land. (Thanks, you've motivated me to learn more...)

[Lizzie]

It's a great suggestion @Patricia55. It's one of those things, which I imagine many hosts say take a look on maps, but don't normally print them out or send screenshots, so it's really nice to hear how you use them to provide more guidance.  Do you also have these available in your listing when guests arrive?

I hope you don't mind as you postcode was on your screenshot, as your post is publicly visible I have just blanked this information out. 🙂

[Patricia55]

No worries @Lizzie  and thanks, though our postcode includes a large number of dwellings, so I wasn't worried about pinpointing our home. Actually, no, I don't have much printed info available for guests – maybe I should do that (if only my printer worked better!)... although, once guests arrive, they tend to be pretty clued-up and also have their smart-phones at the ready.  Sometimes I wish they would ask me more questions!

[Lizzie]

Aw ok, well I'm glad it is all good @Patricia55. 🙂 

Yeah, that is true about printers these days – mine looks very sad, I don't use it enough and the cartridges aways dry up. I suppose this is the way technology is moving, these days.

[Patricia55]

@Lizzie

haha, don't get me started on the cartridges drying up!! I even bought the proper expensive ones, grrr 😉

[Alison122]

Great idea, thanks. I've just added maps to my listings 🙂