Four big updates to Google Maps that solve summer travel woes — including a nifty alert to avoid crowds

THERE ARE four must-have Google Maps features that can help alleviate any travel woes you have this summer — at home and abroad.

The cool crow tracker could become a fan favorite among more introverted travelers.

Navigate airports and train stations

Large airports and train stations – whether on home soil or even further afield – can be a nightmare to navigate when you’re unfamiliar.

Fortunately, if you need to quickly find a store at an airport or even a shopping mall, Google Maps can help.

The application has a Directory guide for all airports, shopping malls and transit stations.

This can really help when you’re rushing to catch the next train but need to grab a drink or a souvenir.

The guide will inform you of the opening hours of each store, restaurant and parking lot, and which floor they are on.

Avoid crowds

Crowds can really put a damper on the experience of traveling to classic tourist spots — especially if you’re an introvert.

To see how busy an area is before you go, check Google Maps’ occupancy tool.

When you search for a location – whether it’s a wild swimming spot or Big Beg – you’ll see a graph that shows how crowded it is in real time.

In some areas, crowd information will automatically appear on the map, so you don’t need to search for a location specifically.

Google Maps might say something like “Busy area” and when you click for more details it might say “As busy as possible” or “Not too busy.”

Multiple stops

If you’re traveling this summer, these Google Maps features are a must-see.

You can set up multiple destination stops between the start and end point, so you can line up pit stops and gas stations along the way.

To do this, enter your final destination into Google Maps, tap the three-dot menu in the top right corner and select Add stop.

From there, you can add as many stops as you want and arrange them in order.

Search along the route

There is also a cool Search along the route feature in Google Maps that means you don’t have to leave navigation to find other stops.

So you can find nearby gas stations, gas stations, drive-through restaurants while navigation is still active.

See all your reservations on Google Maps

In addition to mapping your trips, Google Maps can also show you all your bookings, from flight, hotel and car rental to restaurant reservations.

All you have to do is type My reservations in the search bar to see a list of what you booked, where and at what time.

This only works if you are a Gmail user, because Google Maps pulls information from your Gmail inbox.