Hitting the road for a scenic drive can be super relaxing. Unfortunately, it’s neither a cheap, nor an environmentally friendly pastime, which both traffic and weather can utterly ruin. With Google Street View you can comfortably explore the world from your desk.
Landing a plane in Google Flight Simulator requires practice practice and more practice. However, it can be made easy if you follow this tutorial. Let’s start off in Chicago, going 90 degrees downward at about 250 knots. GeoFS is a free, online flight simulator, with global scenery, that runs in your web browser. Whether you are a licensed pilot practicing VFR, an aviation enthusiast or just looking for some fun flying in beautiful landscapes, you can enjoy any of the 20 available aircraft, ranging from para-glider to airliners, absolutely anywhere in the world.
Google Maps is a nifty navigation toolGet There Faster - 10 Google Maps & Navigation TipsGet There Faster - 10 Google Maps & Navigation TipsGoogle Maps is still the most powerful mapping service ever, despite what Apple might say. Whether you’re using Google Maps in a browser on your desktop or an app on your mobile phone, Google Maps...Read More and all the information embedded in the maps make it a great travel guideBe Your Own Travel Guide: 7 Tips To Travel Smarter With Google MapsBe Your Own Travel Guide: 7 Tips To Travel Smarter With Google MapsGoing on a trip can be such a stressful experience. But, let's walk you through the ways you can use Google Maps to plan every aspect of your next big trip.Read More, too. Now you can even set Street View on auto-pilot and let it take you on the world’s most scenic drives. Here are 5 tools that make this possible.
Gaiagi Driving Simulator
This online driving simulatorDon't Be A Fender Bender: 5 Driving Simulators That Teach Road SafetyDon't Be A Fender Bender: 5 Driving Simulators That Teach Road SafetyOnline car simulator programs are for entertainment and education purposes only. After all, the arrow keys are hardly a steering wheel. They cannot teach you how to drive. But they can give you a feel...Read More will drive your computer nuts because it requires a ton of resources, but it’s totally worth it.
Open the site and enter the start and end point of your tour in the top left. Directions will be shown directly below and you will see your trip marked on the map in the top right.
When you Start the Driver mode, your progress will be shown in the satellite and map view on top, while you can enjoy the scenery in Street View mode in the bottom left. The bottom right shows either an up-close birds view or Panoramio pictures that were taken along the way.
If you enjoy this tool, you should know that you can stop your tour and resume it anytime. While the simulator is paused, click on Config in the top left to play with the settings.
In case the driving simulator is a bit too resource hungry for your taste, try one of the lighter tools below.
Google Maps Streetview Player
This tool stitches Google’s panoramic street view data into a short GIF movie. At the top of the page, you can enter the start and end location of your trip. As you click Play, the route is marked on the map to the right and the images will load and start playing on its left. If alternative routes are available, they can be selected from a table below the map. You can control the pace of the timelapse and pause the playback. If you enjoy the views, you can download the images as an animated5 Uses for Animated GIFs Other Than Annoying Memes5 Uses for Animated GIFs Other Than Annoying MemesGIF animations aren't just for corny memes and annoying reactions (but it doesn't mean you can't use them as such). Here at MakeUseOf, we've got a whole bag full of uses for these cool little...Read MoreGIFGIF - The Final Word On How To Pronounce ItGIF - The Final Word On How To Pronounce ItWith the resurgence of the Graphics Interchange Format in its animated incarnation, the HOT debate about how to pronounce that gem of an acronym has also come to the front again. There are two fighters...Read More movie.
Google Maps Street View API Driving Directions
This tool is a GMaps samples project. Enter a route in the bottom left, click Route, directions are shown on the right and — if available — you can click Drive at the bottom to be taken through the route’s Google Street View images, which will be shown on the top. You can take the timelapse movie into full screen and pan and zoom as the vehicle moves forward.
Presently, the tool only supports Street View in the US. Although you can set the speed to fast, it is still painstakingly slow. Unfortunately, it’s not possible to adjust the route.
Hyperlapse
Hyper-lapse is a technique in photography that combines time-lapse with sweeping camera movements, often focused on a point-of-interest. Teehan-Lax Labs have combined the technique with images from Google Street View to create Hyperlapse, which we previously introducedCreate Stunning Visuals With Hyperlapse Photography & Google Street View [Updates]Create Stunning Visuals With Hyperlapse Photography & Google Street View [Updates]Want to create your own awesome hyper-lapse? Toronto based UX design firm Teehan+Lax is experimenting with hyper-lapse photography on Google Street View, giving us something pretty cool to play with. The Canadian firm designed an...Read More.
Hyperlapse is a demo product. Right now you can create your own video by placing A and B markers on a Google map, wherever Google Street View images are available. Short stretches work best. Note that while the hyperlapse video unfolds, you can pan and zoom as you would on Google Maps.
Street View Traveler (Android)
The Android app Street View Traveler is a proof-of-concept to demonstrate that you can travel the world for free with Google Street View.
Click Menu, then Load to enter a place you want to visit. You can also select from a number of presets, including natural sights, European roads, or peaceful drives. In case you’re standing still, click Move It! You can speed up or slow down via the respective menu on the left-hand side. In Manual Mode you will be asked which turns to take, while in Auto Mode the app decides for you. When you get bored, click Jump! and you are transported to a random place. Clicking Jump Here! (under Menu) will take you to your device’s current location, provided it is known.
This is a great app to do online sightseeing and discover new places on your Android phone. Unfortunately, it works with a general set of popular locations only. The one feature I would like to see is being able to select a distinct route.
Where Are You Going To Travel?
As you see, it doesn’t take big bucks to go around the world. The Internet can take you places you never knew existed. And while you’re there, why not explore them; it’s almost as if you were there for real.
What did you discover with Google Maps and which auto-guided Google Street View tours can you recommend?
Explore more about: Google Maps, Google Street View, Travel.
- @olavoemail-g1: here you have a slider for moving forward and backward, and the possibilitty of setting the speed:
http://www.routeplayer.com/ - Any one in which I can control precisely the speed?
- You can try this:
https://osingla.github.io/RouteView/Driving or Riding simulation using StreetView.- Thanks for github streetviewplayer.org.
routeplayer was only giving me street images for the beginning and ending chunks of a route.- Looks like streetviewplayer.org = routeview.org
- Hi,
I like the gaiagi driving simulator.
I'd like to know if it's possible to download a route, so I can use it even if I don't have internet access.
Thanks
David - those apps are not working. hyperlapse only provides within limited areas. Try streetviewmovie.com instead