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How to use Google Flights to find cheap flights and maximize your next travel booking

Google Flights is constantly evolving, and it's the one tool I always mention when people ask me how to find better flight prices.

This easy-to-use website can help you find the best possible price on airfare (and even hotels). It's one of the biggest weapons in our arsenal at TPG to help save money on travel. While TPG does offer deal alerts , if you are looking for a particular flight, destination, airline or routing, Google Flights is the way to find personalized deals.

Google Flights is where I almost always begin my search for new bookings. I come back to it again and again to book trips, see if prices have dropped and check if I can get a better deal.

Here's everything you need to know to use and master Google Flights.

What is Google Flights?

Google Flights is one of our favorite tools for finding deals on flights. It's an amazingly powerful flight search engine, and the best part is that it's easy to use. Google shows you nearly all available flights for a given search but doesn't force you to book with it.

Unlike Expedia, Orbitz, Tripadvisor or Kayak, it's not an online travel agency. Google is simply showing you what's available. Once you find the flights you like, you "click through" to actually book. You can choose to book directly with the airline or via a third-party OTA, but not Google itself.

One frustrating note is that Google Flights does not show Southwest Airlines flights, so keep that in mind as you search.

What's new at Google Flights?

Google has introduced new features that suggest when prices are historically lowest and when you should book for maximum savings. Google has always shown whether the price for a suggested flight itinerary is typical, low or high, but now it gives you even more data to consider.

The tool will "let travelers know when airfares are expected to be lowest for booking their chosen dates and destination," according to Craig Ewer, who works in communications at Google.

For example, when I searched last year, Google showed me that a flight from New York to San Francisco in October was $93 cheaper than usual, and the typical range is between $245 and $415. In other words, it was a good time to book.

It gets even better: In some situations, Google will suggest alternate dates you should actually book the flight to save a few bucks. The example below shows that a December flight to Miami would have been much cheaper if I had waited to book it until Sept. 13.

Here's a final example. I apparently waited too long to book my flight home for Christmas a few months ago.

Basics of Google Flights

How to perform a basic flight search.

First, you'll want to navigate to Google Flights .

The toolbar has additional features for trips, including things to do, hotels, vacation rentals and a shortcut to a cool tool called "Explore." However, we'll focus on using the tool to book flights for now.

All of the fields and drop-down menus on this page are relatively easy to decipher:

• Departure (where you want to fly from)
• Destination (where you want to fly to)
• Date(s) of travel
• Round-trip flights, one-way flights or multicity trips
• The number of passengers (but here's why you should search for a single ticket , even if you're traveling in a group)
• Ticket class: economy, premium economy, business class or first class

If you know where you're going and when you want to be there, all you have to do is plug in that information and hit the blue search button.

For example, here are all the options I see when I search for flights from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to San Francisco International Airport (SFO). You can search by destination or by airport code.

Note that Google automatically displays what it considers the best departing flights based on a combination of factors, such as price, the convenience of routing, the number of stops and the travel time. Of course, these may or may not be the best flights for you.

In this case, there are hundreds of options to choose from.

For this example, I chose to book an American Airlines flight on my outbound trip.

The cheapest option is sometimes to fly the return on a different carrier. However, Google Flights clearly indicates there will be two tickets purchased separately.

Often, Google will suggest remaining on the same carrier for both legs. In this instance, one of the flights was on JetBlue.

There are all kinds of ways to filter your searches. We'll get a bit more into that below.

Once you've found the flight you want, you have the option to book directly with American Airlines. Google will give you several options for the type of ticket you want to purchase, including basic economy, refundable and other types of fares.

Clicking that link would take me to American's website , with these flights and prices already selected. There, I could enter my passenger details and loyalty number, select a seat and pay for the ticket.

All elite perks and other loyalty benefits are honored on flights booked directly on the airline website via Google Flights. However, if you are booking via a third-party site, that may not be the case. It pays to make sure you book directly with the airline if possible.

In this example, the cheapest option is for mixed tickets with multiple stops. Most people are not going to want to take that option. It involves booking through a third-party website with tickets on different airlines and multiple flights and layovers. No thanks.

Related: 9 things to consider when choosing to book via a portal vs. booking directly

Below is an example of Google Flights' handy historical price guide, which shows whether the fare you found is low, high or near the average price for flights on this route.

I can see the flights were more than $600 a few months ago, and my $442 fare was considered low. Given how expensive airfare generally is these days , I was happy enough with that.

The bottom of this screenshot also shows the options available at the bottom of each Google Flights page, where you can select your preferred language from a drop-down menu. You can also customize your location and preferred currency for easy conversion.

Search by specific times of day

Say you want to take a weekend trip away. You need both flights to be outside business hours but not too late in the evening, as you don't want to land in the middle of the night.

Google Flights has a handy filter we use to make sure the flights are exactly when we want them. No matter how inexpensive that 6 a.m. flight may be, a 3:30 a.m. wake-up call rarely feels worth it.

So, you can set the search results to only show flights departing and arriving within your chosen specific time range.

See how many bags you can bring on board

In the same series of buttons below your Google Flight search, click on the "Bags" button to specify how many pieces of luggage you want to bring on board with you.

This selection may greatly limit your search results — or drive up your price options — so be prepared to change it if necessary.

Nonstop, one-stop or any flight will do?

Similarly, you can filter flights by the number of stops along the way. You might be the glutton for punishment who longs for a 50-plus-hour flight with multiple layovers. You can do that if you so desire.

However, if you want to minimize the chance of delays or disruptions, have a family to rush back to or just want a shorter flight, nonstop is your friend. Headed overseas? The usual sweet spot between price and comfort will be a one-stop flight.

Search for flights from your preferred airline or alliance

If you don't fly often, the operating airline may not matter to you as much as the price does.

However, if you've begun accumulating miles and status with a specific carrier, it can be addictive to stick with that carrier and program. The exclusive benefits of elite status can be exhilarating, and there's nothing more exciting than booking your first award flight — especially if you know you got an amazing deal.

Related: What are airline alliances, and who's in them?

With filtered airline search results, Google can help you keep that momentum going. Use the button under the search results to filter out unwanted airlines or select specific airline alliances you want to patronize. Or, turn off the "Select all airlines" option and manually select the carriers you want to choose from.

Whether booking with cash or points, you may want to stick with one program to maximize mileage earning or status. For example, if I were trying to hit Diamond on Delta Air Lines, I would search only for Delta flights.

You can also pick airline alliances like Oneworld and SkyTeam to ensure you travel on your preferred airline or its partners. In my case, I would select SkyTeam.

Connecting flights

You can also decide if you want to fly nonstop or choose how many stops you are willing to make. You can even choose the connecting airport.

Especially with international flights, some airports are better to connect in than others. Helsinki Airport (HEL) is lovely. Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) can be challenging , even if you are an experienced traveler.

Related: What are the best European airports to connect in?

If you have a range of options to travel from New York to Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci Airport (FCO) with a choice of connecting airports, you can filter the results to only show the airports you want to connect through.

You can also choose how long you would like your layover to extend. You might want to keep it short to reach your destination as quickly as possible. Or, you may prefer a long layover to allow for some buffer time in the event of delays.

Related: How to plan a free stopover on your next trip abroad

Score the best legroom and other seat amenities

Don't you hate boarding a flight to find your knees touching the back of the seat in front of you? Fortunately, Google Flights has a feature that will show you the legroom you can expect on your next flight before you have purchased the seat.

Legroom can differ noticeably from carrier to carrier, aircraft type to aircraft type. From the search results below, you can see that Spirit Airlines' is below the industry average at 28 inches, while JetBlue's is above average at 32 inches.

If you value legroom, this means the JetBlue option will have 4 inches more legroom than Spirit.

In coach seating terms, that's a lot.

Along with legroom, Google Flights will also indicate if Wi-Fi is scheduled to be available on your flight (and if it is free or available at a cost), if the plane has in-seat charging options, and if the flight offers entertainment like live TV or options to stream to your personal device.

On a flight longer than five hours, your devices may run out of juice. So, again, you may want to choose the product that best suits your needs rather than selecting a flight based entirely on price or carrier.

Know your emissions

With sustainability becoming an increasingly important topic in travel , Google Flights will let you know the approximate carbon emissions for your flight based on the route, aircraft type and seating classes.

Below are the search results for a flight from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Tokyo's Narita International Airport (NRT). United Airlines operates a fuel-efficient Boeing 787 on this route, which would produce a lower-than-average 734 kilograms of carbon dioxide.

However, the Singapore Airlines flight uses a less fuel-efficient (and larger) Boeing 777 aircraft that produces a higher-than-average 1,163 kilograms of carbon dioxide.

You can even filter your search results only to show lower-emissions flight options.

How to search by cheapest dates

Let's say I want to get from JFK to LAX in September, but I'm not tied to any specific dates. Google Flights can help me find the best possible prices for that trip.

On the search page, I can see the lowest price for that particular day if I click on the calendar icon. Prices listed in green represent the lowest price available across all current dates, while the days highlighted in blue show which dates I've selected.

Another way to view the cheapest dates is to click the date grid option. This will again show the cheapest dates in green, and you can easily line up different outbound and inbound options to see if the cheapest dates work for you.

You'll often find that the cheapest flight isn't necessarily the best or most convenient route. Google will show you those lowest prices but prioritize better routes before it.

In this example, Google Flights prioritizes slightly higher fares as the "best flights" search results because they include a full-size carry-on bag.

How to set a pricing alert for yourself

After all that diligent work, give yourself a pat on the back. You've likely found the best option for you.

Some people are ready to book immediately, but most of us might need a day or two to solidify our plans with our fellow travelers or with work. Never fear: Google will help you track your flight and even tell you when the price goes up or down.

Immediately above your search results, a little toggle reads "Track prices" (boxed in green in the screenshot above).

Click on that — and log in to your Google account if necessary — and Google Flights will send updated pricing alerts directly into your inbox.

If you have booked a refundable or changeable fare, you may want to switch this on even after you've booked. You will be alerted if the price goes up or down, so you can feel comfortable knowing you are getting the best deal. You can see part of my list of flights I'm currently tracking in the screenshot below.

Related: How to avoid airline change and cancellation fees

How to search multiple airports at once

Sometimes, you're willing to land or depart a bit farther away in order to find a better flight deal. Google Flights can help reward that flexibility. In fact, you can enter as many as five departure or arrival airports on Google Flights.

Let's say you live in New York City, where you have three major airports from which to choose. You want to fly to Southern California, which is easily accessible from multiple airports as well.

There are two ways to run this search:

• Type in your city name and let Google offer suggestions: This works for many major metro areas. As soon as I type in New York, I see several of the major airports: Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), LaGuardia Airport (LGA) and JFK. Sometimes, you'll even see New York Stewart International Airport (SWF) in Newburgh, about 60 miles north of Manhattan, as an option.
• Manually type in your airport codes or names : Some cities won't show you all the logical potential airports. For Southern California, you will have to manually type in the names or codes of each airport in the area for some searches. (Don't forget San Diego International Airport [SAN] as a potential option.)

You can open a separate browser tab and look up local airports by name. Or, if you're a pro and know the codes, you can type them directly into the destination airport search field (i.e., LAX, SNA, BUR, ONT). Then, hit the blue check to run the search.

Voila: The cheapest option for March 18-25 is taking a nonstop, round-trip flight from EWR to LAX for $258 in United basic economy.

How to check for carry-on bag policies

I don't care what anyone says: Low-cost carriers can be fantastic for finding great deals.

However, if you're a heavy packer, you'll need to plan ahead. Many airlines cut costs by charging extra for bags. You're used to this with major airlines, but some ultra-low-cost airlines will even charge you for carry-ons larger than a backpack or a purse .

It can be difficult to track which airlines charge what, but Google Flights can also help with that.

Basic economy flights will show on the search results page, with the little "no luggage" icon next to the $247 price tag in green.

When I click through to the final booking page, Google will remind me again that I'm booking a basic economy flight; it'll show my current price and its limitations while also displaying economy and first-class booking options next to it.

Remember: Google Flights doesn't work with Southwest Airlines

One important caveat: You might wonder why you don't see any Southwest flights on Google Flights.

Well, you might see them, like with this search result for Austin to Las Vegas:

However, Southwest doesn't allow other travel platforms to book flights with the airline — it wants to control its passengers' booking process completely. So, if you're a Southwest fan, check the airline's website or app for price comparison before you book with another carrier through Google Flights.

Organize your travel

There's a "Travel" button on the toolbar of Google Flights.

It will display the travel you have already booked. When you click on the trip, it neatly shows travel booked through your Google account, such as those reservation emails sent to a Gmail account.

It will also show "potential trips." This is where you may have been searching Google Flights for a particular destination but have not yet bought the ticket. Additionally, it will provide suggestions based on what destinations you've Googled in general.

Perhaps you have searched for " When is the best time to visit Hawaii ?" Google Flights may show you suggestions to help you continue planning that trip.

Finally, the "Travel" button will suggest trips you might consider taking based on upcoming trips you have booked or trips you've taken in the past.

For example, if you've been to Melbourne, Australia, it may show options to visit Sydney.

Related: The best ways to use points and miles to fly from the US to Australia

How to find the best getaway deal

This function is similar to the previous tip but focuses on another aspect of your search. Start by clicking the "Explore" button on the toolbar.

If you know you want to get away on specific dates — let's say the second week of October — but don't have a specific destination in mind, use Google's open-ended search functionality to find good flight deals within your window of availability.

In the example below, I picked a long weekend in October and set my hometown of New York as my departure airport. Instead of specifying a destination, I just left it open-ended. You can give Google a hint by typing "Europe" or "Caribbean" to narrow your search results to a specific region.

Related: 9 awesome features you didn't know about in Google Flights

If I zoom in closer on the map, the system recalibrates and shows me more destinations and price points within the updated map view.

If I zoom way out for a world view, I'll see the best-priced destinations of note across the globe.

I can also force the algorithm to show me price points for a specific region.

For example, the world map above doesn't show me many deals for Australia, South America or Africa. However, if I zoom in on Africa, I see more than half a dozen options on the continent and more than a dozen in "surrounding" areas.

Related: Safaris, cities and lots of elephants: How I returned to South Africa using points, miles and cash

Bottom line

Google Flights is an incredibly powerful tool the TPG team uses daily to price airfare . It can help you quickly find the best flights for your travel, but it can also track prices and let you know if you are getting a good deal. It can also help you plan trips and find hotels and activities.

It's one of my favorite tools to find deals and new places to visit. Add it to your travel toolbox. I promise it will become one of your favorites, too.

Related reading:

• Key travel tips you need to know — whether you're a beginner or expert traveler
• The best travel credit cards
• The 18 best places to travel in 2023
• 6 real-life strategies you can use when your flight is canceled or delayed
• 8 of the best credit cards for general travel purchases
• 13 must-have items the TPG team can't travel without

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How To Use Google Flights To Find Cheap Prices, Discover Destinations (& More)

Michael McHugh

Former Content Contributor

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Keri Stooksbury

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Price Guarantee

Track travel advisories and restrictions, new and improved explore feature, search multiple cities, search multiple dates, price graph, how to book a flight, tracking prices, explore destinations with places, explore destinations with dates, explore destinations with price, selecting the flight, best ways to use explore destinations, vacation rentals, google flights price guarantee, google travel itineraries, google travel recommendations, flight delay notification and prediction, overhead bin access, enhanced by legroom (google chrome extension), final thoughts.

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Before the Google Flights platform launched in 2011, the process to search for all of your travel needs across a variety of websites was extremely cumbersome. Today, Google Flights has everything you need in 1 place to easily plan travel — it’s a robust website that helps you evaluate all of your Trip, Flight, Hotel, and Travel Package options.

In true Google fashion, the Google Flights platform is once again pushing the envelope with its price guarantee function, which we dive into below. In addition to its price guarantee function, Google added a feature that allows you to see your travel itinerary/itineraries on google.com/travel when logged into your Google account. Additional features include hotels, restaurants, and things to do recommendations from Google based on your destination.

New Features for Google Flights

Google Flights has recently added a new feature that gives users the ability to guarantee the lowest price possible.

When the multicolored guarantee badge appears, it means that Google is very confident that the price won’t get any higher before you fly. If a guaranteed price does go up, you can get an automatic refund of the price difference through Google Pay.

One of the newer features of Google Flights that is especially helpful in today’s climate is the ability to view and track any COVID-19 travel advisories or restrictions for the destination you’re searching for. This will include details like whether you’ll need to quarantine upon arrival or provide proof of test results or immunization records.

Better yet, you can also track these advisories and receive updates straight to your inbox. So if restrictions are added, lifted, or reduced, you will know about it right away and can make adjustments to your travels as necessary.

Those who have been using Google Flights for a while know that the Google Explore feature used to just show flight prices to a variety of major destinations from your home airport.

But now, you’ll see significantly more destinations on the map, including smaller cities and national parks, hotel rates, info on tours, activities, and attractions. You can also filter destinations that appear based on your interests (outdoors, beaches, skiing), the duration of the trip, the airlines that fly there, and more.

How Google Flights Can Save You Money

The first thing you might notice is that Google Flights isn’t quite as flashy as some of the online travel agencies like Expedia , Priceline , or Orbitz . Have no fear — it’s still a powerful search engine with lots of options!

Start by entering your basic search criteria, just as you would on any other site. Google Flights allows you to do multiple searches at once — up to 7 departures and 7 destinations in the search box! — saving you tons of time when you are doing a flexible search.

As an example, let’s say you want to fly from New York City to Europe but without a specific city in mind. In the departure box you can enter New York City, which will search all of the New York airports (LGA, JFK, EWR) — or you can select the airports individually, including other nearby airports like Islip, Long Island (ISP) or Philadelphia (PHL).

For your destination city, start typing in cities you are interested in visiting like Paris (CDG), Barcelona (BCN), Berlin (BER), etc. Google Flights will search for the best options all at once, instead of looking up the price of each route individually !

Your results list will display options including all of the cities added to your search. In the example below, we can see the cheapest flight is a nonstop flight from New York (JFK) to Paris (CDG).

Bottom Line:  If you have some flexibility in your travel plans or don’t know exactly where you want to go, Google Flights can save tons of time by combining multiple searches into 1. You can input up to 7 departure cities and 7 destination cities all in 1 search to see, quickly and easily, what the cheapest option will be. 

You now know you can search multiple departure and arrival cities, but how can you find out the cheapest dates to fly?

After inputting your departure and arrival cities, look at the dates to the right side of the search box. Clicking the calendar icon will display a calendar view showing prices for the whole month. Days that offer lower prices will be shown in green. As you can see, the majority of dates for this route in September and October have pricing for business class in green.

Hot Tip: You can adjust the duration of your trip by using the arrows at each side of the calendar box.

Flight Insights

Google Flights has updated its Flight Insights section, found on the right side above your flight search results. A new Prices section is shown below your search results . With this new format, you’ll only see the Prices section when searching between 2 city pairs and not when searching for multiple destinations.

Hot Tip: We always use a rewards card that earns bonus points   on travel purchases. For example, the Chase Sapphire Preferred ® Card earns you 2 points for every $1 that you spend with the card on travel or dining purchases. If you’re a business owner, we’d strongly recommend using a rewarding business credit card (we recommend Chase business credit cards ) when making a travel purchase, otherwise, you’re missing out on points, miles, or cash-back!

For deeper insight on the cheapest days to fly, click on the Date Grid . This will open up a grid showing the cheapest days to fly in green and the most expensive days to fly in red.

You can see even more pricing details by using the Departure and Return arrows on the top and right side of the Date Grid section respectively. For those with flexible travel dates, this can be a great way to save some cash!

The Price graph shows 2 months’ worth of prices in a visual graph form to easily see price trends by day. Scroll further in the future with the arrow to the right of the graph or change the duration of your trip using the -/+ buttons by your selected dates.

How To Use Google Flights

Although this tool lets you search for, compare, and purchase flights, it’s not technically an online travel agency like Travelocity or Priceline . Rather, it’s a highly effective metasearch engine that saves you the step of searching each airline and website individually.

Scroll through the Best Departing Flights results and click on a flight that interests you. Flights listed in the Other Departing Flights section will typically be more expensive and/or include less than ideal layovers.

When you find the flight you want, you’re prompted to choose your outbound flight first, followed by your return flight (assuming you’re booking a round-trip flight). Keep in mind that the price shown on the initial results screen is the lowest possible price for that itinerary. The return flight you pick could alter the cost, so make sure to pay attention to the prices of each return flight.

When you’ve chosen your flights, Google offers a few options for booking — generally, these are the cheapest options it can find. You’re given the option to book directly with the airline operating the flight (often cheapest), through the airline’s partners, or with whichever online travel agencies offer the best deals.

Click the Select button next to the price of your flight and you’ll be redirected to that website to book your flight. The travel details are already set, so all you need to do is confirm them, enter your personal information, and pay.

Bottom Line:  While the other features that Google Flights offers are useful, its basic flight search functionality is the heart and soul of this tool. It’s not quite perfect and doesn’t have full access to every airline — for example, it can’t access prices for Southwest Airlines — but otherwise, it’s the best way there is to search for flights.

Google has a tool that lets you track flight prices — once set, you’ll receive an email if prices increase or decrease. To set an alert, look above the booking sites after you’ve chosen an itinerary and click the Track Prices button. If you’re logged in to Google, the alerts will be sent to your Gmail; otherwise, enter an email address.

You can access any flight price alert set by clicking on the 3-line menu icon in the upper-left corner of Google Flights and clicking Tracked Flight Prices . You can also see a graph with price changes from the day you set the price alert going forward.

Google also has an option to share a chosen itinerary before actually booking the flight. This tool can be extremely helpful when searching for flights for someone else or making group travel plans.

The Share button is directly above the Total Price of your flight with 2 options for sharing — 1) email the itinerary to yourself, or 2) share the itinerary with another person.

To email the itinerary to yourself, click the Send To Yourself button on the left. Similar to the Track Prices feature, the itinerary will be sent to your Gmail if you’re logged into your account, otherwise, you’ll need to enter your email address for the itinerary to be emailed to you.

To share the itinerary with another person, click the Share button on the right. A window pops up with options to share via Email, Facebook, Twitter, or Copy Link.

Bottom Line:  Google Flights is one of the most effective ways to search for flights. The platform has powerful tools to help make the flight search process easier than it otherwise would be. 

Explore Destinations

On the Google Flights homepage, you’ll notice an Explore Destinations button directly below the area where you select the dates of your travel. This tool is very interesting because it’s the perfect way to find some travel inspiration! There are 3 main ways you can search: Place, Date, and Price.

The Explore Destinations Places section lets you input a place that you’d like to travel, and then populates a map on the right side of the page with markers showing the different places that you can go. You can scroll through the search list under the Price section or search destinations directly on the map.

Another way that you can use Explore Destinations is to search for potential trips by Date. Enter Specific Dates or Flexible Dates and the Explore Destinations map will update the results based on these filters. Similar to Places, when the search results are populated, you can scroll through the list of destinations on the left side or click the destination directly on the map.

If Price is your filter of choice, slide the blue Price circle to the left or right to see what destinations populate based on your price parameters. Once you select the maximum price you are willing to pay, the map and list below the Price section will populate.

When you select the flight for your trip, a new section on the right side appears showing you the cost of your different flight options. By clicking View Flight , you will be directed back to the main Google Flights homepage where you can book the flight.

We have found that the best way to use the Explore Destinations tool is when you want to take a trip and have a general idea of when you can travel, but you don’t know exactly where you want to go. In our experience, results have been more helpful when you keep the search criteria more general — for example, picking a month and duration rather than specific dates.

Not to be confused with Explore Destinations in the Flights section, Google Flights has a section titled Explore with recommendations of popular destinations. You can also enter a destination in the search tab directly below the word Explore.

When you click on a destination, Google Flights will take you to the travel guide for that city. For example, if you click Austin in the picture above, you will be directed to the Austin travel guide. Once here, you will find Things To Do, Suggested Day Plans, Plan A Trip, When To Visit, Travel Articles, Travel Videos, See More While You’re There, and Other Places To Explore sections.

The Travel section of Google Flights is another interesting area to check out. When you enter a flight, hotel, or destination, Google Flights will direct you to the Explore, Flights, Hotels, or Packages section of the platform.

Directly below the search area of Travel, Google Flights lists your Upcoming Trips pulled from your Gmail, Potential Trips that you can take, Popular Destinations , and Past Trips that you’ve taken (also pulled from your Gmail).

Bottom Line:  The Trips section helps to direct you to the area of Google Flights that fits your search criteria. 

To book a hotel, start your search with the Hotels section of Google Flights. Simply enter your destination in the Where To? section and your dates in the dates section and you will see both a list and map of hotels for your destination. Narrow down your results using filters such as Number of Guests, Price, Hotel or Vacation Rental, Guest Rating, Amenities, and/or Brands.

Similar to Flights, you can set price alerts to track hotel prices. By setting an alert and entering your email, you will be sent price alerts and travel tips directly to your email.

The Vacation Rentals feature is a great tool for those who want to book a vacation rental instead of a hotel, based on a few criteria, and want to view all of their options across multiple vacation rental platforms.

You can enter your Destination, Date, Budget, Rating, and/or Number of Travelers, and Google Flights will populate the top options based on the criteria entered.

Special Features

Google’s been improving the Flights tool since it launched in 2011 by making it faster, adding new functionalities, and adding airlines and options. Price tracking is just one of those newer features.

As we’ll cover in more detail below, Google Flights will show you whether the price of the flight you’re looking to book is high, low, or typical. This is extremely helpful to ensure that you get the best flight deal.

Google is testing this new feature with a trial period, which is only available on certain flights. You can search for flights on Google Flights to see if your route happens to be one of the routes Google is using during this trial period. As an example of how the new function works, if you book a flight during the trial period, Google will guarantee the price will not drop. If it does, Google pays you the difference. How could you not love that?

As mentioned, the price guarantee function is not fully rolled out just yet. During the roll-out phase, the feature is only available on select flights originating in the U.S.

An additional feature Google Flights has added focuses on your trip itinerary. If your trip confirmation (i.e. flight) is delivered to your Gmail account, Google will show that trip itinerary in your google.com/travel list in a timeline format, similar to what you’ll see with TripIt. It’s an easy-to-read list that shows you everything that you have booked.

After your flight is booked, Google will help you with your next set of travel needs.

When you click on an itinerary shown in your Google Trip list, you’ll see options for hotels, flights, restaurants, and things to do. For example, when you click on Search hotels in XX city for , Google will redirect you to its Google Hotels page. From there, everything you need to know to book a hotel will be at your fingertips.

With respect to restaurants, when you click the Top restaurants in XX city  tab, Google will redirect you to Google Maps. On this page, you’ll see the top-rated restaurants in that city.

But wait, there’s more! When you click on a restaurant, the restaurant’s Google Maps page pulls up. You’ll then be able to click Reserve A Table  to book a reservation. How could it get any easier?

Google Flights will also predict delays to inform your purchase decision. In your search results, Google Flights will provide a note indicating flights that are often delayed.

Google Flights has a flight results filter to show which options include access to an overhead bin for a carry-on bag.

Google Flights has a  free extension for the Google Chrome web browser that adds information about seats to your search results. When you search for an economy class ticket, you’ll see the particular flight’s pitch (distance from the back of one seat to the back of the next seat) on the right-hand side of each result.

Flights with a smaller pitch are highlighted in red, while flights with a more generous pitch are in green. If you search for a premium cabin, you’ll see the type of seat on the flight — for example, a recliner, angled-flat, or lie-flat seat.

This is a fantastically helpful tool! As airlines are still working to make their fleets uniform following mergers over the past few years, it’s helpful to know exactly what kind of seat you’re paying for, especially since it can vary based on which plane is being flown on the route.

Bottom Line:  New features continue to be brought into the software tool — whether officially through Google or through third parties.

Google Flights is built on software that Google acquired when it bought ITA Software in 2011. That software still powers Google Flights, and if you want complete control over your search — from routing and fare code to the tiniest detail — you can access this software’s advanced interface.

ITA Matrix can be quite complicated, but the tradeoff is that you can search with much more control. If you’re interested in learning more, check out this complete guide to ITA Matrix .

Google Flights is a first stop anytime when looking for flights. It includes most airlines, features great prices, and searches various online travel agencies and airline websites to save you time. Even if you plan to book through an online travel agency (OTA), you should always search Google Flights first.

There’s just one catch to be aware of: Google doesn’t have access to pricing for Southwest Airlines flights. Whenever Southwest operates a route, it’ll appear at the bottom of the flight search results, but you’ll have to click it to visit Southwest’s site and see the price for yourself.

For additional information on other OTAs and metasearch engines, you can check out this article on which websites are best for booking flights at the cheapest prices .

Frequently Asked Questions

What is google flights.

Although the tool lets you search for, compare, and purchase flights, it’s not an online travel agency like Orbitz or Priceline. Rather, it’s a highly effective metasearch engine that saves you the step of searching each airline and website individually.

You can compare routes, prices, times, airlines, and more to find the cheapest, most convenient, or preferred flight between any airports.

How does Google Flights work?

The software tool works by searching databases from each airline and online travel agency to find flight schedules, seats, and prices.

Behind the scenes, it works by using a program called ITA Matrix, which was originally developed for travel agents and reservation managers.

Can you book through Google Flights?

Not exactly as the tool itself is just a search engine. That means that unlike a travel agency, it’s not the one selling you the flight.

However, Google includes links with each result to the cheapest available place to book — usually directly with the airline, but sometimes through an online travel agency or one of the airline’s partners.

How reliable is Google Flights?

In theory, any service or search engine can make mistakes. However, the tool gets its information directly from the airlines. That means that if there’s a mistake or something incorrect, that’s because the airline likely did something wrong.

Are Google Flights reservations refundable?

Because you’re not booking directly through Google, you should be sure to check the policy of whichever website you purchase your airfare from, as well as any restrictions with the particular fare you’ve bought.

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About Michael McHugh

Born and raised in Mobile, Alabama, Michael took his first international trip in 2013 with friends to the Bahamas. Although he didn’t travel much in his younger years, on that trip, he caught the travel bug and has been hooked ever since.

Michael first caught wind of the points and miles game in 2014 while at a bar in Washington, DC where the conversation amongst friends was quickly derailed because of an alert on a friend’s phone about a mistake fare.  That’s where the love affair with points and miles began.

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Find plane tickets on Google Flights

When you use Google Flights to find plane tickets, you can get the best fares for where and when you want to travel. Use Google flights to:

• Find and book round trip, one-way, and multi-city tickets.
• Use an interactive calendar and price graph to find the best fares.
• Filter your flight search by cabin class, airlines, and number of stops.

Google Flights allows you to book flights from more than 300 airline and online travel agency partners. These partnerships have no impact on the ranking of offers suggested to you.

Find your flights

• Go to Google Flights .
• Tip: You can also find destinations by clicking a popular destinations list or a world map.
• At the top, select your ticket type: one-way, round trip, or multi-city.
• At the top, select the number of passengers and cabin class.
• Tip: Flight prices are updated approximately once every 24 hours.
• To filter your results, click Stops , Airlines , Times , or More .

• Choose a flight for each part of your trip.
• When you click Select for your ticket(s), you’ll usually be taken to the airline’s website or online travel agency to complete the transaction.
• In some cases, you can book separate tickets for one trip .
• Once you’ve booked a flight, contact the airline or online travel agent to confirm your booking, change it, cancel it, or to resolve any issue that may arise.

For more info, refer to the airline or online travel agent's terms and conditions on their site.

Tip: If your flight can’t be booked online, you'll find instructions to book by phone.

Flight insights

After searching for your tickets, “Flight insights” gives you options to optimize your travel experience.

Booking separate tickets for one trip

Flights can be bought as separate tickets from one or more partners. This option might appear when it could save you money or open more flight schedules.

Instructions to buy tickets separately

If you find a notice that both tickets can be bought in a single transaction from an online travel agency, click the link to visit their website.

• Visit the first airline or online travel agency’s website.
• Double-check the price, and buy your first ticket.
• Immediately visit the next airline’s or travel agency’s website, and buy the second ticket, to make sure your second ticket is still available. If your second ticket can’t be bought, in the United States, in most cases, you can call the airline to take advantage of 24-hour refund policies to refund the first ticket.
• If you need to make changes, you might be charged a change fee for each ticket.
• Each airline has different baggage rules and fees.
• Buying separate tickets from different airlines may require claiming and rechecking baggage, which takes additional time, so plan accordingly.
• If your outbound trip is delayed, for example in the case of a layover or multi-city trip, you might miss your second trip. To find out about your options, contact the airline.

Why some flights aren’t included

Google Flights uses over 300 partners, like airlines, online travel agencies, and aggregators, to display its offers. Not all airlines or available flights are included, as a partnership with Google is required. Most of these partners provide Google with all prices and flight options that they would show on their own websites or through third-party sites. This ensures that you get a complete view of the flights and prices that match your search, without the need to check prices on multiple sites.

Some flights might not show up when:

• The flights are sold out or unavailable.
• The carrier hasn’t yet been added to Google Flights.

About baggage fees, prices & more

Specific or additional insurances and/or commercial warranties may be offered by the carriers. For more info, please visit the carrier’s website.

Related resources

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• Filter flight prices by bag fees

3 ways to find a great deal with Google Flights

Aug 28, 2023

See the cheapest time to book your flight, track its price, and look out for a price guarantee badge. Plus, check out our 2023 flight booking trends.

If you want to save money on flights this holiday season, or any time of year, a little bit of planning can go a long way. Most of the time, it’s better to book on the early side, especially when your plans aren’t very flexible. But flight prices do change frequently, and there are often low fares to be found with the right tools (and some perseverance).

So for all the thrifty travelers out there, we’re sharing a few new and existing ways Google Flights can help you find a great deal.

1. Get new insights on the cheapest time to book

On Google Flights, you can already see whether current prices for your search are low, typical or high compared to past averages for the same route. But the age-old question remains: Is it better to book now or wait for lower prices to come along?

So this week, we’re launching upgraded insights to make that choice a bit easier. For searches with reliable trend data, you’ll now see when prices have typically been lowest to book your chosen dates and destination.

For example, these insights could tell you that the cheapest time to book similar trips is usually two months before departure, and you’re currently in that sweet spot. Or you might learn that prices have usually dropped closer to takeoff, so you decide to wait before booking. Either way, you can make that decision with a greater sense of confidence.

2. Turn on price tracking

If you do want to wait for lower fares before you book, price tracking can do most of the heavy lifting for you. When you enable price tracking, we’ll automatically notify you if flight prices drop significantly. You can set up tracking for specific dates, like your best friend’s destination wedding in February. Or, if you’re more flexible, you can turn on “Any dates” price tracking to receive emails about deals anytime in the next three to six months. To enable this feature, make sure you’re logged into your Google account.

3. Snag a price guarantee

On some flight results, you’ll see a colorful price guarantee badge, which means we’re especially confident the fare you see today won’t get any lower before departure. When you book one of these flights, we’ll monitor the price every day before takeoff, and if the price does go down, we’ll pay you back the difference via Google Pay. These price guarantees are part of a pilot program available for select Book on Google itineraries departing from the U.S.

2023 flight booking trends

Outside of these tools, we’ve gathered other information to help you travel on a budget. Last year, we shared money-saving insights based on historical pricing trends on Google Flights. We ran the numbers again with the latest data 1 , and most of the tips from 2022 still hold true: Taking a layover or avoiding weekend departures are among the best ways to save on your next flight booking.

But things have changed a bit for flights around Christmas and flights to Europe. In both scenarios, you’ll want to book even earlier than usual, especially if you’re heading across the pond. Here’s what we found:

Best time to book flights for Christmas: For trips starting in mid-December, you’re most likely to find deals around early October. Average prices tend to be lowest 71 days before departure — a big change from our 2022 insights, which found that average prices were lowest just 22 days before departure. And the typical low price range is now 54-78 days before takeoff.

Best time to book flights from the U.S. to Europe: Average prices have been lowest 72 days or more before departure. In other words, average airfares from the U.S. to Europe only tend to increase over time, especially once you’re about 10 weeks from departure. So if you want to dust off that passport, you should book your flight as soon as possible.

With these tools and trends, you’ll be more than ready for takeoff. Safe travels!

More Information

To produce the insights in this post, we calculated average round trip airfares observed on Google Flights Aug 1, 2018 through Dec 31, 2019 and Jan 1, 2021 through July 31, 2023, for 6- to 9-day trips and 13- to 16-day trips departing from the top 4,000 markets in the U.S. For Thanksgiving and Christmas, we examined 6- to 9-day trips and 13- to 16-day trips with departure dates before the holiday and return dates after the holiday. For spring break, we examined 6- to 9-day trips and 13- to 16-day trips beginning in March or April, and for summer vacation we examined 6- to 9-day trips and 13- to 16-day trips beginning in July or August.

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Quiz: Do you know solar eclipse Search Trends?

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12 Hidden Tips and Tricks to Save Money with Google Flights

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As the UK is about to start coming out of national restrictions and flights and holidays are again on the horizon, there has been a surge in demand for searches on travel and flight sites – such as Google Flights.

  Google Flights is an amazing feature-rich flight search tool giving you access to so much information to not only help you find the best prices but also answer a lot of questions you’re likely to have too. Google Flights is so feature-rich that many people miss some of the hidden tricks and tips.

Here in summary are the features and tips when using Google Flights:

• Use the Explore feature for trip suggestions
• Find the best prices before you even search
• Never overpay – the Price Graph can reveal the really cheap prices
• Fare Alerts for all those secret airline sales
• Filters are your friends – Narrow down your choices to save time
• Look for separate tickets and reduce the overall price of your flight
• The Date Grid can help you extend your trip for less
• Cheap hotel prices as well as travel guides
• Travel Guide and Things to Do
• Find out what’s onboard on your flight
• Flights to earn your air miles and points
• A full trip itinerary

Let’s take a look at these tips and tricks in a little more detail with some examples and screenshots from the Google Flights search tool.

#1 The Explore Feature on Google Flights Can Help with Trip Inspiration at a Great Price

Courtesy: Google Flights – Explore FeatureIf you have an exact destination in mind, and exact date, then the standard Google Flights screen will do just fine. If you are flexible and looking for some travel inspiration, then the Google Flights Explore section is an amazing tool on its own – and has some really helpful features.

In the screenshot above we have narrowed down a search for a weekend break to Europe in August flying in Economy class. The results are pretty impressive. Google Flights is recommending top weekend break destinations and shows the cheapest weekend flight prices available.

How awesome is that? I can see that if I fly between the 6 th and 9 th of August, you could get a weekend trip to Madrid for just £32 with Ryanair.

Courtesy: Google Flights – Flights to Madrid for £32Not only does it show you the cheapest flights, but it also shows you prices for available hotels too – as well as advice on the best times to travel, a selection of travel guides for the destination as well as questions regular travelers have asked.

#2 View Flight Prices Before You Search to Find the Best Rates

Courtesy: Google Flights – See prices before you searchUnlike many flight searches, the Google Flight search tool shows you the cheapest available prices before you even hit the Search button. To use this feature, choose your departure and destination locations and then click on the search date – after a second or so the cheapest prices for the months on view appear on the screen (see screenshot above).

This means if your dates are flexible you can see across at least two full months not only the cheapest prices but also see whether it’s always cheaper to fly out or fly back on a certain day of the week. Weekend travel can often be cheaper than weekday travel especially, to places popular for business travelers.

If the date for your next trip is flexible this can be an invaluable little feature to help you save money.

#3 Never Overpay! – Take Advantage of the Price Graph on Google Flights to Help Uncover Those Cheap Flights

Courtesy: Google Flights – Price GraphThe flight prices appearing as the dates appear is useful, but once you’ve hit search you get access to a little hidden icon, which is the Price Graph Although the Price Graph shows you the same flight prices as the search facility did, the visual graph just looks easier to read.

You can see in the above image, which shows a search for New York flights in Premium Economy class during August are higher than in September and October. Although this isn’t too unexpected what is really interesting is that the same flight just two weeks later is 32% cheaper!

#4 Use the Fare Alerts on Google Flights and Be Told of All the Secret Sales

Courtesy: Google Flights – Track Flight Prices

I told you Google Flights was a feature rich – but The Fare Alerts tool can be a real little goldmine! You need to be logged in to Google but once you are you can carry out a search to a destination and then make sure the Track Prices toggle switch is set to on. Google now will keep a monitor of the flight you want to take and will email you the moment the price for that flight changes.

Some airlines’ sales are not exactly public. Some you only find out about by visiting the airline’s website or by logging in to your airline’s air miles or points program. This way you get to find out directly from Google themselves of all sales and price reductions.

Let Google Flights tell you when flight prices reduce, and you could save quite a bit of money!

#5 Use Google Flights Extensive Filters to Save Time

Courtesy: Google Flights – Flight FiltersOnly interested in direct flights, just need a morning or overnight flight or perhaps you need more than one carry-on case – all of these options, and more, are available through the extensive Google Flight filters.

Rather than looking through flight option after flight option to choose the best flight time or just those flights flying direct or no more than one stopover – simply select your filters and Google Flights will just show you the flights you could actually take. This can save so much time than traditional flight searching and scrolling.

#6 Look for Separate Tickets in the Hidden Filter to Look For Cheaper Return Flights

Courtesy: Google Flights – Separate Flight Tickets to SaveBy default, Google Flights will show you return flights from the same airline, and often to the same departure and arrival terminals. You can though search for separate tickets and look for flight options where you may fly outbound on one airline but fly back on a second airline.

You could find much cheaper flight prices using this method.

This can come with risks if your separate tickets include a stopover on one leg of your flight, and the continuing journey is with a different airline. As these are separate tickets if your first leg is delayed you may miss your second leg of the journey – and have to pay for a separate second-leg flight.

This is different from a stopover flight with the same airline where they will ensure you reach your end destination if your first leg is delayed. If your outbound and inbound flights are direct, you should be absolutely fine, and using this hidden feature you could save on your flight.

#7 The Date Grid Can Help You Extend Your Trip for Less

Courtesy: Google Flights – Date GridThere are many ways to show the same flight data, and so far we’ve looked at a few, but this method allows you to see whether you could extend your trip and actually save money.

Let me explain how this works.

The Date Grid option gives you an at-a-glance view of the flight prices for your chosen trip as well as the flight prices around your dates too for departing and arriving on different days.

The flight search in the screenshot above is a trip to New York in August in Premium Economy. We searched for a mini break departing Sunday 8 th August and returning Thursday 12 th August – but look, if you instead fly back on Friday 13 th August (for all you non-superstitious people!) you save £462!

Not only can you extend your trip by another day, but this saving would more than cover the cost of a hotel room for another night, meaning not only do you get to enjoy the Big Apple for less but longer too.

#8 Cheap Hotel Prices

Courtesy: Google Flights – Hotel SearchDon’t let the name Google Flights confuse you. Google has access to more data than any other company which means they can help you find cheap hotel prices too. As well as a separate Hotel section, you may notice that for each flight search Google will show not only the cheapest flight price but also the cheapest hotel prices.

Depending on special events, festivals, etc… hotel prices for a particular day may be expensive but flying the day or the day after may mean a slightly more expensive flight, but a much lower price hotel room.

#9 Travel Guide and Things to Do

Courtesy: Google Flights – Travel Guide and things To DoWe’ve all done it. Become excited about a trip and spent hours on Google researching away. Google Flights brings this to you too. You may have noticed, when searching for your flight, the Things to Do section. This really is the most comprehensive travel guide we’ve seen.

In fact, it’s so well designed to help you make you’re the most of your trip, it’s the webpage I visit most often when planning any up-and-coming trip.

#10 What’s Onboard Your Flight

Courtesy: Google Flights – On Board Your FlightOften you may see different cabin names from different airlines. For example, the Virgin Delight offering from Virgin Atlantic. Unless you fly every airline often it can be confusing to know what this means, and what you’re likely to expect on board. Beside each flight suggestion, you’ll see a drop-down icon. Click this and Google will show you more information about the flight, such as flight number, aircraft type, and stop-over details – as we as what to expect in the cabin.

#11 Look for Flights to Earn You Air Miles and Points

Courtesy: Google Flights – Search by Airlines or ProgramsIt isn’t really feasible to earn air miles and points on every airline’s air miles program. Well, it is possible but if you build up a small number of air miles with different airlines you will never be able to concentrate on one enough to make those rewards valuable enough.

Use the Flights filter to just choose the airline or airlines you are actively collecting air miles for. This means whatever flights are returned you will have a chance of increasing your points balance. Just note though this could filter out a much cheaper price with an alternative airline.

You can even search for all fourteen airlines now part of the OneWorld alliance (now that Alaska Airlines have joined the program) and continue to boost your OneWorld tier to earn benefits across the 14 airlines.

Gain Emerald or Sapphire status and you can enjoy lounge access for free regardless of your cabin class across all 14 airlines. This means if you build up enough tier points for Emerald or Ruby with Qatar airlines, you could use the BA Business Lounge at Heathrow for free.

#12 Full Trip Itinerary

Courtesy: Google Flights – Trip ItinerarySearch through Google Flights quickly and you may quite easily miss the Travel section.

The Travel section is where you can create a full itinerary for your next trip. Personally, I think this section could be improved on a little, but equally, if your next trip is multi-location based and you need to fly between your destinations, it could be a handy tool to not only plan out where to go and what to do, but also whether by adjusting your trip you could save money on flights.

The Travel Articles are useful for people’s first-hand experiences too.

Google Flights in Summary

So much more than just a flight search tool, Google Flights is a really indispensable tool – available across multiple devices – to help you save money and time on your next trip. The flight options enough are worth a visit but when you add together the features and vast knowledge Google has on your destination, it really is one of the most useful tools on the internet to find your next trip.

About The Author

The Points Insider Team

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How to Set Google Flight Alerts

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Table of Contents

What is Google Flights?

What is a google flights alert , how to set google flights alerts, final thoughts on google flights price alerts.

Even if you use credit card rewards to cover the cost of your travel, there are instances when paying money is preferable.

Say you can't find an award flight on your preferred travel date or the cash cost yields a low value for your miles. In situations like these ( and others ), you may want to save your rewards and purchase a ticket outright.

Nevertheless, regardless of how much you pay, you want to get the best deal. Google Flights can help. So, let us show you how to set Google Flights alerts and book the cheapest flight possible.

Google Flights is an online flight search tool run by — you guessed it — Google. The tool lets you search for plane tickets quickly, check price history, and track prices for specific flights.

Google Flights is a must-use tool for any traveler, whether you're a frequent flyer or a casual vacationer.

» Learn more: A quick guide to Google Flights

A Google Flights alert informs you when a flight's price changes, whether it increases or decreases. To use the money-saving feature, set up a tracker for a particular route that includes all flights that day.

If you're watching specific flights, it's possible to set up a tracker for each flight that fits your schedule by clicking on "Track prices" once the exact flight has been selected.

If you prefer just one or two specific departures, it's best to set trackers just for those flights to avoid seeing price changes for all flights that day.

Additionally, if your dates are flexible, click on "Any dates." This will enable you to receive price change notifications for flights on specific days whenever prices on this route are low within a month of your chosen travel dates.

Enter your flight information

To use one of the best features of Google Flights, you'll always start with the first step — search for the flight you want to track. So, go to Google Flights and enter your search parameters, such as:

Flight origin and destination.

Travel dates.

Class of service.

The number of travelers.

Whether you're traveling round-trip, one-way or multi-city.

» Learn more: The best airline credit cards right now

Switch on the flight tracker button 

Once the search results appear and you don't like the prices you see, you can set the tracker for any given flight or route you prefer to take in the future.

To do this, toggle the "Track prices" to the "on" position, and it'll activate the flight tracker tool. That's it.

Because the notifications are sent to your email, you must have a Gmail email account and be logged in through that account to receive the price change alerts from Google Flights.

View tracked prices

Any time you want to review the tracked flights you've set up, go to Google Flight's main page and you will find the existing trackers visible below the search fields.

You also can access them from your Google Travel dashboard. If you've set up more than three alerts, click on "View all" to see them all.

This is also where you can view a tracked flight's history and the price changes over the past several months, with increases and decreases shown in the graph.

If the price has decreased and you're ready to book the flight, click "See booking options" and proceed with the reservation.

If you're no longer interested in tracking a particular route or flight, click the small trash bin icon in the bottom left corner to remove it from the list.

Keep an eye on your email

You'll receive an email as soon as the price significantly changes in either direction. You'll also receive an email notification when Google thinks the price will likely increase.

If you haven't received an email in a while, we suggest checking your tracked flights on Google Flights regularly to stay on top of the trackers you've set in case the price drops and you weren't informed. Email alerts, in our experience, may not always be dependable.

Keep tracking prices after booking

Once you've booked a flight, don't rush to remove your Google Flights trackers. Why? Because many U.S.-based airlines no longer charge change or cancellation fees on eligible fares.

If the price of your flight drops even further, you can cancel and rebook or change it in your airline account.

Here are a few guides on rebooking fares when prices drop, broken down by airline:

American Airlines .

Delta Air Lines .

Southwest Airlines .

United Airlines .

Keep in mind that basic economy tickets can't be changed or canceled for free, so there's no use for a continuous flight tracker on those fares. It is, however, a valuable tool to use up until your flight departure on a main cabin or higher class ticket in case of a significant price change in your favor.

You'll usually receive an airline voucher or an eCredit for the fare difference. As long as you use it within the eligible timeframe on the same carrier, you save money on flights by tracking the prices even after you've booked.

» Learn more: Basic economy vs. main cabin fares

Google Flights trackers are best used when you've narrowed your flight options and have a specific route or flight time in mind. Setting these alerts with one click is easy and the flight tracking tool does all the work.

However, if you're flexible with your dates or the destination, it might be cumbersome to start tracking prices on multiple flights within an extended date range. In that case, you're better off checking a flexible date range (you can view a price calendar in Google Flights) or browsing the explore page for a flexible destination instead.

How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2024 , including those best for:

Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

No annual fee: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

on Chase's website

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6 of the Best Travel Watches Around Right Now

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Rolex Explorer II Read more

Bell & Ross BR03-93 GMT Read more

Breitling Chronomat UTC Read more

Chopard L.U.C Time Traveler One Black Read more

If nothing else, the last year or so has made foreign travel an adventure again, at least for those who enjoy navigating their way through vaccination regimes and test requirements. It feels long ago when instead the burning question was whether it’s cocktail hour at the destination yet.

For the well-prepared traveler, the answer is on your wrist, as one of the few really useful complications watchmakers offer is the ability to show two or more time zones at a glance. Simply put, a “complication” in watch parlance is any function on a timepiece other than showing the time, such as a stopwatch or moon-phase display. Of course, you can do it in your head or use a world-time app on your phone, but a GMT or worldtimer saves you the bother and looks considerably more stylish. 

However, as easy as it is for you to decipher, showing multiple time zones is a significant challenge for both the watchmakers and the designer, as there’s always a tradeoff between simplicity and utility. How do you want the second time zone to be set? Should it link to the date? Do the time zones need to be named? How do you make sure the “travel” time is sufficiently distinct from the “home” time? What about places with just 30-minute differences? 

Here is our edit of some of the best mechanical worldtimers you can get right now, from entry level to high-end. All should serve you well, wherever your travels—once they begin again in earnest—may take you.

The standard approach to a GMT watch is exemplified by the Explorer II from Rolex, which has a second hour in bright orange that runs on a 24-hour cycle: set this 24-hour hand for your second time zone, then read the hour off the bezel scale, and minutes as normal. 

The design is built entirely around the presence of the extra hand and the bezel, with the contrast between hour and GMT hands being a feature rather than a hindrance (whether that’s a good thing is a straightforward matter of taste).

It’s simple, effective, and, as it’s a Rolex, bomb-proof. And even if you’re not traveling across time zones, Rolex points out that it might be useful for distinguishing day from night, should you emerge from a storm in an Arctic high summer.

This new version retains the signature 42mm sizing (want a larger case? Look to the brand's rugged 43mm Sea-Dweller and 44mm Deepsea). Inside is the in-house caliber 3285 power plant, new in the Explorer II, and the same currently found in the GMT-Master II. 

The really good news is this 3285 automatic movement—powered by the natural movement of the body as you wear it—packs in the best that Rolex currently offers: Chronergy escapement, 70 hours of power reserve, blue Parachrom balance spring and Paraflex shock absorbers. What does all this mean? A much more accurate, efficient, and robust piece that keeps running much longer after you've stopped wearing it.

There is currently no way to purchase a Rolex online. You will need to use Rolex's dealer locator that we've linked to below. This page has the model information you'll want to share with a dealer.

The same solution seen in the Rolex is behind Bell & Ross’s BR03-93 GMT, but the design makes the GMT more subservient to the watch design, obviously derived from the modular format of cockpit instruments, an aviation-inspired look that Bell & Ross has come to dominate over its 30-year history. 

One difference here is that the bezel can be turned, giving the watch more flexibility in terms of the extra time zone (the bezel is rotated however many hours difference between home time and the third zone to see the time in that destination without having to set the watch). Some will welcome that, others will see it as a complication too far, but it’s a smart watch that delivers a design presence that Rolex doesn’t look for. Speaking of which, the popular colorways of red and black—the "Coke" look as opposed to the red and blue "Pepsi" style—will justifiably draw attention.

The sturdy 42mm watch also has 100-meter water resistance, a 42-hour power reserve, curved anti-reflective sapphire crystal, and a small, subtle rounded date window towards the 4:30 position. Yes, you get a black calfskin leather strap, but we prefer this ultra-resilient synthetic fabric option.

Breitling’s Chronomat UTC offers a brutally effective, if not especially subtle, solution to the demand for worldtimer watches: fit a completely separate mini, quartz-powered watch into the strap . 

It helps that the Chronomat is a hefty piece of kit to begin with—44mm by 14.45mm, so the extra bulk shouldn’t be an issue. The mechanical movement has 70 hours of power reserve, which is the length of time it continues to tick once you have removed the Chronomat from your wrist. It's also water-resistant up to 200 meters.

The “UTC" name references Coordinated Universal Time, or UTC , the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time and is not adjusted for daylight saving, making it effectively a successor to Greenwich Mean Time, or GMT, which is where worldtimers derive their alternative moniker from.

The Chronomat was inspired by the Frecce Tricolori watch that Breitling created for the Italian Air Force’s aerobatic fleet back in 1983, and is very much an all-purpose sports watch, which explains why the second time zone function was incorporated into the strap and not the watch itself.

There’s an alternative solution that can be seen in Chopard’s latest travel watch, the L.U.C Time Traveler One Black, which is to show time everywhere in the world at once, via an arrangement of counter-rotating discs on the edge of the dial. 

Amazingly, it’s almost suspiciously easy to read—the number below the city is the time there—but it needs a sensitive designer to manage the hierarchy of information delivered. Going monotone, as Chopard’s watch shows, is a beautifully effective way of doing just that. 

It's actually based on the Time Traveler One launched back in 2016, but now with an added dose of modernity thanks to that monochrome color palette that extends to the 42mm ceramised titanium case (which has a hardness of 700 Vickers when 316L stainless steel has a hardness of 150 to 200 Vickers). On closer inspection, it's not black but myriad subtle shades of gray. This is the secret to the watch's legibility. 

One the outside of the dial is a city disc, marked with 24 locations around the globe. The crown at 4 o’clock lets the user rotate this city disc. When the chosen city for the local time is set at the 12 o’clock position, you can determine the prevailing hour in all of those 24 locations simultaneously.

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TAG Heuer has just dropped three new 2022 Autavia models comprising two new chronograph models and this, a three-hand GMT model—a first for TAG's Autavia collection to mark the line's 60th year.

Fitted with an automatic movement that will keep running up to 50 hours after you've taken the watch off, the piece focuses on simplicity and legibility: numerals and hands coated with glow-in-the-dark Super-LumiNova on an uncluttered blue dial contained in a 42mm steel case that's water-resistant to 100 meters. 

The addition of easily interchangeable straps is another boon, with traditional stainless-steel or  leather straps as well as on-trend woven NATO bands, too.

Not all globe-trotting GMT watches cost the Earth. Christopher Ward's C63 Sealander GMT has a pleasingly classic style yet costs a fraction of the other pieces here. You get a round stainless steel 39mm case secure to 150 meters, a power reserve that extends to 56 hours, and this piece is the first from the brand to use its new automatic movement that not only adds the display of a second time zone (indicated by the large orange hand), but also allows for a slightly more precise GMT setting than the previous version. 

It is available in black, white, green or blue polished lacquer dials, boasts an anti-shock system and is compatible with a range quick-change straps that includes this options made from recycled ocean plastic.

In the past, a criticism levied at Christopher Ward has been a tendency to add unnecessary information and clutter to its dials, as it did with its 2014 C900 Worldtimer, but here there are no such issues. It's smart and simple. 

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How to get ready for a road trip using Google’s travel site and Maps

Due to the pandemic, travel has been slow this past year, and you might be a little rusty when it comes to picking up and traveling somewhere to visit friends and family or just planning a getaway. Whatever the case, Google has a few helpful tools in Google Maps and Google’s travel site to help you get started on making those plans and staying safe along the way.

Table of contents

Getting started with google’s travel website, using google map’s road trip feature, planning a trip around covid-19 restrictions.

Google’s travel website is meant to be a companion site that can help you plan all of the details of your trip. You can use it to book flights, make an itinerary, and even explore interesting places to visit at your destination. If you have a Gmail account , there’s a good chance that any flight reservation you make will automatically appear the next time you use Google’s travel site, making it that much easier to plan the trip’s details. If not, Google Travel may suggest locations based on your search history and interests. While that may be a little creepy, it can also be pretty helpful.

If no destination has been chosen yet, Google will suggest locations in the “Explore” tab. You can filter these locations based on flight and hotel cost, giving you a pretty good idea of where a nice place to go would be. After choosing a destination, Google gives you a few options as far as what you’d want to know. There’s a “Discover” section that will break down various points of interest. In bigger cities, you may find the number of things to do or see endless. Fortunately, you can filter out locations and activities based on your personal interest.

If there are a few places that pique your curiosity, or you already know you want to go there, Google allows you to save them to the trip and pin them to the trip’s detail page. This serves as a sort of to-do list when you get where you’re going.

If you don’t plan on flying and want to avoid certain COVID-19 hotspots, Google Maps is probably the way to go. Just this year, Google added a feature to the Maps website that allows you to add stops along the route when planning the trip. Previously this was possible on mobile, but it didn’t lend itself well to planning out a road trip to be shared with friends and family. Adding stops along the way with Google Maps on mobile was best for impromptu stops.

Once you’ve defined a starting point and destination, you can add stops along the way. You can add anything from a city to rest stops and gas stations. You can do this by either manually entering a stop you already know you would like to pause at, or by choosing one of the criteria towards the top of the screen. Google Maps lets you narrow down your search by these criteria:

When selecting from one of these criteria, Google will also suggest a few filters. For instance, choosing hotels will bring up a “Guest rating” filter, as well as an “Amenities” filter, so you make sure that you’re getting free wifi. Of course, if none of these fit the bill, you can always just search for what you want. The nice thing is that these suggestions can add a little flare to the trip by suggesting something you would have never thought about, making the road trip that much more exciting.

Once you find a point of interest, hit add stop , and Google Maps will automatically insert it in the right spot on the planned route. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a way to define how much time you plan on spending at that stop, so the trip time might have to be calculated manually. Besides that, Google Maps has become a handy road trip planner with enough tools to get you where you’re going and let you have some fun along the way.

The major caveat to traveling right now is the looming risk of COVID-19. Fortunately, the travel website by Google and Maps both supply some great tools for managing risk and assessing where you plan to go.

On the travel website, you can find up-to-date COVID-19 information for your destination pretty easily. You can access this information by searching for and clicking on the destination . Under the main card that lists the date of your trip, area name, and weather, there will be a COVID information section. This section has useful information like the CDC’s travel advisory website, COVID-19 stats for that specific area, and the number of local cases.

Clicking on the “Travel advisory” button brings you to the CDC’s COVID-19 map. This map is a risk assessment of most destinations in the world, color-coded depending on how risky it is to travel there. The second button will search Google for COVID-19 information on the location you’re traveling to, detailing data like news, statistics, and testing locations. The “Local cases” button will show even more detailed information about active cases, vaccines administered, and deaths in the area. All of this is fantastic information to have when traveling and comes in handy when planning your trip.

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Home » Gear » best travel watch

17 Best Travel Watches for your Travel Style in 2024

If there is ever a time to have a trustworthy watch, it’s when traveling. A great travel watch can save your ass time and time again. Journeys of all kinds rely on being in the right place at the right time – to catch a flight, meet up with a guide, claim that restaurant reservation, or check in to a hotel.

Though other bits of gear, like smartphones, have usurped the role of the watch for many in everyday life, with changes in time zone and attempts to get away from the constant demands of working life, there’s still no single item more useful to the modern traveler than a good watch.

Besides, in certain places, you want to reduce how often you’re pulling out your phone. A travel watch can keep your smartphone from getting snatched in busy urban areas, where it’s all too common.

Here we bring you what we believe are the very best travel watches to keep you on schedule!

Quick Answer: The Best Travel Watches

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• Best men’s travel watch – Casio G-Shock Gravity Master
• Best women’s travel watch – Timex Women’s Ironman Transit
• Most attractive travel watch – Nordgreen Influencer
• Best watch under $500 – Garmin Instinct 2 Solar
• Best watch under $100 – SOLARMATE watch CITIZEN Q
• Best analogue travel watch – Tissot Seastar 1000
• Best digital travel watch – DIDITIME Sports and Military Watch
• Best travel watch for hikers – Samsung Galaxy Watch
• Best smart watch for staying fit while traveling – Fitbit Charge 4
• Best travel watch with GPS – Garmin Fenix Chronos

Casio G-Shock Gravity Master

• > Protective body
• > Water resistant to 200 m

Timex Women’s Ironman Transit

• > Durable on the go
• > Follows two time zones

Nordgreen Pioneer

• > Quality Build
• > Interchangeable Straps

Garmin Instinct 2 Solar

• Price > $$$
• > GPS tracking and route finding
• > Web connectivity

SOLARMATE watch CITIZEN Q

• > Large digital display
• > Metal wristband

Tissot Seastar 1000

• Price > $$$$
• > Luminous hands
• > Large face

DIDITIME Sports and Military Watch

• > Fabric strap

Samsung Galaxy Watch

• > In-built GPS
• > 4-day battery life

Fitbit Charge 4

• > Measures heart rate without chest strap
• > GPS connectivity

Garmin Fenix Chronos

• > TracBack GPS feature
• > Activity monitor

• > Great look
• > Water resistant

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The Casio G-Shock Gravity Master is a serious travel watch for serious travelers. What makes it so great? First off, the microchips and inner workings of the G-Shock Gravity Master are encased in a body that protects from sudden shocks such as dropping or knocking, centrifugal forces, and vibration. Then there’s the fact this watch is water resistant down to 200 meters, meaning evening scuba diving is an option with this watch. Finally, techies, in particular, will love the fact that the G-Shock Gravity Master will automatically synchronize to your time zone when you reach a destination – using a combination of GPS and radio waves. How cool is that!

• Protective body
• Water resistant to 200 m
• Automatic synchronization to time zone
• A little bulky for some
• Analogue-digital display
• Imported from US for UK customers
• 52 mm diameter

Is the Casio G-Shock Gravity Master for me?

If you’re a frequent traveler or you simply struggle with working out time zones when you do, the Casio G-Shock Gravity Master is definitely the travel watch for you! Not only does it use GPS technology to ensure it’s always synchronized to the correct time (even taking account of daylight saving time!), its hard protective body and impressive level of water resistance mean you’ll never find yourself without a functioning watch when away.

The Women’s Ironman Transit by Timex offers a great blend of functionality and style. The relatively large digital display makes it super easy to check the time while moving, whether you’re on a busy underground train or scaling a mountain on a rope harness. The resin case means it will resist knocks, while the strap is durable and easily cleaned. The clock itself has the option of two different time zones, so you can keep a clear idea of the time at home, and a customizable alarm, which is always a useful feature while traveling. What’s more, it’s also water resistant to a depth of 100 meters! What more could you want?

• Durable on the go
• Follows two time zones
• Water resistant
• Resin strap
• Simple buckle closure
• No automatic synchronization of time zones
• Digital display

Is the Timex Women’s Ironman Transit for me?

The answer is undoubtedly yes! Its stylish modern design of smooth lines and molded resin certainly means it looks the part, while the ability to follow two time zones, the customizable alarm, and water resistance down to 100 m also means it acts the part! It may not have some of the bells and whistles of other travel watches on our list, but we still love it!

Nordgreen Pionee r

Not every travel watch has to feature James Bond level gadgets and gizmos. The Nordgreen Pioneer is an industry leader when it comes to producing quality minimalist watch designs that are fit for your days exploring cities and nights on the town. A big selling point for this watch is that you can easily change out the bands if you are feeling like a different look/color (bands sold separately).

The combination of sleek specs like the domed Sapphire crystal face and Japanese quartz make for a watch that you will be using for many years to come. In addition to being a sexy travel watch – the Nordgreen Pioneer also is a great everyday watch. 

• Minimalist design
• Comes with Steel Case
• Water-Resistant
• Scandinavian Made
• Extra Watch band colors not included
• No smart technology
• No alarm feature

Is the Nordgreen Pioneer for me?

If you are looking for a no-frills watch that looks much more high-end then the price reflects, this is the watch for you. As mentioned, the Pioneer is not just a travel watch – and it is classy enough for use in a professional setting as well as when you are not on holiday. 

Just scrapping under the $500/£390 mark at its full recommended retail price, the Garmin Instinct 2 Solar gives the widest array of features for a travel watch under $500. Coming from a trusted brand like Garmin, you know what you are getting here! What we also love the most is that being solar powered it will basically stay charged indefinitely if you spend a few hours a day outside, pretty rad! It’s also got stealth mode to disable wireless communication if you’re going to be doing some rogue ops or just don’t want your crazy girlfriend to know your whereabouts!!

Other cool features include built-in 3-axis compass and barometric altimeter plus multiple global navigation satellite systems meaning you can track your adventures over varied and challenging terrain. You’ll never be lost again!

If that wasn’t enough, this watch also boasts several built-in sports tracking modes like running, biking, swimming and strength training as well as tracking for things like heart rate, VO2 max and sleep!

• Tested to military standards
• GPS tracking and route finding
• Real-time weather information
• Web connectivity
• Requires USB charging
• Nylon strap
• Not touchscreen

Is the Garmin Instinct 2 Solar for me?

You don’t have to be a hardened adventure to see the benefits of the Traverse Alpha GPS Outdoor Watch by Suunto. If you’ve ever got hopelessly lost in a foreign city you’ll really appreciate the real-time GPS tracking and route finding functions, while its web connectivity will ensure you can stay in contact with friends and family while away too!

Want to compare this watch to other awesome outdoor models? Check out our EPIC review of the best outdoor watches .

We think the SOLARMATE watch CITIZEN Q is simply a bargain for what it offers! Deep within the inner workings, you’ll find (if you were ever to look), a movement by Japanese watchmakers Citizen, and a battery meant to last three years. On the outside, you have a large, easy to read, digital display with a classy metal band. The watch is also waterproof so you’ll have no issues taking anywhere you end up on your travels.

• Great price
• Trustworthy internal workings
• Large digital display
• Metal wristband
• Only water resistant to 50 m
• Not great for slim wrists
• No second time zone function

Is the SOLARMATE watch CITIZEN Q for me?

You don’t have to be counting the pennies to think that the SOLARMATE watch CITIZEN Q is a great buy for what it offers. For an incredible price, you get a trustworthy brand, and an easy-to-read digital display alongside waterproofing and a nice look. Brilliant!

Although aimed at the diving market, the Swiss-engineered Tissot Seastar 1000 is just as functional as a general analogue travel watch. The large face makes it easy to read the luminous dials even in the low light of an aircraft cabin or a candle-lit restaurant, while maintaining enough style to ensure you won’t feel embarrassed at wearing it even at more formal occasions. The tough body will keep it safe from knocks, while the resin strap is comfortable and easy to keep clean. As you might expect, the Seastar 1000 also has an impressive degree of water resistance too – safe down to 300 m!

• Luminous hands
• Water resistant to 300 m
• Lacks GPS features
• Not as tough as the Casio G-Shock Gravity Master

Is the Tissot Seastar 1000 for me?

Having been making watches for more than one and a half centuries, Tissot is clearly doing something right! Their Seastar 1000 is no exception, with this analogue travel watch bringing a touch of class to the proceedings. But more than just having a pretty face (very literally) its also functional thanks to luminous hands and water resistance to 300 m.

From the best analogue travel watch to the best digital watch of our reckoning with this number from DIDITIME. It can be argued whether the best digital watch should be as simple as possible or as feature heavy as possible – we’ve sided with simple. But simplicity doesn’t mean you’re laying aside reliability – the DIDITIME is based around a Japanese-made movement and battery for precision timing. The time/date display, auto calendar, alarm, and backlight are matched nicely by the black fabric strap, and protected by the carbon fibre case.

• Japanese movement
• Fabric strap
• Lacks features of other digital watches we’ve covered
• Not suitable for submersion
• No analogue dial
• Some customers mention build issues

Is the DIDITIME Sports and Military Watch for me?

If you’re after a digital watch that can tell you exactly where you are at any given time and what the weather is likely to be in the next couple of hours, we’d recommend the Garmin Solar 2 Watch, however if you’re looking for a simple digital display with which to tell the time, this DIDITIME watch will be perfect for you!

It’s a fact of life that tech has encroached into the world of hiking as much as other sports and activities, and while a paper map and physical compass is always a good idea, a lot of the hard work of route finding can be made simple with a watch such as this Samsung Galaxy offering. As well as keeping you connected with calls and messages straight to your wrist to keep you hands-free, the Samsung Galaxy also automatically (yes, automatically) detects movement and activity and monitors it for you. This watch also has in-built GPS, so you can follow pre-planned routes or find a short cut home on the move effortlessly!

• Lets you stay connected hands-free
• Automatically detects and monitors activity
• In-built GPS
• 4-day battery life
• Requires regular charging
• Water-resistant to only 50 m
• Weighs 300 g

Is the Samsung Galaxy Watch for me?

If you’re an Apple fan, look away now…While a smart watch may not be the obvious choice for hikers, the Samsung Galaxy watch does in fact make a fine travel watch for hikers. Why? Because you can stay connected, have your activity monitored without even having to touch a screen, and have the safety and security of GPS route finding as well!

Market leaders are market leaders for a reason, and the Charge 4 by Fitbit remains to our mind the best smart watch for staying fit while traveling. The smooth lines of the Charge 4 monitor your heart rate from your wrist – meaning no unwieldy chest strap for starters. Its all-day activity tracking measures distance, steps, and calories among other metrics, and can remind you to move if you’ve remained still for longer periods. Finally, with its GPS connectivity, you can see real-time stats in addition to your current location and route!

• Stylish look
• Measures heart rate without chest strap
• All-day metric measurement
• GPS connectivity
• Requires regular charging (every 4+ days)
• Additional accessories cost extra
• Touch screen scratches quite easily
• Two-year warranty

Is the Fitbit Charge 4 for me?

Staying fit while traveling used to be difficult to monitor, what with the change in routine (and the added calories that undoubtedly come with many types of travel!). Then the Fitbit Charge 4 came along, with the possibility to record metrics from heart rate to steps taken without issue, alongside the brilliant functionality of GPS connectivity.

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You’ve got to love GPS, don’t you? Endlessly useful in your home town and abroad, its certainly saved us from all manner of potential pitfalls! The Garmin Fenix Chronos is a masterly GPS-enabled travel watch, with a tracking log for pinpoint accuracy and its ‘TracBack’ feature that helps users head back the same way you’ve come. But as well as GPS functionality the Fenix Chronos has ABC (or altitude, barometer, and compass) functions, and will record and monitor your activity levels, whatever sport or activity you’re undertaking. All this, smart phone connectivity, and a battery life of up to eight days make this the best travel watch with GPS for us!

• TracBack GPS feature
• Altitude, Barometer, and compass readings
• Activity monitor
• 8 day battery life
• Leather strap
• Water resistance to just 100 m
• Has a traditional look some users may not like

Is the Garmin Fenix Chronos for me?

If you’re regularly traveling, looking for the very best of travel watches with GPS, we think you’ve probably found it with the Garmin Fenix Chronos! The ‘TracBack’ feature will be really useful for many, while more seasoned adventures will love the ABC functionality too!

The FIZILI’s combination of ageless elegance and simple minimalist design makes their watch a hands-down winner. Their travel watch, just like the Nomatic travel bag , is extremely versatile; it can be used whether you’re traveling for work or pleasure, and when roughing it or in the highest-end resorts – without looking out of place.

There are a whole number of different colourways to choose from too, whether you want the uber cool black-on-black look or you want to throw in some red highlights or a blue face, there’s even gold, silver and blue wristbands available too.

Is the FIZILI for me?

If you’re after a pared-back but classy travel watch which you know you can rely on while on the move the FIZILI is the perfect choice for you. With a style that looks great in any situation, the quality steel mesh strap and the variety of different styles means there’s something to suit everyone and at this price you could buy them all!

Shinola Runwell

Detroit’s Shinola has a growing legion of fans on both sides of the Atlantic, and travelers old and new will be sure to fall for the Runwell too. This analogue watch has a traditional look, complete with a real leather strap, while ensuring a large face to ensure the clock face is easy to read whatever the light levels. The sapphire crystal window is scratch resistant, which is obviously ideal when traveling, and the watch is also water resistant down to 50 m – more than deep enough for a swim in the hotel pool!

• Beautifully styled traditional look
• Scratch resistant sapphire crystal window
• Water resistance to 50 m
• Imported from the US for UK customers
• Luminous hands but no backlight
• Not for budget travelers
• No GPS functionality

Is the Shinola Runwell for me?

The style-conscious traveler will be very happy to be seen wearing the Shinola Runwell, as a result of its phenomenal looks and literally crystal-clear analogue display. But this watch isn’t just style over substance, with durability built in with the leather strap, scratch resistance, and water resistance. When looking for a traditional and trustworthy watch, the Shinola Runwell is a great option!

Seiko SEIKO SRPE99 Prospex

The SEIKO SRPE99 Prospex watch comes with a stainless steel bracelet style strap that slips over the hand to close. The 21 jewels used in its analogue movement ensure accuracy, and although this is an automatic movement – rather than a battery-powered one – it has a power reserve of 40 hours, meaning you can forget to wear it for an entire day without having to manual wind the watch on to restart it. The face incorporates a very useful day and date window, that will surely stay clear as a result of the scratch resistant Hardlex crystal glass. The fact it’s a diver’s watch also means it boasts water resistance to a depth of 200 m.

• 21 jewel movement
• 40-hour power reserve
• Scratch resistant Hardlex crystal glass
• Automatic movement
• Metal bracelet style strap
• Intended as a men’s watch

Is the Seiko Divers Automatic for me?

If you’re an experienced diver you’ll be probably looking for a more sophisticated divers watch than that offered by the Seiko Divers Automatic. However, for mere mortals, this watch reaches the right balance between everyday practicality and specialization. Accurate and tough, we can’t see the Seiko Divers Automatic letting you down!

Timex Expedition Scout

The Timex Expedition Scout offers an analogue face with both twelve- and twenty-four-hour time settings, and accuracy you know you can trust. This rugged outdoor watch is protected by a durable body that is guaranteed to be water resistant down to a depth of 50 m and has the added feature of an ‘Indiglo’ light-up watch face. There’s also a quick date window on the face so you’ll never lose track of the time or date, while the classic yet contemporary look will have to check the time far more than is actually necessary!

• 12 and 24-hour dial settings
• Water resistant to 50 m
• Indiglo light-up dial
• Analogue watch
• Lacks different time zone settings
• Date but no day window on face

Is the Timex Expedition Scout for me?

Forget those tempting added features of other watches in our review, the Expedition Scout is a good ‘solid’ watch that will see you through while always looking fresh and up to the minute thanks to its classic looks.

Suunto Core

The brother of the Suunto Traverse Alpha GPS Outdoor, you might consider the Core the more basic (and also cheaper) of the two watches, but that’s not to say the Core is not a fantastic travel watch in and of itself. Though it obviously doesn’t match all the Traverse Alpha GPS Outdoor’s incredible functions – such as being military grade – this unisex watch still has a lot of flash features of its own! Its barometric altitude measurements, depth gauge, and weather warnings make it an ideal companion in the Alps if you’re hiking, snowshoeing, or skiing, where its tough enough to do the job thanks to a metal casing. Comprising aluminium, it keeps the watch light, while it has a battery life of up to a year, meaning you have little worry over when it’s going to need its next charge!

• Dedicated mountain watch
• Cheaper than the Traverse Alpha GPS Outdoor
• Detailed altitude and depth measurements
• Lightweight
• Water resistant to just 30 m
• No GPS tracking
• Too large for some wrists
• No different time zone settings

Is the Suunto Core for me?

Avid skiers and mountaineers are the target market for the Suunto Core, and they are undoubtedly the group of people likely to get the most benefit from wearing the Core thanks to its barometric data, altitude graphics and depth gauge. The rest of us will just have to make do with having a pretty cool watch on our wrists!

North Edge Dive and Sports Watch

North Edge brings us this travel watch which is water resistant to a depth of 100 m, meaning you can check out its analogue-digital face pretty much anywhere you choose – from a city centre café to a shipwreck on a coral reef! The large backlit dial makes it easy to read the time too, while the mineral glass mirror surface is resistant to scratches and the body protective against knocks and bumps. This clever little watch is also capable of monitoring steps with its pedometer, and calculating calories burnt, as well as offering users the ABC of altimeter, barometer, and compass too!

• Trusted brand
• Analogue-digital face
• Water resistant to 100 m
• ABC functions
• Intended for men only
• No GPS tracking or route finding
• Stainless steel strap
• Not the longest battery life when heavily used

Is the North Face Dive and Sports Watch for me?

This dive and sports watch by North Edge should definitely find its way onto your shortlist for best travel watch, combining traditional analogue looks with the benefits of digital technology. It has great features for anyone who likes to get outdoors, from mountains to seabed, making it a good all-round travel watch!

Lad Weather Sensor Master III

Look at the full list of what the Lad Weather Sensor Master III can track and you’ll feel like you’ve got NASA monitoring your every move, calories, highest peaks, lap speed, total distance…. We could fill up this entire space just listing them! So this watch by Lad Weather certainly meets the need of anyone who likes (or needs) to record data while travelling. What also makes it a great travel watch is the fact it is preset with 59 city time zones, can provide a weather forecast for your location, has two daily alarms, AND is water resistant to 100 m – far deeper then you’ll ever head unless scuba diving!

• Fantastic data collection
• Preset city time zones
• Weather forecasting
• Overly complicated for some travellers
• Large dial face
• Thermometer function can be affected by body heat
• Plastic dial window

Is the Lad Weather Sensor Master III for me?

Greatly improved over the Sensor Master I, the Sensor Master III is a phenomenal travel watch by Lad Weather. Having clearly absorbed customer feedback from the previous models, this travel watch is both well protected against physical damage and packed full of very useful monitoring and forecasting data!

Luminox Navy SEAL Colormark

And finally… we bring you the Luminox Navy SEAL Colormark, and unbeatable travel watch when it comes to durability! Comprising an incredibly light carbon compound case, this analogue watch has been tested to 20 atmospheres of pressure, has a window made from tempered mineral glass, and has the added protected of a double-gasket security crown. The large numbers on the face make it easy to read in all light levels, although the in-built Luminox light technology will provide constant night lighting for up to 25 years! The Swiss-made movement comes with a two-year guarantee against faults, providing added peace of mind!

• Very light on the wrist
• Added Luminox light technology
• Swiss-made movement for precision
• Analogue rather than digital
• Large bezel numbers can confuse with time

Is the Luminox Navy SEAL Colormark for me?

If it’s good enough for the Navy SEALs its good enough for us, right? As you would expect from a watch made for military personnel this Luminox is as tough as old boots and you’d have to really go out of your way to damage it – great news for all travellers! It also has a Swiss-made movement for accuracy, and innovative lighting technology for checking the time in the dark.

Now, you  could spend a fat chunk of $$$ on the WRONG present for someone. Wrong size hiking boots, wrong fit backpack, wrong shape sleeping bag… As any adventurer will tell you, gear is a personal choice.

So give the adventurer in your life the gift of convenience: buy them an REI Co-op gift card!  REI is The Broke Backpacker’s retailer of choice for ALL things outdoors, and an REI gift card is the perfect present you can buy from them. And then you won’t have to keep the receipt. 😉

Still have some questions? No problem! We’ve listed and answered the most commonly asked questions below. Here’s what people usually want to know:

What is the most stylish travel watch?

Our favorite is the Nordgreen Pioneer . With the changeable straps and the sleek design you can combine it with every outfit. It’s also relatively affordable.

What is the most practical travel watch?

The Suunto Traverse Alpha GPS Outdoor Watch is a military tested travel watch that stands out with amazing features. You can connect it to the internet, track your location precisely and get real-time weather information.

Smart watch, digital or analogue?

What kind of watch you should purchase really depends on what your travels will look like. If you can afford it, a smart watch will always offer the most features, while a digital or analogue watch is way more reliable.

What does a a travel watch need?

A travel watch needs to be reliable, durable and ideally, track your location. Especially for backpackers and hikers, a GPS tracker to look back at miles and location comes in very handy sometimes.

Our GREATEST Travel Secrets…

Pop your email here & get the original Broke Backpacker Bible for FREE.

There we have it – the very best of the best when it comes to travel watches. Whether you prefer a simpler analogue watch, want a digital watch with GPS tracking and route-finding, or are happy with a travel watch that looks stylish whatever the backdrop, we’re sure you’ll find your next travel timepiece among these fantastic watches!

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Check out Vaer watches. Swiss ETA movement, American assembly. 100M water resistant with a screw down crown. To me, it’s a much better value than the Nomad.

Hi Joel, Indeed we will check out Vaer watches, thanks for the heads up.

The Nomatic battery does not last 45 years! No watch battery does. It’s rated for 45 months.

Thanks for the correction Dwight! Indeed, no battery will last 45 years :).

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The Ultimate Guide to Watches and Travel

From GMT and world time watches to tips and tricks for safety and enjoyment, here’s all you need to know about traveling with watches.

By Zen Love

There are plenty of good reasons to consider the watch you take traveling: the right timepiece offers a sense of preparedness in a relatively unfamiliar environment; it can become part of lasting memories; and, of course, you want to catch planes, make meetings on time and beat jet lag.

Since travel forces you to select only the few items you’ll be spending time with, you want to choose carefully. The right travel watch might be a dedicated tool with features specifically meant for tracking different time zones, one that’s rugged and ready for adventure, or just one that you love and want as a travel companion. In the coverage below, we’ve got all you need to know about the watches that are best for day trips or globetrotting, as well as the tips, tricks, gear and solutions that’ll enhance your excursions.

Travel is largely curtailed for many people around the world at the moment, of course, but we’re optimistically looking forward to the chance to get away again. The following articles and the cool watches featured will get you ready and inspired to get back out there as soon as it’s safe and responsible to do so.

These Are Our Favorite Adventure Watches of 2020

From rugged dive watches to world timers, these are some of the timepieces we want to take adventuring in 2021.

How to Pack and Travel with Your Watches

Let the watches you travel with enhance your memory-making and selfie-taking adventures.

The Best Cases, Rolls and Pouches for Traveling With Your Watches

Keep your beloved timepieces safe and orderly.

One Simple Feature Makes These 3 Watches Perfect for Traveling

A 12-hour rotating bezel is a handy way to track another time zone without the added cost of a GMT complication.

The 11 Best Mechanical Watches to Wear When Traveling

Whether you’re driving coast to coast or flying from JFK to Narita, here are the watches that will keep you on time.

These Are Seven of the Most Affordable GMT Watches

GMT watches needn’t be bank-breaking. From big Swiss companies and upstart microbrands, here are 7 affordable GMTs.

Travel in Style with These Seven Incredible World Time Watches

World time watches allow you to see the current time in any place in the world with just a quick glance at your wrist.

What Makes Rolex’s GMT-Master The Best Travel Watch Ever?

This two-timer from the jet age is technically and aesthetically the mother of all GMT watches.

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12 Google Maps Secrets All Travelers Should Know

If you’re only opening google maps for driving directions, you’re not leveraging the app’s full potential. here are 12 other ways travelers can use it to improve their trips, in advance and on the fly..

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As a travel editor, I use Google Maps daily. These are some of the most useful features for trip planning I’ve found.

Photo by Mojahid Mottakin/Shutterstock

I’m a nerd for maps. As a kid, they inspired me to want to travel, and as an adult they’re my comfort reading. My colleagues at Afar even let me make a podcast episode about them . But of all the maps I love (Middle-earth included), the one I spend the most time with these days is Google Maps. I’m betting most of you can say the same thing. I’m on that app every single day. I use it for work (for the research I need to do in my job here as an editor and writer), I use it for fun (I can spend hours armchair exploring remote islands in the middle of oceans), and I use it, most invaluably, for trip planning. If you’re only using Google Maps for directions, you’re missing out. Here are a dozen ways I use Google Maps for smarter travel.

Collaborate an itinerary with friends

I make Google Maps lists of everything: I have one for vegetarian restaurants, another for ice cream shops—I even have one that’s a cocktails and cookies trail. (I created that last one with my cousin when we celebrated her 21st birthday.) More often, I use lists as a trip-planning tool. As I’m researching things to do in whatever destination I’m headed to (recently Argentina, Nairobi, and Manchester ), I create a list, add places of interest (museums, restaurants, shops, libraries, etc.) and share it with my travel crew so that they can weigh in on my picks and add their recommendations. While that’s useful, it’s only 101.

In the past year, lists have leveled up: Now, for each place listing, your friends can react with an emoji (heart, smile, fire, thumbs down, or flying money) and add their tips and suggestions into a comments field (e.g., “I read that dulce de leche is the flavor to get!” or “Let’s go here after our street-art tour on Monday.”). I especially like that I can customize the order of the items on the list; for example, I could make them match the path of cookies I plan to follow, or I could arrange our collective Argentina picks chronologically so that the list doubles as our itinerary. A fun bonus is that you can assign any emoji to the whole list so that all of the places show up in map view with that themed icon—say, the Argentina flag or an ice cream cone.

Walk like you know where you’re going with navigation

The Glanceable Directions feature puts a minimap on your lock screen.

Photo by Billie Cohen

Turn-by-turn navigation isn’t just for drivers. Google Maps offers it for walkers and bikers too. Once you type in your destination, select “directions,” then “walking,” then “start navigation,” and the app will speak out loud to guide you, the same as if you were in a car. When I’m in a new city, I use this with one earbud in so I don’t have to keep looking at my phone (because I will inevitably trip and fall over).

If you prefer to look at your phone, you can follow your route in both 2D (that little blue arrow moving on the map) or in 3D Live View. In this mode, you point your camera at the real world to get the app situated and then follow arrows and directions overlaid on the IRL view of the streets that you see through your phone. (Another settings option allows you to tilt your phone to enter Live View rather than tap.) Even more helpful, the recently released Glanceable Directions feature shows a minimap and navigation on your lock screen, so you don’t have to open the app and turn on comprehensive navigation mode to get the benefits (toggle this feature on in settings). Conveniently, it’ll automatically reroute if you take a different path.

Use augmented-reality Lens to find what’s nearby: shops, restaurants, ATMs, and more

When in the Lens function, Google Maps puts street names and building information on the view around you.

In addition to navigating with augmented-reality Live View, you can also use an augmented-reality (AR) function called Lens in Maps to see what’s around you, including restaurants, public transportation stops, and landmarks. When in Maps, tap the little camera icon in the search bar, then point your phone at the street, and you’ll start to see icons on the buildings. Note that this feature works only for select locations, but new cities are consistently rolling out. In the meantime, all of this information is still easily available in the app: Right under the search bar, you’ll see popular search categories, including gas, restaurants, hotels, and groceries—and be sure to scroll all the way over to the “More” button. Tap that to see a couple dozen additional, and very specific, categories, including ATMs, libraries, live music, hospitals, pharmacies, and even EV charging stations.

Plan your EV charging route

Speaking of EV charging stations, Maps has expanded the info it provides on electricity pumps. To find them while you’re on an EV road trip , type or speak “charging stations” into the search field or tap the “More” category button directly under the search bar. You’ll immediately see red pins with a little lightning bolt inside them populate the map. In the information card below, the app will tell you which kind of chargers a station has (fast, medium, slow), how many are available, and whether they’re compatible with your car.

Check what’s open right now

When I was in Manchester last year, my friends and I went to a concert that let out late, and instead of heading directly to bed, we wanted to go out for a drink and a bite to eat. That’s when I pulled out Maps to check what places were still open around us. In the app, look for “open now”—it’s one of the options right under the search bar.

Use photos to get a sense of a place before you go

Nearly every listing in Google Maps has photos now, culled from public reviews and the establishments’ owners. Admittedly, this isn’t so much of a secret—but it is a secret weapon. You can use those photos to evaluate hotels, to check if a coffee shop is comfortable for laptop working, to see if a restaurant is likely to fit your big group or your mood, and to view images of menus. A recent AI-powered update uses those photos to give more travel inspiration. Try typing something like “cherry blossoms,” “public art,” or “swimming holes” into the search bar, and the results will include a carousel of photos and videos culled from public uploads, under the headline “Discover through photos.”

See the future, and plan for it

Immersive View uses AI to compile video clips of certain sites, like the Brooklyn Bridge, and show what they’ll look like a few days into the future.

Google Maps’ Immersive View is photos on steroids. Well, on AI. For more than 500 landmarks around the world (including the London Eye, the Empire State Building, and Tokyo Tower), the search results include what looks like a video labeled “Immersive view.” What you’re seeing is actually a ton of photos that the app stitched together to create not just an image but a whole knowledge roundup of a particular destination. Want to see what traffic will be like on the Brooklyn Bridge tomorrow morning? Want to see the view from the Eiffel Tower as the sun sets tonight? You can do it now, through Immersive View. A small icon in the bottom right corner shows the weather and a clock—tap it to change the time of day, up to four or five days into the future, and the view will change too: the number of cars on the bridge, the clouds over Paris.

Share your real-time location to stay safe

When I am traveling solo , I always keep my location services turned on for safety (and also to ensure that my 7,000 photos of street art, grocery-store finds, and random architectural details are geotagged for later reference). But even if I’m traveling with friends or family, I use real-time location sharing when I head off on my own so that people know where I am. This is especially helpful if I’m running late, because they can see my arrival time and use that to make important decisions, like whether to order appetizers without me. On the map, you can tap your blue dot to see sharing options or go to your account icon in Maps and open location sharing to choose who and what you want to share. Bonus hint: Tapping the blue dot is also how you get to the option to save your parking location.

Download an offline map

If you’re concerned about eating up mobile data—or if you’re going to be in a location where you won’t have good internet service, Google Maps has you covered. Tap your circular account icon at the top right of the app and go to Offline Maps to select the region you want to download; it will work the same as the live version. Whenever I travel, I download a big swath of the area I’m going to, even if I think I’ll have plenty of internet access. You never know when you’ll be in a dead spot.

Use overlays to get more information out of your map

Maps are like ogres and onions—they have layers. To find those layers, go into the app on your phone or desktop and click the icon that looks like a stack of tiny squares. You may already know that Maps can show you a satellite view layer, a terrain view layer, and the default cartoonish view layer. (The local weather forecast is always available too—look for the small icon on the left side of the screen just under the search bar.) But did you know that it can also overlay public transit routes, traffic statuses, bike paths, wildfires, and air quality? The public transit overlay is one of my favorites, whether I’m traveling or at home in NYC—the subway lines are even correctly color-coded.

Discover the Easter eggs

You’ve seen Google Maps’ little orange Pegman, right? He’s the icon that lives at the bottom right of the screen in the desktop app. Drag him into the map and you’ll see a street view of almost any location. But in some spots around the world, he hides an Easter egg. Navigate to Loch Ness in Scotland, and when you pick him up, he’s wearing a Nessie costume. At Area 51, he turns into a UFO. And in the Galapagos Islands, he has a mermaid tail. Can you find any others?

Stay tuned for more AI-powered features in the future

Google is working on bringing generative AI into its maps , and one project that’s underway is a feature that will allow users to ask questions like “What are rainy-day activities I can do with kids?” When the feature is available (expected later this year), the map will show indoor suggestions such as bowling alleys and movie theaters. Google’s community of more than 300 million “local guides,” as they call their contributors, are working to test this now, and I’m already lining up my questions: Hey Google, what are some places that cartography nerds would like?

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Best deal yet drops on the Google Pixel Watch 2

Published on April 29, 2024

Summer is firmly on the radar, and you might be in the market for a smartwatch to accompany you as you get out and about more. We rate the Google Pixel Watch 2 as the best Fitbit smartwatch , and the fact it looks fantastic doesn’t hurt either. The LTE model of the wearable is down to its lowest price ever in Amazon’s latest deal, letting you pick it up for just $329.99.

Google Pixel Watch 2 (LTE) for $329.99 ($70 off)

This record offer is available on all colorways of the device, and the Wi-Fi model is also on sale. If you have no need for the extra on-the-go connectivity, you can save $50 on the cheaper variant at $299.99 .

The Pixel Watch 2 got a host of enhanced features and refinements over its predecessor. It’s equipped with new health monitoring tools, including an upgraded multi-path heart rate sensor, EDA sensor, and a temperature sensor, offering a more comprehensive health tracking experience. The watch operates on Google’s latest Wear OS 4 , ensuring a smoother user experience with its snappy performance.

The battery life has also improved, promising around 24 hours of usage even with the always-on display activated, and supports fast charging — getting up to 50% in about 30 minutes. The inclusion of Fitbit’s advanced health tools signifies its position as a top choice for those invested in the Fitbit ecosystem.

The unprecedented discount may not be available for long, so hit the widget above to catch it while you can.

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Google Confirms Wear OS 4 Along With New Gmail, Calendar and Backup Features

WhatsApp's first smartwatch app is also coming to Wear OS, bringing texting and voice calls without needing a phone.

The Pixel Watch.

Google's Wear OS 3 is getting new features from Google itself along with third-party apps and -- later this year -- a major update to Wear OS 4. Announced Wednesday during Google I/O , the watch operating system will be getting more integrations with Google services like Gmail, Calendar and Google Home. Many of these improvements, which include battery life improvements, will arrive on Wear OS 3 watches like Google's own Pixel Watch and the Samsung Galaxy Watch series.

The updated Google Home app will allow for remotely unlocking your door and checking Nest doorbell notifications. Gmail and Calendar's Watch OS updates will add quick replies to emails along with access to schedules, event RSVPs and the ability to update a task status from a watch.

More from Google I/O

• Google I/O's Big Reveals: Pixel Fold, 7A, Android 14, AI and More
• Google Pixel Fold Hands-On: Samsung Has New Competition
• Google Reveals Its AI-Powered Search Engine to Keep Up With Competition
• Android 14: The Biggest Features Announced at Google I/O 2023

A look at WhatsApp on Wear OS.

Third-party apps are also part of Google's Wear OS announcements, with chat service WhatsApp planning to launch its first native watch app on the operating system. WhatsApp's Wear OS app -- currently in beta -- plans to include texting alongside voice calls directly from a Wear OS watch. Google also announced that Spotify and Peloton will be including watch tiles in their Wear OS apps, both of which will provide faster access to music playlists and workout details respectively.

When Wear OS 4 becomes available later this year, Google says the software will bring battery life improvements, a faster text-to-speech experience and backup support. That latter feature will make it easier to transfer data and settings from an old watch to a new one, much like Google's current Android phone setup process.

The Wear OS announcements come as Google's I/O keynote  takes a big focus on AI announcements. These include the PaLM 2 language model , an AI-powered version of Google's search engine and the public release of the Bard AI chatbot .

Google has just announced the Pixel 7a, the company's latest phone. With a long-lasting battery, 6.1-inch display, 128GB of storage and more, you may be interested in getting your hands on one of these. Luckily, they are available right now for pre-order, so pick your favorite color and get yours reserved today.

It's not just you: Reddit is taking over Google

• Google's AI search engine and the rise of forum posts like Reddit and Quora are upheaving SEO.
• Google's shift to promoting more human, helpful sites has led to a surge in traffic to Reddit.
• This rise in Reddit's visibility is being exploited by spammers, raising concerns.

If you think you've been seeing an awful lot more Reddit results lately when you search on Google, you're not imagining things.

The internet is in upheaval, and for website owners the rules of "winning" Google Search have never been murkier.

Google's generative AI search engine is coming from one direction. It's creeping closer to mainstream deployment and bringing an existential crisis for SEOs and website makers everywhere.

Coming from the other direction is an influx of posts from Reddit, Quora, and other internet forums that have climbed up through the traditional set of Google links.

Data analysis from Semrush, which predicts traffic based on search ranking, shows that traffic to Reddit has climbed at an impressive clip since August. Semrush estimated that Reddit had over 132 million visitors in August 2023. At the time of publishing, it was projected to have over 346 million visitors in April 2024.

None of this is accidental. For years, Google has been watching users tack on "Reddit" to the end of search queries and finally decided to do something about it.

Google started dropping hints in 2022 when it promised to do a better job of promoting sites that weren't just chasing the top of search but were more helpful and human.

Last August, Google rolled out a big update to Search that seemed to kick this into action. Reddit, Quora, and other forum sites started getting more visibility in Google, both within the traditional links and within a new "discussions and forums" section, which you may have spotted if you're US-based.

The timing of this Reddit bump has led to some conspiracy theories. In February, Google and Reddit announced a blockbuster deal that would let Google train its AI models on Reddit content. Google said the deal, reportedly worth $60 million , would "facilitate more content-forward displays of Reddit information," leading to some speculation that Google promised Reddit better visibility in exchange for the valuable training data. A few weeks later, Reddit also went public .

A Google spokesperson told BI: "Our agreement with Reddit absolutely did not include ranking its content higher on Search."

Indeed, SEO experts have watched this Reddit bump since August when Google rolled out a crucial search update six months before the deal was announced.

It's not just Reddit. Q&A forum Quora is getting a huge visibility bump in Google search results, per Semrush and Sistrix data. Google says "hundreds" of other forums and communities across the web are also getting the bump.

Still, given Reddit's size, its rise is the most noticeable. Per Sistrix data, Reddit is now as visible in top Google Search results as Instagram.

Steve Paine, marketing manager at Sistrix, called the rise of Reddit "unprecedented."

"There hasn't been a website that's grown so much search visibility so quickly in the US in at least the last five years," he told Business Insider.

Right now, Reddit ranks high for product searches. Reddit's main competitors are Wikipedia, YouTube, and Fandom, Paine said, and it also competes in "high-value commercial searches," putting it up against Amazon. The "real competitors," he said, are the subreddits that compete with brands on the web.

Giving the people what they want

Why is Google doing this, and why now ?

The company's stance here is simple: it's giving users what they want.

"Our research has shown that people often want to learn from others' experiences with a topic, so we've continued to make it easier to find helpful perspectives on Search when it's relevant to a query," a Google spokesperson told BI. "Our systems surface content from hundreds of forums and other communities across the web, and we conduct rigorous testing to ensure results are helpful and high quality."

Responding to a post on X , Google search liaison Danny Sullivan said users not only like seeing "forum content" but that they "proactively seek it out."

This shift in search behavior has already been happening for several years. In July 2022, Google's search head Prabhakar Raghavan said younger users were turning to alternative sources such as TikTok and Instagram for information and recommendations. Last year, during the Reddit blackout in June, Google Search got considerably worse .

Google's Reddit deal and its endorsement of Reddit content in Search show how much it sees Reddit as a crucial part of the future of search.

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"It's obvious that Google has this vision that they need more user-generated content," said Aleyda Solis, an SEO consultant for Orainti, who added that this is one way Google can respond to the rise in TikTok, Instagram, and other social spaces.

While Google might not be pumping Reddit results in exchange for training data, Google's AI systems would benefit from the more up-to-date information Reddit can give, especially when SGE rolls out in full .

Furthermore, a paper written by several Google employees , published in late 2023, claims that pulling information from an internet search can better improve the accuracy of chatbots.

Named FreshPrompt, the method would incorporate "relevant and up-to-date information retrieved from a search engine" to improve a chatbot such as Google's Gemini or OpenAI's ChatGPT .

Grifters can hijack search

The question is whether this Reddit bump will continue or Google will nerf it. There are risks associated with Reddit, which relies on unpaid moderators to police unsavory content and spam.

Google told BI its systems work on all websites, including Quora and Reddit. Still, there's evidence that people are already abusing the rise of these sites in Google rankings. In a February study , SEO blogger Glen Allsopp found that 51% of Reddit's top-ranking threads in Google Search's forums sections contained spam as a top comment.

YouTube already has heaps of videos offering advice on hijacking Reddit to rise to the top of Google Search. One of the most popular videos right now teaches viewers to purchase abandoned Reddit accounts, seek out popular Reddit posts to post comments filled with affiliate links, and then artificially inflate their popularity using "upvotes" purchased from third-party websites. This way, they can feasibly rocket to the top of Google.

It might not be that difficult. Search Engine Journal reported this week that one Reddit user climbed to top-ranking Google Search results in minutes (BI could confirm the post ranked in the top 10, but couldn't independently verify the time it took to get there).

A Google spokesperson said the company's anti-spam policies apply to all content and that it takes particular attention to searches for sensitive topics such as health or finance.

Still, it's unclear how much Google's spam-attacking systems, which just got a boost , work right now. Reddit is "heavily manipulated at the end of the day," and people can easily take advantage of it by posting content there, Solis said.

Lily Ray, vice president of SEO strategy and research for marketing agency Amsive, told BI she is concerned that Google is "shifting the burden" of monitoring abuse onto Reddit moderators. Neglected subreddits risk getting spammed with unhelpful or even false content.

Ray wrote on LinkedIn last week that she found an example of Reddit ranking prominently at the top of Google when she searched "How to lose 10 pounds in a week".

"A redditor suggested 'cutting your arm off,'" she wrote.

This raises questions about whether Google can keep bad content from being eaten by its AI-generated search engine, which often sources its responses from the top search results. Already, Google is fighting an influx of AI-generated content flooding the web. At the same time, rivals such as OpenAI and Perplexity try to steal Google's lunch with AI chatbots that work like search engineers.

A Google spokesperson told BI that the company's analysis did not find that more harmful content on Search comes from forums.

There's room to grow - and that's good news for Reddit investors

The assessment in the SEO community right now is that Google has leaned too hard into community discussion, and it may need to recalibrate once users start complaining that, actually, too much Reddit in Google results can be a bad thing.

Sistrix's Paine said 48.9% of the reddit.com ranking content appears in the top 10 Google Search results, yet only 8% show in the top 3, according to a study from his firm — giving plenty of room for Reddit only to grow, which is something Reddit investors will be pleased to know.

Google may also decide to course-correct.

"Personally, I would expect this current dominance by Reddit to calm down once Google notes that the search experience has not been improved by the increased inclusion of Reddit," SEO consultant Natalie Slater told BI.

"One of the questions is, will it retain this visibility?" Paine said of Reddit. "On one hand, this is unprecedented growth, and there's a feeling that it must end soon."

On the other, he added, there's plenty of space for Reddit's presence in Google Search to grow even bigger.

For now, Reddit and Google need each other, and it may be in neither of their interests to stop a good thing.

On February 28, Axel Springer, Business Insider's parent company, joined 31 other media groups and filed a $2.3 billion suit against Google in Dutch court, alleging losses suffered due to the company's advertising practices.

Watch: What is ChatGPT, and should we be afraid of AI chatbots?

• Main content

Unlock your adventure: 5 Google Maps features to transform travel

A s vacation time rolls around, Google Maps often tops the list of essential apps. While many associate it mainly with GPS navigation, they might overlook its other features that make trip planning and exploration a breeze.

Google Maps is more than just an app; it's an evolving tool packed with features beyond simply getting you from point A to point B. As we approach the May break, let’s uncover five Google Maps features that could be game-changers for your travels.

Find friends easily by sending a pin

Have you ever struggled to meet friends in a crowded place? Google Maps offers a simple solution: send a pin. This feature allows you to share your exact location, which gets loaded into your friend's navigation, guiding them directly to you. It’s the perfect way to connect in busy areas without confusion.

Plan with a bird’s-eye view in Immersive Mode

One of Google Maps' newer features is the immersive view. It combines high-quality satellite photos with Street View imagery, using artificial intelligence to blend the two seamlessly. This gives you a unique perspective of landmarks and places around the globe. With immersive mode, you can get a virtual feel of your destination and play with different times of day and weather conditions, making your planning even more realistic.

Use Street View for precise navigation

Street View, a well-known feature within Google Maps, offers on-the-ground photos of locations captured by Google’s vehicles or individuals with special camera-equipped backpacks. This feature is invaluable for drivers and explorers, allowing you to familiarize yourself with a location before you even set foot there.

Measure distances with ease

Download maps for offline use.

Navigating in areas with spotty or no internet connection? Google Maps lets you download maps to your phone for offline use. This feature is a lifesaver for conserving mobile data and ensures you’re never without a map, even in the most remote locations. Select the map area you need, and you're ready to go.

Google Maps is undeniably more than a navigation app. It’s a comprehensive travel tool that continues to add new features, making it indispensable for modern adventurers. Remember these tips to make the most of your next journey.

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Best Google Pixel Watch deals of May 2024

Shop today's best Google Pixel Watch deals for savings

Today's Google Pixel Watch deals offer pre- Memorial Day discounts on Google's digital wristwear. If you're refreshing your gadgets or working on your fitness goals, you don't have to spend a fortune. Pricing for the Google Pixel Watch starts at $349, however, the best Pixel Watch deals offer sweet savings.  

One of the best smartwatches for Android users, the Pixel Watch features long battery life , Fitbit heart rate, sleep, and activity tracking to help you stay on top of your health and wellness. Over the original Pixel Watch release, the Pixel Watch 2 features three all-new sensors and 40% more heart rate tracking accuracy. Google engineers gave it enhanced 24-hour battery life and faster charging. It retains the same sleek, comfortable, curved design as the original Pixel Watch. 

Pixel Watch affords you access to Google's useful apps right on your wrist. Call Google Assistant , Maps, Wallet, Calendar, and Gmail to get things done. The Pixel Watch is the ideal companion for the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro and just about any Android phone. If you're looking for a price break, we've got you covered. Shop the best Pixel Watch deals below.

Best Google Pixel Watch deals — Quick links

• Google Pixel Watch 2: $349 $299 @ Best Buy
• Google Pixel Watch 2 LTE: $399 $329 @ Best Buy
• Google Pixel Watch: $349 $179 @ Best Buy
• Google Pixel Watch LTE: $329 $229 @ Amazon

Best Pixel Watch deals

Google Pixel Watch 2: $349 $299 @ Best Buy Lowest price! For a limited time, save $50 on the Google Pixel Watch 2. The new Pixel Watch 2 features three all-new sensors, 40% more heart rate tracking accuracy, extended 24-hour battery life, and faster charging. It retains the same sleek, comfortable, curved design as the original Pixel Watch.

Price check: Amazon $299

Google Pixel Watch 2 LTE: $399 $329 @ Best Buy Save $70 on the Pixel Watch with 2 LTE support and stay fully connected even with you're away from your phone. Pixel Watch 2 LTE features three all-new sensors, 40% more heart rate tracking accuracy, extended 24-hour battery life, and faster charging. It retains the same sleek, comfortable, curved design as the original Pixel Watch. 

Price check: Amazon $329

Google Pixel Watch: $349 $179 @ Best Buy Lowest price! One of the best Pixel Watch deals takes $110 off the 1st generation Google Pixel Watch. It features a sleek, comfortable design and offers 20 interchangeable band options. 

Price check: Amazon $179

Google Pixel Watch LTE: $329 $229 @ Amazon Save $100 on the 1st generation Google Pixel Watch with LTE support — the best smartwatch for Android users. It features a sleek, comfortable design and offers 20 interchangeable band options. 

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Hilda Scott uses her combined passion for gadgets and bargain shopping to bring you the best prices on all things tech. She has a bachelor’s degree in film and media studies from Hunter College and 11 years of tech and entertainment journalism. Her work has been featured on Tom’s Guide, iTechPost, Examiner.com, Parlemag, Enstars, and Latin Times. When she's not scouting for the best deals, Hilda’s catching up on her favorite TV shows and pro-wrestling matches.  

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