Planning for a holiday? Check this travel guide

San Francisco - Here's how to use Google tools to plan a trip easier and enjoyable one.

It's time for many of us to go for vacation, considering the Christmas and New Year holidays. There are many ways to plan your travel in a professional way. Let's take a look at some of the Google tools to help make your travel an easier and enjoyable one.
Predict flight delays on smartphones
Using flight status data combined with Machine Learning (ML), Google Assistant will soon tell you over phone if your flight would be delayed even before the airline announces it.

According to Google, Assistant will notify users on phones when its algorithms predict that their flights would be late.

"Earlier this year, we started sharing flight delay predictions (via Google Flight) when you search for your flight status and we're 85 per cent confident that the flight will eventually be delayed.

"We use historic flight status data combined with machine learning to make these predictions in advance of airlines confirming delays," Google said in a blog post.

To help with the increase in delayed flights, the Google Assistant will now show predicted flight delays, too.

"You can ask things like, 'Hey Google, is my flight on time?' or 'Hey Google, what's the status of the American Airlines flight from Philadelphia to Denver?'" said Google.

"Over the next few weeks, the Assistant will begin proactively notifying you on your phone if we predict a flight delay and tell you the reason if we know it," the company added.

Discover new places 
The tech giant has recently added information in Google Maps that is especially useful for travelers exploring a new city.

This will the help when you're navigating and discovering new places where you live, but it's also essential when traveling somewhere unfamiliar.
Plan your vacation ahead
Other new features rolled out for the holidays include more geographically specific information for travellers exploring a new city, which are available by swiping up on the Explore tab, found at the bottom of the map screen.
"Whether you're coming off a holiday high or in need of relaxation after all the hustle and bustle, the beginning of the new year is a prime time to think about your next trip," says Richard Holden, Google travel product management vice-president.


In addition to tools that show historic flight price trends, top cities, hotel deals and popular things to do, Google will now show upcoming public holidays and school breaks, so users can plan around those dates.
This feature is available on both Android and iOS phones, though Apple users will need to download the Google Assistant app.
With inputs from IANS