Your journey, on the map
Make a Road-Trip Map Video
A road-trip map video shows how your journey connects the places you visited. Use Travel Animator to add your stops, animate a car along the route, and combine the map with photos for a trip recap or the opening of a travel vlog.
Free download for iOS and Android. Optional Pro upgrades.
Example itinerary
A three-stop coastal road trip
Introduce the journey with the three places in travel order. Add a photo at Monterey and finish on your final stop. Use your own Google Maps route or recorded GPX track if you want to show the road you followed; a line connecting city centres alone does not establish that route.
- San Francisco
- Monterey
- Big Sur
Try 9:16 for a phone-first recap or 16:9 for a longer travel film.
From route to video
Create your video in three steps
Build the journey
Add your departure point, overnight stops and destination. If you already have a Google Maps itinerary, copy its share link and use Paste a Google Maps link in the Route menu. Check the imported stop order before continuing.
Make the route readable
Choose a car or campervan that suits the trip. Add short place labels and a few photos. Preview the line on the map and check that it represents the journey you intend to show.
Export your recap
Set the aspect ratio and duration in Preview. Give each stop enough time to read, then export and watch the saved video. Add it to your social post or combine it with driving and destination footage in your video editor.
Make the story easy to follow
Choose the stops that tell the story
An overnight town or memorable viewpoint usually adds more context than every fuel stop. Keep a separate, detailed itinerary when you need practical travel information.
Check the actual route
A map animation is a presentation, not live navigation. Compare the imported path with your itinerary, especially around detours and multi-stop journeys.
Questions before you start
Can I animate a road trip from Google Maps?
Yes. Copy the route’s share link and paste it into Travel Animator using the Route menu. Review the result before adding photos or exporting. You can also add destinations manually or import a GPX file.
Can I make a road-trip video for free?
The Free plan includes route creation and HD video exports with a watermark. Pro adds the wider model and map libraries, 4K exports and watermark removal. Check the current features and offer inside the app.
Should I include every stop?
Include the places your audience needs to understand the journey. A short recap can focus on major destinations; a detailed trip explanation may benefit from separate clips for each day.
Useful tools for this video
Start with your own journey
Create and preview a route on Free, then export an HD video with a watermark. Pro adds 4K export and watermark removal.
Get the appCompare Free and Pro
