interactive travel time map

What is TravelTime?

Create a Travel Time Map

Travel time map generator & isochrones, i know i can get from a to b by public transport within my selected time, but it's not showing up.

• Walking to the station platform
• Waiting for the next available departure
• Time spent boarding the train
• Giving enough time to take the A to B journey
• Depart on the station on the other side.

You can't drive that far / you can drive much further than that"

• Open another mapping app of your choice and enter an A to B route
• Select a departure time for tomorrow.

Still not convinced?

About this tool, what is a travel time map, how to create a drive time radius map or other modes.

• Select a start location
• Select a maximum travel time limit
• Select a mode of transport, for example driving
• Voila! There's your driving radius map

Use cases for consumers

• Create a commute time map so you can see where to live based on commute time.
• How far can i travel in a given time: compare transport coverage for different areas.
• Create a drive time radius map: explore how far you can travel on a road trip.

Use cases for businesses

• Travel time mapping up to 4 hours & cross reference other data sets in GIS such as population data
• Site selection analysis: analyse the best location to locate a business by adding thousands of analysis points
• Create a distance matrix or travel time matrix & calculate travel times from thousands of origins to thousands of destinations
• Network analysis / travelling salesman problem: use spatial analytics to solve routing problems
• Commute time map - plot thousands of employee commute times for an office relocation
• Create up to 3 time polygons visualising where's reachable within 2 hours or less. Our API can create large travel time areas, talk to sales.
• Calculate travel times from an origin to various points of interest - in this demo we use points from Foursquare Give A to B routing details

Full access

• Book a demo
• Trial TravelTime API
• Trial QGIS Plugin
• Trial ArcGIS Pro Add-In
• Trial Alteryx Macros

TravelTime Features

• See 'How far can I get' in X minutes
• Create a drive time map or any other transport mode
• Overlap many shapes & highlight overlap area
• Search points of interest within the area
• Get A to B routing details

• © Roadtrippers
• © Mapbox
• © OpenStreetMap
• Improve this map

You'll never travel without our trip planner again

Travel planning at its best. build, organize, and map your custom itineraries in a free travel app designed for vacations & road trips, powered by our trip planner ai.

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Features to replace all your other tools, add places from guides with 1 click, collaborate with friends in real time, import flight and hotel reservations, expense tracking and splitting, checklists for anything, get personalized suggestions, plan like a pro.

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For every kind of trip and every destination, the best road trip planner, the best vacation planner, the best group itinerary planner.

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From idea mapping to detailed itinerary planning, have everything on one map. collaborate with your trip buddies in real time.

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The easiest way to map and track your next road-trip with unlimited stops; travel distances automatically calculated and fully integrated mobile apps for on-the-road access

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From putting together your list of cities and travel ideas to creating a detailed itinerary; from pre-trip planning to on-trip access – all done in one place

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One centralised place to store all your travel ideas even if you don't have a clear travel date

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Integrated with 3 leading navigation apps: Google Maps, Waze and Apple Maps, as well as Ford vehicle integration

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“You seriously cannot find a more effective travel planning tool than Pebblar. Gone are the days of screenshots of maps and messy collages of travel notes on maps. Forget about typing up collective itineraries on word, Pebblar is the exciting new tool for effective multi-destination travel planning. It syncs all the useful information internet has to offer perfectly into an easy simple to use App. Brilliant.”

"Throughout my day, I am constantly fantasizing about travel in my head. Whether for an upcoming or far-future trip, I use Pebblar to keep track of the cities I want to visit, sites I want to see, restaurants I want to try; and to plan the possible path between location. Pebblar is amazing for helping me organize my ideas in easy, virtual form." Chloe Skye

"The Google Maps integration is excellent and we can easily print off a whole itinerary before we leave, or use the app when we get there to help us get around and have a smooth journey. I would recommend Pebblar to anyone planning an upcoming trip." Rufus Holmes

5 Travel Planning Apps With Live Maps to Plot a Trip Itinerary

These free travel planning apps show all your activities and attractions on a live map and help you plot an itinerary.

Since the pandemic, you need to plan your trips carefully. So many things can change in no time, and people, in general, are traveling more, so advance bookings are crucial. These travel planning apps will help you plot an itinerary and ensure you don't miss out on any activities or attractions.

All the apps in this list come with maps that show all the locations you're traveling to. It's much better than using a Google Doc to write out your plan. Each app does something a little different or better than the others, so you'll likely find exactly what you're looking for in a travel planning app.

1. Scout (Web): Best Travel Planner for Cities With Detailed Map

When you're planning a trip to a new city, either alone or as a group, you will usually list many places you want to visit. With Scout, you can add these in different sections and see them on a live map, thus making it easier to figure out which places are within close distance and create an itinerary.

When you start a new trip in Scout, you'll first have to pick a city you're visiting and set your arrival and departure dates. By default, you get sections for attractions, food, and accommodations. But you can always add more custom sections. Each section gets its colored pin marker (for example, all food places will show as blue pins). You can add a place by searching for it or typing out the full address. It's powered by Google Maps, so it'll be easy to find any place.

Once you've added the points of interest, open the itinerary view to see your dates. Drag-and-drop places from the first bar to any day's itinerary. Once you add multiple places to a day, the map will automatically create a route for that day, linking all the places. You can rearrange them to find the best route to take.

You can also share your Scout trip with others, so that they can add their own points of interest and update the itinerary to create a group plan. It's also a helpful way to get tips from locals, as they'll be able to add recommendations directly to your map.

Scout also lets you publish your map or itinerary to its directory so that others can discover your helpful recommendations. And of course, you can browse the directory to find what others have recommended.

2. Puffin (Web): Find the Best Commute or Route for Your Travel Itinerary

Puffin is similar to Scout, with a few minor differences. When you create a new trip in Puffin and add a city, it automatically gives you a few recommendations for interesting and unique tourist spots , which show up as flowers on the map. Then, you start adding places of interest by searching for them in the left sidebar when set to Places, after which they'll show up as pins on the map.

Once you've added all the pins you want, switch the sidebar from Places to Itinerary. Create a new "day" and drag places from the map to that day. Puffin will automatically create a commute for you in the order of the places. Rearrange the places to get a better commute. You can also set a custom color for all the places and routes for a day.

For a detailed view of your entire itinerary, toggle the "View Full Schedule" button at the top of the sidebar. This will show a kanban board-like view of all your days. You can quickly drag and drop places between different days.

Puffin trips can also be shared between friends to build a trip collaboratively. Other users can comment on any place, so you can have a chat within Puffin on whether that place is worth going to or not.

3. Travel Trove (Web): Detailed Travel Planner for Multi-City Trips

Travel Trove is an excellent app if you go to a new country and plan to visit multiple cities. First, add the country you'll be going to, and then add the places you want to visit. For example, if you were going to Italy, search for the Colosseum and for the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and add both. Then, in your sidebar, Travel Trove will automatically list them under the different cities of Rome and Pisa.

For every place you add, you can also put in a few notes about it. Travel Trove also automatically scrapes information from Google Maps like the website, timings, and address of that place.

Once you've added all the places, switch to itinerary mode (and select all the cities in your trip when prompted). Now you'll be building a day-by-day itinerary for your visit. Each day has an "accommodation" slot and more slots for AM and PM to plan your holidays. Simply drag-and-drop your places to these slots to build the plan. You can also add notes for each day.

Travel Trove lets you quickly filter places by categories you have set while adding them, like must-visit, food, accommodation, etc. You can also add Packing Notes to your itinerary to ensure you don't forget anything. Once you're done with the travel plan, you can share it with others too.

4. Travel Mapper (Web): Google Sheets Travel Itinerary With Live Map

When you're planning the itinerary for your next trip, you usually want to visualize it on Google Maps too. Travel Mapper is a custom Google Sheets template that lets you create your travel itinerary, share it with friends, and instantly add the locations to Google Maps.

Travel Mapper is simple to use. Once you download the add-on, open a new Google Sheet and go to Extensions > Travel Mapper > Start Here > Generate Template . Add the date, time, activity, location, links, costs, and any additional notes in the sheet. The sidebar shows the Google Map for your itinerary, which you can update when you make any changes.

The map is customizable. You can add color codes for different elements and filter activities to see your map differently. The Google Maps in the sidebar can also be used to discover other places of interest nearby to any location. It's one of the best Google Maps hacks for travel trips .

Travel Mapper also includes a to-do list, a packing checklist, and a favorites list to ensure you don't forget anything. You can also share your newly created sheet with friends, who can add their own locations to the map.

5. Plip (Web, Android, iOS): Mobile-First Collaborative Trip Planner With Maps

The apps mentioned above in this list are all made to be used on computers. However, Plip bucks the trend by being a mobile-first travel planning app so that you can plan your entire trip on your phone or tablet. Plip also has a web app if you want to use it on your laptop.

Register for an account once you create a new trip; otherwise, your travels won't be saved. You can keep the trip private or share it with a group by adding others' emails.

When you want to add a new entry, there are eight types of plans to choose from: plan (generic), flight, reservation, lodging, restaurant, event, vehicle rental, and transit. The default details to fill for any entry are the title, the location, the start and end date and time, and any notes if necessary. Certain plans have additional entries, like "Provider" in events or "Confirmation number" in lodgings.

You can quickly filter your entries by the type of plan to view them in a list. Otherwise, switch to the Map view to view all your places of interest marked on the map, and scroll through a pane at the bottom.

Download: Plip for Android | iOS (Free)

Plan Well, But Look for Last Minute Deals

These apps will help plan out your entire trip, giving you a clear idea of when and where you will be. But don't yet rush to book it all.

The travel and hospitality industry has a lot of last-minute deals on flights, hotels, and tourist attractions. You should try to take advantage of these where you can. Since you will plan out your trip, add a few alternatives or flexible dates with flexible itineraries so that you can wait a bit more and benefit from these deals.

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• Route Planning

Build Your Own Travel Time Maps

• On Jun 1, 2021

Use Maptive’s drive time polygon tool to generate travel time maps.

What is a Travel Time Map?

Travel time maps are designed to show you where you can travel in a certain amount of time, whether that be by car, public transit, or another mode of transport. 

For example, let’s say you’re visiting New York City and you want to know how what landmarks you could reach in a certain amount of time. A travel time map uses estimated drive time, based on available routes, the speed limit, and current traffic conditions to draw the area that can be reached in a given amount of time.

What are Travel Time maps used for?

• Business site selection/ location intelligence
• Retail site selection
• Supply chain/logistics optimization
• Vacation & travel planning
• Real estate
• Sales territory optimization
• Network coverage assessment

How to Create a Travel Time Map with Maptive

Maptive uses Google Maps API and a user-friendly interface to make creating travel time maps easy.

• Sign up for your Maptive free trial account .
• Upload your location data directly from a spreadsheet, copy and past it into Maptive, or enter it manually.
• Click “ Create Map ” to instantly plot your data on an interactive map.
• Click the Tools icon in the top right corner of your screen.
• To find the distance between two locations, select the “ Routing / Directions ” tool. Enter your starting location and your destination to see the travel time. You can also add additional stops and determine the time to travel between each one.
• To create an isochrone map, select the “ Distance Radius / Drive Time Polygon ” tool, then under “Type” select “Drive Time Polygon.” Enter your starting location and then your drive time to generate your map.

What Can You Use Travel Time Maps For?

Travel time and isochrone maps have many different uses:

For Consumers

• Determine how long it will take you to reach appointments and meetings.
• See how long it will take you to travel somewhere you’ve never been before.
• Discover restaurants, coffee shops, gas stations, and landmarks that are reachable in a certain amount of time from your current location.

For Businesses

• Outbound sales reps can schedule appointments based on the drive time between clients.
• Assign clients to sales reps based on travel time.
• Draw isochrones around your offices to establish sales territories .
• Schedule employees at different locations based on which stores are within driving distance of them.

Why Choose Maptive?

Maptive is more than just a travel time map generator. Use our mapping software to visualize your data, spot new trends, and optimize your business:

• Customize your map by adjusting the look of your map markers and choosing from 15 different base maps .
• Build sales territories based on zip codes, states, and counties, or use our drawing tool to create custom territories.
• Analyze the density of your data by using heat maps .
• Display demographic data on your map, including population, gender, income, housing education, and more.
• Keep your data secure with the latest encryption protocols.
• Easily share your map by saving it as a picture, exporting your data to a spreadsheet, sending your teammates a link, or embedding it on a website.

Create Travel Time Maps Today

Want to see the benefits of travel time maps for yourself? Start your free trial of Maptive and start mapping today.

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• Sales Mapping

10 Traits of a Great Sales Manager

Privacy overview.

Create a Radius Map

Get the miles radius or km radius distance from any location, make a travel time radius map, see how far you can travel in a time limit by car, public transport, walking & more.

Countries Explored and Counting!

32 countries.

• Get in touch
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Add more countries to the list

Trace your travel itinerary on an interactive map

For past, present and future trips. Attach photos, videos and articles to your map. Share it with a simple link.

A modern travel blog centered on a map

Easy for you to manage. Easy for your family and friends to follow.

Your own website

Create a free account to store all your maps.

Share the link with anyone you want. They don't need an account to follow you.

You can protect your blog with a password to make it private.

A map on your homepage

The best way for visitors to visualize your trip is the itinerary, show them:

• where you are
• where you've been
• where you're going
• the transport modes you used

Content comes next

Once you added your spots, you can attach content to them:

Personalized maps

Use the map editor to add your points, trace your lines or import GPS files.

Choose the map style, the marker icons and the line colors (defined by your transport modes).

No technical knowledge required.

Works on any device

Most travelers update their blogs on their smartphone or tablet.

You don't need to install any app. Just open the link to your blog or administration.

Automatic / real-time updates

You can synchronize compatible smartphone tracking apps with your map to update it automatically.

For remote adventures across oceans or deserts, you can synchronize satellite GPS trackers .

Embed your map

If you already have a website, you can embed your map on any page.

Compatible with WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, etc.

Print a photo book

Generate a travel book in one click from the content you already have to keep a tangible souvenir.

You can also download the PDF version to keep a digital copy.

Free for basic features, pay for extra

I don't display ads nor sell your data. So advanced features require a Premium account to keep TravelMap viable.

Stop paying when you don't travel. Keep all your content.

Ideal for long distance trips

Used by 150 000 travelers . Find inspiration from existing itineraries.

Built by Clément Mas. Solo-founder who cycled around Australia and rowed across the Atlantic ocean . Also a web developer.

Striving for a simple, clean and clear interface

Create your travel blog in 2 minutes.

Map My Travels

Create an Interactive Travel Map of Your Tours and Activities

Are you dreaming of creating your own interactive travel map to bring your tours and adventures to life? With Map My Travels, it's easy! Craft and share custom maps of your travels, embedding them seamlessly on your website. Start mapping your journeys and share them with the world today!

Creating a travel map has never been easier

Combine an intuitive travel map creator with many customization options like uploading your own marker icons as well as loading in GPS files. Creating an interactive travel map has never been easier.

Create custom markers

One of the key features of Map My Travels is to customize the way you want to show waypoints on your travel map. That's why you can add markers to your map in multiple ways:

Add content to your travel map

A map marker without information is not a good marker! People want to know what happened at that specific place. That's why you can easily add a popup to your markers and routes, where you can add the following pieces of content:

Fill your travel map with content!

Embed the travel map on your own website

You can share your map in many different ways. You can share a link to the map on social media or where ever you like. You can also embed the map on your own website, like I've done on my personal website! It doesn't matter if your website is made with Wordpress, Squarespace or any other.

Upload GPS files

Upload your recorded travel data with ease. In the Map My Travels editor you can upload GPS files in the following formats:

After you've added the GPS files you can still change the line's appearance, like color, thickness, opacity etc.

Import your Strava Activities

If you host your travel activities on Strava, a popular fitness app on which you can share your traveled routes (usually used by hikers or cyclists), you can import these directly into the map creator!

If you don't have any recorded route data like from Strava or a GPS file, you can still add lines to your map by just drawing on the map!

Change the look of your travel map

You can customize the look of your map with 4 different map types that Google Maps provides:

Create as many travel maps as you want!

You can add as many travel maps in your account as you want, completely free! There are only limits on the amount of markers and routes you can add to your maps. But you can get started for absolutely free. See more information on pricing and limits on the pricing page.

Create travel maps on any device

All of the map creator features are totally compatible with both laptops and phones. Out of personal experience, I'd recommend editing the maps on a laptop or computer. The experience is a bit better for panning around the map, but it's totally possible to do it on a phone as well. Your travel map will look beautiful either way!

Built by TravelingTice

Hi! I built this application myself as I have both a passion for coding and travel! I've cycled through 13 countries in Europe as well as part of Taiwan!

Brands creating travel maps with Map My Travels

An interactive map to illustrate all your travels !

In this article, we are going to explain how:

Create an interactive map for all your trips!

Do you travel/backpack.

Road Trip, backpacking, couchsurfing, airbnb, discoveries, all those words ring a bell in your brain? Are you thinking about the trips you made and the one to come ?

By beginning reading those few words you recollected your last Road Trip in Patagonia where for a month you hit the road without a single coin, hitchhiking and stopping agape before landscape all more beautiful than the last. Every single person you came across was craving to follow step by step you adventures. That is because they did not have the guts to do it: not the good time; not in the mood: all those excuses you got rid of the second you started packing your stuff. The fact is that you may lack the way to share easily what you are experiencing . You may have a YouTube channel where you will edit your video while or after you travel. You perhaps even have a blog where you post daily every step you make forward. However all of this is so classical … you do not really succeed to stand out of the crowd. With TraveledMap you can have this opportunity from everywhere, you will be able to bring a geographical dimension to your travel thanks to interactive maps . Let us show you how.

You like traveling? So do I!

A mere operating system

In addition to be free , TraveledMap is a tool very easy to use! From a simple background map, you can create your own trips’ library online 😉 Before going ahead, have a look to these tutorial videos which will guide you step by step.

Marker customization modal

As you will progressively fill your planisphere , the zones you indicate having already visited will take the colour you would have chosen. In this way, you build a living history of all your excursions through the world! There even exist a feature that offers you the possibility to reveal your permanent home . Thanks to this additional icon, your various touristic journeys will be more emphasized . For an optimal experience, add photos (free) and videos (paying) to illustrate your adventures. By gathering all your memories in the same place, sharing them has never been so simple ! You could therefore make your relatives discover your passion for globe-trotting through social media, or opt for keeping it for yourself .

Example of road trip map created with TraveledMap

You can also insert external links * that send back, for instance, to blog articles, written by yourself regarding some destination. Don’t worry: everything is made to optimize the legibility of your map , especially the full-screen mode and the smart scroll. What’s more, interactive maps by TraveledMap can easily be integrated within a website * (learn more about my WordPress plug-in by reading this ). Hence the possibilityo alter the background colour, among other options, in order it to remain coherent with the interface design .

* These features are chargeable

The perks of this platform for a travel blogger

As I said previously, you may have seen how easy to use is TraveledMap . Indeed, it a super tool which allows you to share your experiences in the best imaginable way . You may not have the time to publish daily summary video of your day but you wish to be followed day to day by some of your close friends and family. All of it brings a geographical dimension to your trip which becomes very visually .

Travel itineraries

With TraveledMap , you can publish photos at the right moment of your trip following your itinerary on a map. You just have to update your map in order to let people looking it up having a hint about what you are doing without writing a block of text on your blog for instance. The idea that a picture is worth a thousand words has never been truer . One or more little pictures can be added to your diary with a short description and voilà ! Then you have in your possession a simple and efficient way to share your experiences , you can also insert some links (if you got a YouTube channel for instance). You can have all your travels on the same map which you can edit as much as you want: is it not the dream of every backpacker ?

About the usefulness of TraveledMap for a company

You are a businessman and you are wondering what could be the interest of a TraveledMap for your website? Let yourself be tempted by the numerous beneficial aspects of this tool for your community!

It is important to know that inserting a cartography of your national as well as international locations constitute a strategic action towards your users. Indeed, it is the occasion to learn them more about your company . Thanks to TraveledMap , you can associate image galleries with each marker indicating a place where you are active . Sharing photos of your premises or even a few images of the daily life of your team allows you to reinforce the proximity with your surfers. Similarly, you can add the business trips of your collaborators on the map . It is a good way to involve your users by insisting, for example, on storytelling . You can also place Call To Action buttons directly on the interactive map, so that a place redirects to a specific heading of your website. TraveledMap offers a real advantage given that it enables a huge time saving compared to a “homemade” map. All the tools you need are available to help you realizing easily any kind of map.

Company seminars map created with TraveledMap

Thus, it is not necessary to own skills in numeric development to handle TraveledMap . Moreover, they are very easy to integrate on a page of your website or your blog. Regarding the User Experience of this type of feature, it is obviously optimal thanks to a very intuitive browsing.

Here we come to the end of this introduction article, which looks quite like a user manual . As you have probably understood, this online tool is destined both to individuals and professionals . In addition to the existing features, other ones always more original and practical are regularly added . So, stay tuned! 👀 It only remains me to wish you a good trip ! See you soon on TraveledMap 👋

TraveledMap offers you the possibility to design and personalize your interactive map which gathers all your travels. They have an original and funny layout which will please your readers. It is now possible to look up easily all your stories at a glance, you can edit and share them as much as you wish ! Try it yourself!

Travel time map

Smappen is a map that tells you where you can travel to in a given amount of time or by covering a certain distance.

Depending on the mode of transport you pick, smappen looks at lots of criteria (speed limit on each type of road (city, countryside, highway, etc.), and draws the area that you can reach when travelling the specified distance or time.

These travel-time areas are also called isochrones or catchment areas.

Based on travel times

A driving-radius map tool.

Use smappen to get the right answers.

To choose the best location for your business

smappen provides you with population data on your areas, so that you know which is the best location for your business.

To optimize your logistics (delivery, pricing, technicians, etc.)

Save time and money by providing the best-optimized areas for your deliveries or technicians.

To go and visit friends

Just moved to a new city? Friends all over the country? Find where you can get to in a given travel time.

To target your marketing campaigns

Easily extract zip codes from your areas, for the best-targeted campaigns.

To find your next home or job

Want to move, but don’t want to be too far away from your place of work? smappen shows you the ideal geographic area where you should house-hunt, with a variety of home-to-workplace travel times.

Ready to get started with smappen?

The complete guide about travel time maps

Travel time is an essential element that shapes our daily lives, influencing decisions ranging from our commutes to work, to healthcare accessibility, leisure activities, and urban planning. The ability to understand, calculate, and visualize travel time is a game-changer in modern navigation and decision-making.

Behind the scenes of this crucial concept lies technology and data, working together to create what we call “travel time maps.” These maps are not just colorful representations but tools that empower us to make informed choices about where we go, how we get there, and how long it will take.

In this comprehensive guide, we will embark on a journey to explore the significance of travel time and travel time maps in our fast-paced world. We will delve into the technology that underpins their creation and see how data makes travel time mapping possible. Throughout this exploration, we’ll discover the practical applications of travel time maps and discuss strategies to optimize travel time for a more efficient and enjoyable life. So, let’s navigate the world of travel time and its mapping, enhancing the way we experience the world around us.

Understanding travel time

Travel time is more than just a measure of how long it takes to get from point A to point B. It’s a fundamental concept that profoundly affects our daily routines and decisions. In this section, we will unravel the core concept of travel time and its multifaceted impact on our lives.

At its heart, travel time encapsulates the minutes, hours, and sometimes even seconds that stand between us and our destinations. It governs our commutes to work, school runs, and even the time it takes to enjoy a day out with friends. Understanding travel time is the key to unlocking a more efficient and enjoyable life.

As we delve deeper, we will explore the multitude of factors that influence travel time. Weather, with its unpredictable whims, can either expedite or delay our journeys. Traffic congestion in urban jungles can turn a quick trip into a frustrating ordeal, while our choice of transportation mode can be the difference between a leisurely stroll and a hectic rush.

But what ties all these factors together into a coherent and user-friendly concept? The answer lies in the world of “travel time maps.” These visual representations take complex data on weather, traffic, and transportation modes, and present it in a way that’s easy to comprehend. In the next section, we will unravel the technology and data that make the creation of these maps possible.

Creating travel time maps

Travel time maps are the result of meticulous data integration and advanced GIS technology. These maps require access to a wide array of data sources, including real-time traffic information, location data, and comprehensive transportation networks. This data forms the foundation upon which travel time maps are built.

One of the pivotal elements in this process is GIS technology, such as the one offered by Smappen. Smappen, as an innovative geomarketing solution, plays a significant role in creating travel time maps. It leverages GIS technology to process vast datasets and produce visually intuitive maps that help individuals and businesses make informed decisions.

Creating a travel time map with Smappen can provide valuable insights for location-based decision-making. Below is a step-by-step tutorial on how to create a travel time map for free using Smappen:

• Go to  smappen.com/app/
• Open the area creation panel on the top left
• Write your starting address
• Select the time
• Choose the means of transport
• Click on “Compute” button

Your first travel time area is created! For more detailed instructions, you can follow  our tutorials . 

Interpreting travel time maps

Understanding how to read and interpret a travel time map is vital in unlocking the wealth of information it offers to individuals, businesses, and decision-makers alike. These maps are designed to provide valuable insights into travel time, allowing for informed choices. Here, we’ll delve into the key aspects of interpreting travel time maps while incorporating relevant SEO keywords.

Color-Coding and Legends: A fundamental element of any travel time map is the color-coding scheme, where different areas are shaded in various colors to represent varying travel times. The intuitive use of colors serves as a visual guide, with darker hues typically signifying longer travel times and lighter shades indicating shorter journeys. Understanding these color patterns is crucial for quick and accurate interpretation of the map, especially when time is of the essence. Additionally, legends are often provided to clarify the specific time intervals associated with different colors, making it easier to gauge travel durations.

Real-World Examples and Decision-Making: The true power of travel time maps becomes evident when we witness them in action in real-world scenarios. These maps are not just abstract data representations; they play a practical role in guiding decisions. For instance, consider a business owner looking to determine the ideal location for a new store. By consulting a travel time map, they can pinpoint areas with shorter travel times to their target demographic, leading to better strategic choices. Similarly, urban planners utilize travel time maps to identify areas with limited transportation accessibility, paving the way for more efficient infrastructure development. These practical examples showcase the indispensable role travel time maps play in enhancing decision-making processes.

User-Friendly Digital Platforms: In the digital age, travel time maps have become more accessible and user-friendly than ever. Many platforms, such as Smappen, offer intuitive interfaces that make map interpretation a breeze. These digital tools allow users to zoom in, pan, and interact with the map, exploring different regions effortlessly. Whether you’re planning your daily commute or seeking the ideal location for a business expansion, the user-friendly nature of digital travel time maps streamlines the process. With a few clicks, you can gain valuable insights into travel times, empowering you to make more informed decisions in an ever-changing world.

By grasping the principles of color-coding, legends, and practical applications, you’ll be well-prepared to harness the potential of travel time maps in your daily life or business endeavors. Understanding how to interpret these maps effectively opens the door to better planning, improved decision-making, and optimized efficiency.

Applications and importance

Broad Applications Across Sectors: Travel time maps find relevance in a plethora of sectors, serving as a fundamental resource for informed decision-making. In the realm of transportation, they aid in optimizing routes and schedules for public transit systems, reducing commuter travel time and enhancing the overall transit experience. In healthcare, travel time maps guide medical facilities in identifying areas with limited accessibility, ensuring that critical services are within reach for all members of the community. Furthermore, urban planners employ travel time maps to develop efficient infrastructure and to design cities that are more accessible to all. These maps, enriched with data, play a pivotal role in enhancing the quality of life for residents and commuters alike.

Leveraging Travel Time Maps for Decision-Making: Businesses and individuals stand to gain significant advantages by leveraging travel time maps in their decision-making processes. For businesses, the strategic location of a store, warehouse, or distribution center can be a game-changer in terms of customer reach and operational efficiency. Travel time maps provide valuable insights into the ideal location for maximum accessibility. Individual commuters and travelers, too, can benefit from these maps by planning their daily journeys more efficiently, avoiding congestion, and optimizing their schedules.

Optimizing Efficiency and Accessibility: The value of travel time maps lies in their ability to optimize efficiency and accessibility in everyday life. For businesses, this means maximizing the reach of their services while minimizing operational costs. For individuals, it translates to reduced stress, more time for leisure and productivity, and a higher quality of life. With these maps in hand, individuals can make choices that take into account the time it takes to reach their destinations, ultimately improving the balance between their personal and professional lives.

Optimizing travel time with maps

Efficiently managing your travel time is not just about reaching your destination; it’s about transforming your daily journeys into smoother and more productive experiences. In this section, we will share practical strategies and tips for using travel time maps to your advantage, all while incorporating relevant SEO keywords for enhanced visibility.

Practical Strategies for Efficiency:

Plan Ahead: The cornerstone of optimizing your travel time begins with planning. Use travel time maps to foresee potential bottlenecks, traffic congestion, or delays in your route. By being proactive and considering these factors, you can plan your trips at times that minimize disruptions.

Combine Trips: If you have multiple errands or destinations, strategically combine them to minimize travel time. Travel time maps can help you identify areas where you can complete multiple tasks within a single journey, optimizing your schedule and reducing the overall time spent traveling.

How to make travel time maps for public transport?

Travel time maps show how far you can travel in a given time from a given location. They are somewhat similar to the more common "radius maps" but much more accurate. The most common example is "drive time maps", which are widely used in logistics, emergency response services, sales territory mapping, retail, and many more applications.

If you're not new to travel time analytics and just need to get the job done, please feel free to jump straight to the step-by-step instructions:

• How to generate a public transport isochrone with CommuteTimeMap? - create and share travel time maps with our free app.
• How to compute public transport isochrone polygon with API? - for advanced usage and software integration.

We're going to show how to generate travel time maps (also known as "isochrones") for public transportation networks of nearly any location worldwide. Public transport isochrones are very powerful and underestimated tool that can be leveraged by the public sector, real estate, and travel industries.

Our technology can compute travel time areas for different transportation modes, including walking, driving, and public transit, and for nearly any place in the world.

What is a "travel time map" anyway?

Travel time maps (also known as isochrones, catchment, or service area maps or polygons) tell you how far you can travel in a given time from a given location. To illustrate why and how they are useful let's take a couple of examples.

Have you ever wanted to know what is reachable within, let's say, one hour from a hotel where you stay? Or maybe where could you possibly rent a flat to have good commute times for you and your family? Frequently such decisions are made without much system - you ask someone for a recommendation, follow what you already know, or just choose one of the first available options.

But what if your smartphone would be able to give you not just the navigation instructions on how to get from A to B, but would be able to show all places - the whole area - you can reach within a given time? Imagine using such travel time maps to look up and highlight places or facilities of interest that are reachable from, and not necessarily close to, your location.

Did you notice the reachability "spots" near the train stations and how some seemingly "far" locations are much more accessible than others, geographically closer places?

Wouldn't such functionality be cool and convenient in a travel or navigation app?

We believe it would, and proud to present the next step towards more accurate and global travel time maps for public transportation. Our maps are not just more precise and have significantly better coverage than alternatives, but also more flexible and can be easily integrated into any application.

Please check our post 10 ways to use travel time maps for more examples.

What's wrong with the existing solutions

Historically travel time and reachability analysis was mostly focused on driving - mainly cars and trucks. Support for multimodal public transportation was poor or missing. One of the top reasons for this is the limited availability of official public transit data. They are generally available only for some transportation agencies and a limited number of locations.

Poor data coverage and restrictive usage terms

Take a look at the current public transportation data available worldwide, according to the transit.land global transit data catalog.

As of January 2021 transit.land has data for over 2,500 public transportation operators in over 55 countries. Yet, as you can see, the global data availability map is still pretty empty, and most countries and locations in the world are not covered.

And even places that look relatively well covered on the world map. Europe for example have only very fragmentary coverage when we look closer:

Due to this all existing solutions that are based on publicly available public transportation data are only useful if you computing a travel time map for a well-covered metropolitan area like London or Zurich.

It worth mentioning that some providers, notably Google Maps platform, have data exchange agreements with some public transportation agencies and therefore can offer better coverage. But even the Google Maps dataset has more white spots than covered areas. Also, the Google Maps platform is so well suitable for analytics due to missing Isochrone API, restrictive usage terms, and one of the highest costs per API request in the industry.

Alternative approach to public transit analytics

We see the situation with public transportation reachability analytics as both controversial and unfair. In the end, what is the most common transportation that most of use daily? We believe that more often than not this will be public transportation, possibly combined with driving or bike-sharing.

And we're not the first to see it this way!

Travel time maps based on approximated data

A notable example of the project that tries to address that shortcoming is Mapnificent - a website that "shows you areas you can reach with public transport in a given time". Mapnificent uses community maintained extracts from official and unofficial public transportation datasets. It uses averaged travel times between stops to calculate reachable locations and then approximates "walkable" areas around and between stops with simple radius maps.

As of 2021, Mapnificent offers travel time maps for public transportation networks of 130+ cities around the world.

Despite its simplicity, the approach used by Mapnificent is capable of producing travel time maps that are sufficiently accurate to be useful for analytical purposes.

Improving approximated transit coverage and accuracy

Inspired by this, we applied our expertise and technology capabilities to get even more accurate travel time maps and achieve better coverage. And, after many experiments, we believe we're on the right track to offer truly global support for accurate public transportation isochrones, worldwide.

Take a look at the example map below. It compares travel polygons depicting 30 minutes of travel time via the Berlin public transit network, and based on three different sources:

• official transit data (gray)
• Mapnificent (white)
• our new "approximated transit" (green)

As you can see, even the current early version of approximated transit data (green area) is capable of generating more complete and precise travel time maps than what was possible before.

Our approximated public transit dataset is calculated based on several data sources:

• Open Street Map which has over 5,000,000 contributors and can be used as global geodata source for public transportation routes and stops
• Route and stop data extracts from the official and unofficial GTFS feeds
• Country-specific speed limits, traffic rules, and public transportation patterns and models

As of January 2021, our "approximated transit" dataset includes over 40,000 public transit operators and over 500,000 routes - a huge step forward comparing to 2,500+ operators available earlier.

Using the same technology that powers our Routing , Map matching and Places APIs we can take fragmentary and often disconnected route shapes and stops from OSM, match them to road networks and stop locations and assign schedules and speeds.

As a result, our travel time polygons are much more accurate than approximations based on straight line distance/radius maps, as the real road network is taken into account. For example, our algorithms will not allow a bus route to "jump" over unpassable barriers, or cross rivers without a bridge or tunnel. They also take into account factors like one-way roads, illegal turns, road classes, and speed limits.

Even in its first version, approximate public transit already offers a very decent worldwide coverage, and we hope that it will help to make public transportation isochrones much more accessible and easier to use than ever.

Two approaches to public transport isochrone generation

Depending on your needs and requirements we offer the two main ways to generate public transport isochrones:

Using a free CommuteTimeMap web application that offers an easy and visual way to analyze reachability areas and amenities within them. It uses our Isoline API to compute isochrone polygons, and Places API to search for places and amenities within them.

Using Isoline API for more advanced usage scenarios, when you need to have fine-grained control or want to integrate isochrones into your application or website. All you need to do is to get your free API key at Geoapify MyProjects and learn how to use Isoline API at API Playground and Documentation portal .

How to generate a public transport isochrone with CommuteTimeMap?

Our free CommuteTimeMap web application is one of the easiest ways to generate public transportation travel time maps for one or several locations. It also allows you to search for different places and amenities within the computed reachability areas.

CommuteTimeMap is a great option if you want to quickly check the public transportation coverage in your area and experiment with proximity analysis.

1. Open CommuteTimeMap.com

CommuteTimeMap is designed to be easy and straightforward to use. It is available at CommuteTimeMap.com

2. Select a location on the map or enter the address

You can either just navigate to the area of interest and click on the map, or enter the location address:

3. Adjust travel time and visual style if needed

By default, CommuteTimeMap will compute a 30 minutes isochrone from the selected location and will assign a random unique color to the isochrone polygon.

4. Show places and amenities reachable within the area

All you need to do is to switch to the "Places" tab and select the place type and category.

5. Add more areas or compare different travel modes

When the map contains multiple overlapping reachability areas, you additionally can compute and visualize their intersection (only common parts) and union (combination).

6. Share travel time map or embed it into your website

CommuteTimeMap allows you to share the map with your friends and colleagues or embed it into your website - like this:

Iframes not supported

Just click on the "Share / embed" button in the top right corner of the website to get the necessary sharing links and HTML code snippets.

How to compute public transport isochrone polygon with API?

Plan to generate multiple travel time maps, need more flexibility, or want to integrate them into your application or website? With our Isoline API, this will be very straightforward.

1. Open interactive API playground and documentation

Geoapify API playground and documentation are available at apidocs.geoapify.com .

You can navigate across playground and documentation using the Documentation, Playground, and Code samples dropdown menu.

2. Open Isoline API playground page

It is also accessible directly as apidocs.geoapify.com/playground/isoline .

3. Select location, mode, and travel time

Once you click on the map or enter a location address, the Playground application will automatically generate Isoline API requests and visualize results on the map.

You can also copy the resulting GeoJSON and use it with your map, GIS software like QGIS , or an online tool like geojson.io .

4. Register and get Geoapify API key

Click the "Get API Key" button or open MyProjects page and proceed with the registration.

Once registered and logged in, click "Add project" and enter the project name - e.g name of your app or website.

By default, the project will have one pre-configured API key. You can always add more keys later if needed - for example, to distinguish development and production keys.

Apart from API key management, the project management page allows you to check the usage statistics and activate billing if your request volume exceeds the Free plan quota.

5. Add Isoline API to your application

Every time you test an API request in Playground you see the automatically generated request URL. Request parameters are quite self-explanatory, but you always can consult with Isoline API documentation to get more details.

Generally, all you need to do is to add the API key that you generated in MyProjects into the request "apiKey" parameter.

After that, you should be able to programmatically request computed isochrone polygons in GeoJSON format using any HTTP request library available for your programming language.

GeoJSON is widely supported by map rendering libraries like Leaflet or Open Layers, as well as all popular GIS packages and most databases.

Final words and known limitations

We believe that approximated transit technology is a good and necessary step towards more accessible and broadly available public transit isochrone maps.

Yet, it is important to mention that it is still in its early days, and therefore has many imperfections and we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the results. The best way to use it now is to give it a try, and let us know if you notice that approximated results are significantly off from the reality.

We will be very happy to hear your feedback and suggestions regarding possibly missing or incorrect results or future improvement ideas.

It is also worth outlining the important distinction between reachability analysis and point-to-point routing and navigation. Approximate public transit data are good for proximity and reachability analysis because they model average, general-case travel times. Navigation, on the contrary, focuses on specific routes, departure, and arrival times and is intended to provide concrete and actionable routing instructions.

While our API allows using approximated transit data for routing and navigation, you should take the results with a grain of salt. Specifically, route names and stop times may be significantly off from the ground truth. If you need to do routing and navigation please consider using the regular "transit" routing mode, based on the official public transit data.

Try Approximate Transit travel time maps now!

Build travel time maps for your city and tell us what do you think.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact us . We will be happy to help.

Where can you go by train in 8h?

This map shows you how far you can travel from each station in Europe in less than 8 hours.

Hover your mouse on the map to see the isochrones from that city, search for a station, or click on one of the examples below.

This map is based on estimated travel times, using data from the Deutsche Bahn through Direkt Bahn Guru . Actual timetables may vary.

Solar eclipse path across New York and how long will it last: Explore these interactive maps

The first total  eclipse over New York in 99 years  will be visible April 8. It's a sight not to be missed. Should you skip this one, the next total solar eclipse that can be seen in the United States will be in 2044 (visible in North Dakota and Montana) and 2045 (crossing from California to Florida.)

In addition to New York, the eclipse will travel through 11 other states. Two others (Tennessee and Michigan) will see small parts of it.

The shadow will be traveling at an average of about 2,300 miles per hour across New York state and will only take about 10 minutes, from one side of state to the other, said Dan Schneiderman, of Rochester Museum & Science Center.

Across North America, notable cities in the path of totality include Mazatlán and Torreón, Mexico; San Antonio, Austin and Dallas, Texas; Little Rock, Arkansas; Indianapolis, Indiana; Cleveland, Ohio; Buffalo and Rochester, New York; Burlington, Vermont; and most of Montreal, Canada.

Follow the path of totality for solar eclipse 2024

What time will eclipse be on april 8, 2024, in westchester and new york city.

The Hudson Valley will not be in the path of totality but will see between 88 and 99 percent coverage. Starting at 2:11 p.m. April 8 in Westchester County, the moon will begin to appear to move in front of the sun. Maximum coverage begins at 3:25 p.m. By 4:36 p.m. the moon will have moved past the sun returning the light to normal.

2024 total solar eclipse arrival times in US

What happens during total solar eclipse.

The moon will line up perfectly between the Earth and the sun, blotting out the sunlight. It will take just a couple hours for the moon's shadow to slice a diagonal line from the southwest to the northeast across North America, briefly plunging communities along the track into darkness.

Among the cities smack dab in the action: Dallas; Little Rock, Arkansas; Indianapolis, Cleveland, Ohio; Rochester, Buffalo, New York; and Montreal — making for the continent’s biggest eclipse crowd.

But, practically everyone on the continent can catch at least a partial eclipse. The farther from the path of totality, the smaller the moon’s bite will be out of the sun.

How to safely view the eclipse

Do not look at the sun directly during the eclipse. Sunglasses will not protect your eyes, only use International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 12312-2 certified eclipse glasses or handheld solar viewers  from a trusted source .

The American Astronomical Society states on its website:

• Always inspect your solar filter before use; if scratched, punctured, torn, or otherwise damaged, discard it. Read and follow any instructions printed on or packaged with the filter.
• Always supervise children using solar filters.
• If you normally wear eyeglasses, keep them on. Put your eclipse glasses on over them, or hold your handheld viewer in front of them.
• Stand still and cover your eyes with your eclipse glasses or solar viewer before looking up at the bright Sun. After looking at the Sun, turn away and remove your filter — do  not  remove it while looking at the Sun.
• Do  not  look at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed Sun through an unfiltered camera, telescope, binoculars, or other optical device.
• Similarly, do not look at the Sun through an unfiltered camera, telescope, binoculars, or any other optical device while using your eclipse glasses or handheld solar viewer in front of your eyes — the concentrated solar rays could damage the filter and enter your eyes, causing serious injury.
• Seek expert advice from an astronomer before using a solar filter with a camera, telescope, binoculars, or any other optical device; note that solar filters must be attached to the  front  of any telescope, binoculars, camera lens, or other optics.

Specific to the April eclipse:

• If you are inside the path of totality, remove your solar filter  only  when the Moon completely covers the Sun’s bright face and it suddenly gets quite dark. Experience totality, then, as soon as the bright Sun begins to reappear ,  replace your solar viewer to look at the remaining partial phases. Note that this applies only to viewing without optical aid (other than ordinary eyeglasses). Different rules apply when viewing or imaging the Sun through camera lenses, binoculars, or telescopes; consult an expert astronomer before using a solar filter with any type of magnifying optics.
• Outside the path of totality, and throughout a partial solar eclipse, there is no time when it is safe to look directly at the Sun without using a special-purpose solar filter that complies with the transmittance requirements of the  ISO 12312-2 international standard .

One can also indirectly view the eclipse through a pinhole projector, where one views a projected image through a small opening made in an index card or a piece of cardboard paper. Need to know how to make one? The  Jet Propulsion Laboratory  has instructions.

Hartriono B. Sastrowa r doyo contributed to this report

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Public Health

How florida and arizona supreme court rulings change the abortion access map.

Selena Simmons-Duffin

Hilary Fung

In a few weeks, Florida and Arizona are set to join most states in the southern U.S. in banning abortion. It's a significant shake up to the abortion legal landscape, and data shared exclusively with NPR maps and quantifies what the changes will mean for millions of Americans.

On Tuesday, the Arizona Supreme Court cleared the way for an 1864 law to be enforced. That law completely bans abortion except when someone's life is in danger. Last week, the Florida Supreme Court made its decision to allow a ban on abortions after six weeks gestation to take effect on May 1.

Caitlin Myers , an economics professor at Middlebury College in Vermont, has been tracking abortion facilities and travel distances since 2009. She analyzed how these latest rulings will affect the access map.

"Because of these bans, it's about 6 million women of reproductive age who are experiencing an increase in distance of more than 200 miles," she says.

She points out that Floridians who are seeking abortions after six weeks will have to travel nearly 600 miles to North Carolina, which has a 72-hour waiting period. "So we're talking about a day's drive to a state that requires you to engage in this multi-day process," Myers says. "A lot of people might end up going several hundred miles further to Virginia."

For people in Arizona, after the 1864 law takes effect, "their nearest destinations are pretty long drives. They're going to be facing hundreds of miles to reach southern California, New Mexico, Colorado," Myers says. "I think Arizona spillover is likely to affect California in a way that California hasn't yet been affected by bans."

Myers helms the Myers Abortion Facility Database . She has gathered data about facilities – including clinics, doctors, and hospitals that publicly indicated that they provide abortions – going back more than a decade, using data licensure databases, directories, and Wayback Machine captures of websites from years past. She uses a team of undergraduate research assistants to periodically call facilities and make sure the information is up to date.

Numbers of abortions rise in Florida, decline in Arizona

Although Florida and Arizona have historically both been politically purple states and both have had 15-week abortion bans since 2022, the states have been on different trajectories when it comes to abortion and play very different roles in their regions.

There were about 12,000 abortions in Arizona in 2023, according to the Guttmacher Institute , a research organization that supports abortion rights. Out-of-state travel accounted for 3% of abortions in the state, and the overall number of abortions has been declining there in recent years, Guttmacher finds.

By contrast, there were nearly 85,000 abortions in Florida in 2023, according to state data , just a few thousand fewer than Illinois, which has positioned itself as a haven for people seeking abortions in the post- Roe era. And the number of abortions happening in the state has been on the rise. "The majority of the increase has been driven by out-of-state travel into Florida because of bans in surrounding states," explains Isaac Maddow-Zimet , a Guttmacher data scientist. "That really speaks to the role that Florida has played in the region where there really aren't many other options."

The Alliance Defending Freedom, which brought the case in Arizona, frames those affected by the new laws in a different way. "We celebrate the Arizona Supreme Court's decision that allows the state's pro-life law to again protect the lives of countless, innocent unborn children," the organization wrote in a statement this week .

Even with new bans in place, there are a few ways residents of Florida and Arizona will be able to access abortion without driving hundreds of miles. People with means will be able to fly to states where abortion access is protected. Others will be able to use telehealth to connect with providers in those states and receive abortion medication in the mail – a practice that has been growing in popularity in recent months. Telehealth medication abortions, though, could be curtailed by a pending case before the U.S. Supreme Court. (A decision in that case is expected this summer.)

In Florida, some will be able to get abortions before the six-week gestational limit, which is about two weeks after a missed period. "Folks have a really narrow window in order to meet that gestational duration limit if they even know about their pregnancy in time," Maddow-Zimet of Guttmacher explains. "And that's something that's particularly difficult in Florida because Florida requires an in-person counseling visit 24 hours before the abortion."

'A substantial barrier'

Many thousands of people in Florida and Arizona will be unable to navigate those options and will carry their pregnancies instead, Myers says.

"It's easy to think – if an abortion is so important to somebody, they will find a way, they will figure it out," she says, but research on people seeking abortions illustrates why that's not always possible. "[Many] are low income. They're in very difficult life circumstances. They're experiencing disruptive life events like the loss of a job or breaking up with a partner or threatened eviction. Many of them are parenting and have difficulty obtaining child care." One large study showed about 80% of people seeking abortions had subprime credit scores.

"If you think about all that, it is perhaps not so surprising that the results of my research and other people's research shows very strongly and unequivocally that distance is a substantial barrier to people who are seeking abortions," Myers says.

Mary Ziegler , a law professor and historian of reproductive rights at the University of California - Davis, says it's worth noting how these states both came to have new bans. "The common denominator is conservative state supreme courts reaching decisions contrary to what voters would want, interestingly, in an election year when those judges are facing retention elections," she says.

Voters in Florida will have a chance to weigh in on abortion access in November, when an amendment to their state constitution will be on the ballot. An effort to put an abortion amendment on the ballot in Arizona is also underway. Abortions rights opponents in both states have pledged to fight the measures.

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See Maps of Where Eclipse Seekers Flocked and the Traffic That Followed

Movement data shows the destinations with the greatest influx of people.

By Charlie Smart

PATH OF TOTALITY

St. Johnsbury

Adirondack Park

Ste. Genevieve

Ozarks region

Greater increase

in activity

Texas Hill Country

Note: The map shows change in movement activity on Monday, compared with an average of the movement activity on the previous four Mondays.

Source: Mapbox (movement data)

Monday’s solar eclipse drew huge crowds to the path of totality, temporarily ballooning the populations of small towns and rural areas across the country. The map above shows an estimate of where human activity increased the most on Monday, compared with that on an average Monday, according to data from Mapbox, an online mapping company.

Some towns in the path of totality expected their populations to double, and the data — drawn from mobile-device activity — showed such increases in many places.

Among the towns with more than 100 percent increases in activity were St. Johnsbury, Vt.; Lancaster, N.H.; and Ste. Geneviève, Mo. State parks like the Adirondack Park in New York and many areas in the Ozarks region of Arkansas and Missouri were also popular destinations. The data includes activity for the entire day and also shows a pattern of movement away from the path of totality, as seen in the darker areas on the edges of the path in the map above.

Around midafternoon Monday came the main event: the moment of totality, when the moon moved fully in front of the sun, turning daylight to darkness. That climax lasted only a few minutes, and then eclipse watchers started their trips home or to hotels.

Source: TomTom

Traffic was stopped or delayed along some highways more than eight hours later, according to data from TomTom, a mapping and navigation company. Officials in many parts of the country had warned of snarled traffic, and roads in the Northeast — from New York to Maine — had the greatest concentration of hourslong delays.

Interstate 87 in New York had a line of traffic more than 55 miles long around 6 p.m., and cars were still backed up for miles at 11 p.m. on Interstate 93 in New Hampshire, more than seven hours after the eclipse, according to TomTom.

On a normal weekday afternoon, the 210-mile drive from Burlington, Vt., to Somerville, Mass., takes about three and a half hours. On Monday, the same trip took Liam Sullivan, 26, of Somerville, more than nine hours after watching the eclipse.

“The worst part was that in the first four hours we only went about 40 miles,” Mr. Sullivan said. “A solid marathoner is beating our pace there. It was completely hopeless congestion the entire time.”

Eclipse watchers in Burlington, Vt., at Lake Champlain.

Cassandra Klos for The New York Times

Interstate 93 in New Hampshire many hours after the eclipse.

Nick Perry/Associated Press

While drivers in the Northeast faced the worst of the delays, there were also long traffic jams outside of Indianapolis, St. Louis and Columbus, Ohio.

Traffic delays at 9 p.m. Eastern time

Indianapolis

“It was definitely the worst traffic I’ve ever seen in my life,” said Richard Chen, who spent nine hours driving from Newport, Vt. to his home in Brooklyn, N.Y., after the eclipse.

Despite the traffic, Mr. Chen said he didn’t see any road rage. “I think people were just kind of thrilled to witness the eclipse, and the traffic and road tripping was just part of the experience,” he said.

Was the drive worth it? For Mr. Chen, there was no question. “Definitely,” he said, noting that the next major U.S. eclipse will take place in 2045.

Mr. Sullivan wasn’t so sure. He said that the eclipse was stunning and that he was grateful to witness it but added: “If you told me yesterday how long it would take, I would have gone back to bed.”

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Solar eclipse maps show 2024 totality path, peak times and how much of the eclipse people could see across the U.S.

By Aliza Chasan

Updated on: April 9, 2024 / 5:00 AM EDT / CBS News

A total solar eclipse  crossed North America Monday with parts of 15 U.S. states within the path of totality. Maps show  where and when astronomy fans could see the big event  as skies darkened in the middle of the day Monday, April 8.

The total eclipse first appeared along Mexico's Pacific Coast at around 11:07 a.m. PDT, then traveled across a swath of the U.S., from Texas to Maine, and into Canada.

About 31.6 million people live in the path of totality , the area where the moon fully blocked out the sun , according to NASA. The path ranged between 108 and 122 miles wide. An additional 150 million people live within 200 miles of the path of totality.

Solar eclipse path of totality map for 2024

The total solar eclipse started over the Pacific Ocean, and the first location in continental North America that experienced totality was Mexico's Pacific Coast, around 11:07 a.m. PDT, according to NASA. From there, the path continued into Texas, crossing more than a dozen states before the eclipse enters Canada in southern Ontario. The eclipse exited continental North America at around 5:16 p.m. NDT from Newfoundland, Canada.

The path of totality included portions of the following states:

• Pennsylvania
• New Hampshire

Small parts of Tennessee and Michigan also experienced the total solar eclipse.

Several major cities across the U.S. were included in the eclipse's path of totality, while many others saw a partial eclipse. These were some of the best major cities for eclipse viewing — though the weather was a factor :

• San Antonio, Texas (partially under the path)
• Austin, Texas
• Waco, Texas
• Dallas, Texas
• Little Rock, Arkansas
• Indianapolis, Indiana
• Dayton, Ohio
• Cleveland, Ohio
• Buffalo, New York
• Rochester, New York
• Syracuse, New York
• Burlington, Vermont

Map of when the solar eclipse reached totality across its path

The eclipse began in the U.S. as a partial eclipse beginning at 12:06 p.m. CDT near Eagle Pass, Texas, before progressing to totality by about 1:27 p.m. CDT and then moving along its path to the northeast over the following few hours.

NASA shared times for several cities in the path of totality across the U.S. People could have also  checked their ZIP code on NASA's map  to see when the eclipse was to reach them if they were on, or near, the path of totality — or if they saw a partial eclipse instead.

How much of the eclipse did people see if they live outside the totality path?

While the April 8 eclipse covered a wide swath of the U.S., outside the path of totality observers may have spotted a partial eclipse, where the moon covers some, but not all, of the sun, according to NASA. The closer they were to the path of totality, the larger the portion of the sun that was hidden.

NASA allowed viewers to input a ZIP code and see how much of the sun was to be covered in their locations.

Could there be cloud cover be during the solar eclipse?

Some areas along the path of totality had a higher likelihood of cloud cover that could interfere with viewing the eclipse. Here is a map showing the historical trends in cloud cover this time of year. 

You could have checked the latest forecast for your location with our partners at The Weather Channel .

Where did the solar eclipse reach totality for the longest?

Eclipse viewers near Torreón, Mexico, got to experience totality for the longest. Totality there lasted 4 minutes, 28 seconds, according to NASA. 

Most places along the centerline of the path of totality saw a totality duration of between 3.5 and 4 minutes, according to NASA. Some places in the U.S. came close to the maximum; Kerrville, Texas, had a totality duration of 4 minutes, 24 seconds.

What is the path of totality for the 2044 solar eclipse?

The next total solar eclipse that will be visible from the contiguous U.S. will be on Aug. 23, 2044.

Astronomy fans in the U.S. will have far fewer opportunities to see the 2044 eclipse they had on April 8. NASA has not yet made maps available for the 2044 eclipse but, according to The Planetary Society , the path of totality will only touch three states.

The 2024 eclipse will start in Greenland, pass over Canada and end as the sun sets in Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota, according to the Planetary Society.

Aliza Chasan is a digital producer at 60 Minutes and CBSNews.com. She has previously written for outlets including PIX11 News, The New York Daily News, Inside Edition and DNAinfo. Aliza covers trending news, often focusing on crime and politics.

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