Google Travel now available on desktop to make planning easier

Google will also offer weather forecasts during the travel dates.

Google Travel, which was previously available only on mobile, is now accessible on desktops to make it easier for you to plan your holidays.

Google product management (travel) vice president Richard Holden says travel planning is complicated as the sheer range of tools and information that has to be sifted through can be time consuming and overwhelming.

“That’s why today, we’re simplifying the way we help travellers plan trips with Google across devices. When you’re planning a trip – whether you’re on desktop or mobile – we want to help you find the information you need, fast,” he says, on the Google Keyword Blog.

Google rolled out Travel for mobile users last February, which brought together its Explore, Flights and Hotel services.

Holden says as users plan, their research and reservations will be organised under Trips, rather than requiring them to track it on their own by taking notes.

Recent searches, saved places and flights users are tracking are added automatically to Trips, and the information is synced across devices, as long as the user is signed into the same Google Account. Users can also opt out by changing their privacy settings.

“As we continue to evolve Trips, we’re making this information more accessible at google.com/travel, and in Google Search and Google Maps. We’re also adding a few new features to make planning and organising your trips easier,” he adds.

Since last year, Travel has been adding trip reservations for hotels and flights to a trip timeline for a user's upcoming journey by skimming confirmation emails in Gmail. Soon users will also be able to manually add new reservations.

Google will also offer weather predictions, suggest relevant articles and day plans, popular restaurants around the booked hotel and even nearby neighbourhoods during the travel dates.