Meet Google Tour Builder

Dec 23, 2013

Google just launched a powerful tool that allows users to create their own tours and share them online.
We are referring to Google Tour Builder, an experiment associated with Google Earth.
“Tour Builder is a new way of showing people the places you’ve visited, and the experiences you’ve accumulated along the way using Google Earth. It allows the user to choose locations directly from a map and add images, text and videos, and then be able to share one’s creation.”, explained the Google team working on the project.

This tool is of great use for tourists or travel and tourism bloggers, as it allows the user to tell stories and share their travel experiences in a comprehensive and coherent manner. For travel agencies, this represents the possibility of promoting tours and travel programs in a practical an user-friendly way.

This plugin was developed by Google Creative Lab in conjunction with Google Earth Outreach. It was initially conceived for war vets who were anxious to tell their stories from the battlefield.
Although currently in beta, you can start creating tours using Google Tour Builder, and later download updates as they become available.
This application allows the user to witness myriad destinations firsthand, awakening their desire to embark on their next journey.

In order to create a tour with Google Tour Builder, you’ll need:

A Google account
Download the Google Earth plugin, which is free and installs in seconds

Once the installation is complete, you must refresh the page. You’re well on your way to create your first tour:

1. Select the “Create a new tour” option

2. Pick a name for the tour, and write the author’s name (this can be modified later on, if you wish)

3. Now comes the most important part – provide a description of your tour. Add images, text and links (make sure that these elements are sufficiently appealing)

4. Select the type of story, that is, the display mode. We recommend using 2D or 3D

5.Select the elements you wish to be visible in the tour and choose the color of the route

Now you can begin to create the route:

Start by searching for a place. Confirm your selection

A configuration tab will open. Add the name of the location, an image, enter the start and end date of your trip. You may upload up to 25 pictures and videos.
You may upload them different ways:

– On your Google and YouTube albums
– Directly from your computer
– Through your webcam
– Public files on Google or YouTube
– Sharing a URL with an image or video

2. Add a short description stating what to expect while visiting the destination and the various activities that take place

3. Select an icon

4. Once finished, you may re-order the sequence of the experience by dragging the boxes in the columns and clicking on the end button.

Your story can be viewed in full-screen mode, may be edited as many times as you wish, can be shared via e-mail or on social networks and can even be made private.