Road trip basics, let's do this right.
Nothing makes highway driving more fun... than ponying up more money than you originally expected to spend. Even worse, what if you don't have cash on hand or if the toll is cashless?
This is even more important to get right in a rental car, since most agencies will nickel and dime renters by stacking toll fees (the toll itself) on top of more toll fees (a toll usage fee).
(Some car rental places charge a fee for *every* day of the rental, plus the actual toll cost itself. It may be worth looking into bringing your own transponder: Many tolls are also going totally cashless!)
How to avoid toll roads in Google Maps
Get on the road. (Simon Samtleben / Flickr)
For quick instructions and screenshots, follow the instructions below.
The best part is that once it's set up, it usually just stays on by default (meaning you won't have to enable it every time). Regardless, it's worth double-checking every now and then to ensure you are truly avoiding tolls at all costs. 😉
To enable this feature:
- Enter the address or town of where you are headed.
- Make sure you are on the driving (car) tab.
- Select directions.
- In the upper-right corner, next to the current location, select the settings (three dots) tab.
- Select Route options.
- Select Avoid tolls
- Select Done.
- From there, Google will repopulate route directions.
Once there is a little message saying Avoiding tolls right before the main transportation options, the settings have been successfully applied.
Click to enlarge screenshots below:
