How to Share the Exact Route You Want Filmed in 360°

You have 2 options:

Google My Maps screen showing a hand-drawn driving route with a coloured line across city streets

Google My Maps

 (Best if you want to “draw” your exact route)

Google Maps directions screen with start, destination and extra stops added along a custom driving route

Google Maps

(Best for building a map with multiple “stops”)

Option #1:  Google My Maps   (Best if you want to “draw” your route)

Google My Maps lets you draw a line on the map by clicking along the streets you care about. Then you can send us a link to that map.

Step 1 – Open Google My Maps

  1. On a computer, open your web browser (Chrome, Edge, Safari, etc.).

  2. In the address bar at the top, type: mymaps.google.com and press Enter.

  3. If Google asks you to sign in, log in with your usual Google or Gmail account.

  4. You’ll see a page titled “My Maps” with a list of any maps you’ve made before (or a mostly empty list).

Step 2 – Create a new map

  1. On the left side, find the button that says “Create a new map” and click it.

  2. A new tab or window opens with a map and a small panel on the left that says “Untitled map.”

  3. You’re now editing your own custom map.

(You can ignore the “Untitled map” name for now; we’ll come back to that.)

Step 3 – Find the area you want to draw in

  1. At the top of the map, there is a search bar that says something like “Search Google Maps.”

  2. Click in that search bar and type the city or address where you want to start (for example, “Penticton, BC”).

  3. Press Enter. The map will jump to that place.

  4. Use your mouse scroll wheel (or the + / – buttons in the bottom‑right corner) to zoom in until you can clearly see the street names you care about.

Step 4 – Start drawing your route

  1. Look just under the search bar, at the small row of icons.

  2. Find the icon that looks like a zig‑zag line. If you hover your mouse over it, it says “Draw a line.”

  3. Click the “Draw a line” icon.

  4. In the small menu that appears, click “Add driving route” or “Add line or shape” (depending on what Google shows you).

    • If you see both, “Add line or shape” is fine for our purposes.

Step 5 – Click along your route

  1. Move your mouse to the exact point on the map where you want the drive to start (for example, the parking lot at a lake or a particular intersection).

  2. Click once. This sets your starting point.

  3. Now move the mouse along the streets you want me to use, and click at each corner or bend in the road.

    • Each click adds another point to the line and makes it follow that street.

    • You can hold down the mouse and drag the map to move around if you get to the edge of the screen.

  4. Keep clicking along until you’ve covered the whole route you want filmed.

  5. When you are finished, double‑click on your final point.

    • The line will stop drawing itself.

    • You’ll see your full route as a coloured line on the map.

If you make a mistake:

  • At the top‑left, just under the search bar, there’s an Undo arrow (pointing left). Click that to remove your last point.

  • You can also zoom in more closely to place points more accurately and then Undo if you don’t like them.

Step 6 – Give the route a clear name

  1. Look at the panel on the left. You’ll see your new line listed under “Untitled layer” with a name like “Line 1” or “Untitled path.”

  2. Click on that name. A small box will open where you can edit it.

  3. Type a clear name such as: Williams Family Map of Kelowna Route

  4. Click Save or press Enter.

This name is just so we both know which route is which.

Step 7 – Make the map shareable

  1. In the left panel, at the very top, look for the “Share” button (it may be next to a “Preview” icon).

  2. Click “Share.” A sharing window will pop up.

  3. Look for a section that says something like “Who has access” or “Restricted.”

  4. Change that setting to “Anyone with the link can view.”

    • Make sure it says “Can view,” not “Can edit,” so nobody else can change your map.

  5. Once you’ve changed the setting, you’ll see a link you can copy.

  6. Click “Copy link” (or highlight the link and copy it with Ctrl+C / Command+C).

Step 8 – Send us the link

Paste that link into the order form where it asks for your route.

Option #2:  Google Maps   (Best for building a map with multiple “stops”)

If you’ve ever looked up directions in Google Maps, you already know most of what you need. You’ll create a normal “Directions” route, nudge it onto the streets you care about, then send us the link.

Step 1 – Open Google Maps

On a computer

  • Open your web browser (Chrome, Edge, Safari, etc.).
  • In the address bar at the top, type maps.google.com and press Enter.
  • You should now see a Google Maps screen with a search box in the top-left.

On a phone

  • Open the Google Maps app.
  • Make sure you’re signed into your usual Google account (top-right corner).

Step 2 – Start your route

On a computer

  • In the top-left corner, click the Directions button (it looks like a diamond-shaped road sign with an arrow).
  • A panel opens on the left with two boxes.
  • In the top box labelled “Choose starting point” (or “Your location”), type the starting address or intersection for the drive and press Enter.
  • In the bottom box labelled “Choose destination”, type where you want the drive to end and press Enter.
  • You’ll see a blue line appear on the map. That’s your route.

On a phone

  • Tap the Directions button (blue circle with a white arrow) at the bottom-right.
  • In the “Your location” box, type the starting address or intersection.
  • In the “Choose destination” box, type where you want the drive to end.
  • Tap Done or the checkmark.
  • You’ll see a blue line on the map showing the route.

Step 3 – Gently force the roads you care about

Google Maps will choose what it thinks is the best route. If you want us to take a specific road, you need to “force” the route onto that road. There are two simple ways to do that.

➥ Option A – Add stops (works on computer and phone)

You can add extra points along the way so the route passes through them.

On a computer

  • In the left panel, under your start and end addresses, click + Add destination.
  • Type a street name, intersection, or place that sits on the road you want me to drive.
  • Press Enter. The blue line will redraw to go through that point.
  • If you want to shape it even more, you can add one or two more stops in the same way. You don’t need to add every corner.

On a phone

  • With your route showing, tap the three dots in the top-right of the directions panel.
  • Tap Add stop.
  • Type a street name, intersection, or place on the road you want me to use and tap it.
  • Use the three horizontal lines beside each stop to drag them up or down if needed, so they’re in the right order.
  • Tap Done. The blue line will redraw to pass through those stops.

You don’t need to worry about the labels of these stops. We’ll be following the blue line, not the place names.

➥ Option B – Drag the route (computer only)

Dragging is a quick way to move the route onto a different road.

  • On the map, move your mouse over the blue line between your start and end.
  • Click and hold the left mouse button on the blue line.
  • Drag the line onto the road you prefer.
  • Let go of the mouse button.
  • The route will “snap” to that road and redraw itself.

It’s okay if the route has a few extra “stops” in the list or takes a slightly odd shape. We won’t actually “stop” there. It’s just to force the map route you desire.

Step 4 – Copy the shareable link

Now you’ll grab a link to this exact route so we can open it on my side.

On a computer

  • Look at the left panel (where your start, end, and stops are listed).
  • Under your destination, look for a Share icon or a Share button.
  • If you don’t see it, click the three dots next to your destination and look for Share directions.
  • Click Share or Share directions.
  • A small window will pop up. Click Copy link.
  • The link is now copied to your clipboard.

On a phone

  • With the route showing, tap the three dots in the top-right of the directions panel.
  • Tap Share directions.
  • Choose Copy to clipboard if you see it, or choose email and send the link to yourself so you can copy it from there.

Step 5 – Send me the link

NOTE: Be sure to check your map route BEFORE you place your order to avoid tour route mistakes.

  • Paste the link into the order form where it asks for your route.

Once we have that link, we’ll follow the route you’ve set up as closely as possible while filming. The route will only vary from your submitted route if completely necessary due to construction or weather road closures.