If you're wondering how long it will take you to drive to your destination, a driving mileage calculator can help. These tools help you calculate the distance between cities and allow you to more accurately estimate the amount of time your trip will take.
What Is a Driving Mileage Calculator?
A mileage calculator is any tool that will help you figure out how far you need to drive to get from one point to another. The best calculators also allow you to customize your route based on your specific needs. Knowing the mileage between two places will help you save time, plan for stops, conserve fuel, take the shortest or quickest route, and reduce the chance of getting lost. Several websites offer mileage calculators.
Rand McNally
Popular road map publisher Rand McNally has a driving calculator that allows users to get mileage and directions from any address or from any airport. You can input the street address, city, state, or zip code for both your starting point and ending point, and the tool will tell you exactly how many miles you need to drive. You'll also receive an estimate of the driving time based on standard speed limits and average speeds.
MapQuest
Perhaps the best known of Internet distance tools, MapQuest can do more than provide a map of your route. It can also help you calculate the mileage between your point of origin and your destination. In addition to the standard inputs of address, city, state, and zip code, you can also use a business name for your starting or ending point. This can be especially helpful if you don't know the address of the business but do need to know exactly how many miles you must drive to reach it.
Google Maps
Because it is so easy to customize a route on Google Maps, many people use this as their go-to distance calculation tool. In addition to plotting your route from one point to another, this tool makes it easy to add stops and even use your mouse to drag and change your route. Mileage is instantly calculated for each change you make, and driving time is also continuously updated. Mobile versions of Google Maps make it a useful tool for smart phones as well.
State-Specific Mileage Calculators
Many states offer websites with mileage calculators. These calculators vary significantly by state, but they usually ask you to select a starting city and a destination. The list of available destinations or starting points is often limited to only the largest cities within a state, but this can be a quick way to obtain the mileage between two major metropolitan areas. You can find your state's distance calculation site by searching on the Internet. Here area few examples:
Final Words
You can use these helpful Internet tools for more than calculating mileage when you plan a trip. You can also use driving mileage calculators to plan a route and budget for gas mileage or other considerations. If you don't have a GPS unit in your car, these tools can even prevent you from getting lost. It's a good idea to check mileage at several sites to make sure you have the most efficient route between your starting point and your destination.
