Planning Your Route
Calculators for estimating distance, comparing driving and flight distance, and planning single or multi-stop routes.
Before comparing specific travel modes or costs, most trips start with a simpler question: how far is it, and what does the route actually look like? Work through the steps below to build an accurate picture of your trip's distance and route before moving on to mode or budget decisions.
How This Works
Get a Baseline Distance and Time Estimate
Start with a general estimate of how far apart your two points are and roughly how long the trip takes. The Distance Between Cities Calculator gives you the straight-line distance, an estimated driving distance, and an estimated driving time in one place — enough to sanity-check a trip before deciding on a specific mode. Understanding Distance & Route Planning covers why these numbers differ and how to think about them. Once you have a baseline, refine it based on how you're actually traveling.
Confirm Driving-Specific Numbers, If Driving
If you're driving, get a more precise number than the baseline estimate provides. The Driving Distance Calculator focuses specifically on driving distance and drive time between your two points, which is the number to carry into cost or route-timing decisions. If you're not driving, skip ahead to the flight-specific step or straight to multi-stop planning.
Confirm Flight-Specific Numbers, If Flying
If you're flying, the Flight Distance Calculator gives the flight-specific distance, which is shorter than road distance and doesn't include a time estimate on its own. Once you know your distance, move on to whether your trip involves more than two points.
Total a Multi-Stop Route, If You Have More Than Two Points
If your trip involves stops beyond a single origin and destination, the calculation changes shape. The Multi-Stop Distance Calculator totals the distance and time for your route in the order you enter your stops — the right tool once you already know the order you want to visit them in. If you already know your order, your route planning is complete. If you don't, move on to the next step.
Optimize Your Stop Order, If It Isn't Decided Yet
If you have three or more stops and don't already know the best order to visit them in, the Route Planner finds the visiting order that minimizes total distance and time, rather than requiring you to test orders manually. At this point you have an accurate distance and route for your trip, ready to carry into mode or cost decisions elsewhere on the site.
Related Guides
FAQ
Do I need to complete every step?
No. Use whichever steps apply to your trip — a simple two-point drive might only need the baseline estimate and the driving-specific step, while a multi-city trip needs the multi-stop and route-optimization steps as well.
How is this different from the Road Trip Planner collection?
Road Trip Planner is specifically about driving trips, sequencing distance through fuel cost and a total road-trip budget. This collection is mode-agnostic — it covers the distance and routing math itself, whether you end up driving, flying, or comparing both, and hands off to mode- or budget-specific tools elsewhere rather than covering them itself.
Which tool do I use for more than two stops?
Use Multi-Stop Distance if you already know your visiting order. Use Route Planner if you want the best order calculated for you, which can meaningfully reduce total distance and time for three or more stops.