What Route Explorer does
Route Explorer is a standalone planning tool for building driving routes before you create a trip. Use it to:
- Search for locations by name or address
- Add stops in any order and reorder them by drag-and-drop or arrow buttons
- Calculate distances and drive times between stops using the OpenRouteService routing engine
- Optimize stop order to reduce total distance (keeping your start and end fixed)
- Save locations to your Travel Library for reuse
- Send the completed route to the Trip Builder
Route Explorer is separate from the road travel workspace inside a trip. It is a pre-planning surface — once you are happy with the route, you hand it off to a trip.
Adding stops
- Type a location name or address in the search field at the top of the left panel.
- Results appear as you type. Click a result to add it as a stop.
- Alternatively, click Show Travel Library to add stops from your saved places.
Stops appear in the list below the search field in the order they were added.
Reordering stops
- Drag a stop by its grip handle (⠿) to a new position.
- Use the up (↑) and down (↓) arrow buttons on each stop row.
Calculating a route
Once you have two or more stops, click Calculate Route. The route is calculated sequentially — stop 1 to stop 2, stop 2 to stop 3, and so on.
Each stop row shows the distance and drive time to the next stop after calculation.
The total distance and drive time appear in the summary bar at the bottom of the left panel.
Optimizing stop order
With three or more stops, click the Optimize button (shuffle icon) to find the shortest route. The first and last stops are kept fixed — only the middle stops are reordered.
If optimization finds a shorter route, a preview panel shows the distance and time savings. Click Apply Order to reorder your stops, or Dismiss to keep the current order.
Saving stops to Travel Library
Click the bookmark icon on any stop to save it to your Travel Library for future use. Stops already in your library show a filled bookmark.
Sending the route to a trip
Click Plan a Trip to hand off the current route to the Trip Builder. The route is stored temporarily in your browser session. When you arrive at the Trip Builder, a Route Ready banner confirms the handoff. Click Continue to carry your stops into the guided trip creation flow.
Tips
- Route Explorer saves your working stops in your browser session. If you close the tab and return, your stops are restored.
- Geocoding (location search) uses the OpenRouteService API. Results are best for Canadian and US addresses.
- Route calculation requires an active internet connection. If the calculation fails, see the troubleshooting article for Route Explorer.