I’m sure it’s fairly safe to assume that everyone with Internet access has heard of Google. Virtually everyone has, at some point in time turned to them with a search request.

Today I’m going to show how Google can help you as a traveler.

Last week I showed you Google Transit, and then realized I use Google a lot more than I thought. People saying how Google is taking over our lives are not joking…

First of all we’ll look at some of the “hidden” features the normal search screen has to offer that can benefit travelers.

Flight status, schedules and airport lookup

In the normal Google search, enter your departure city and destination. Google understands city names and airport codes. Clicking on “Flights from” will take you to Expedia and instantly shows all the available flights for the dates entered. Of course, you can also pick one of several other travel sites.

Once again, in the normal search screen, enter a flight number. You’ll see the status of that flight. Clicking on “track status” shows even more about the flight, including live tracking on Google maps.

Next up is airport status. The FAA maintains a nice website with very up to date information on most major airports in the country. Instead of having to bookmark “http://www.fly.faa.gov“, just tell Google what you want. The trick also works fairly well is you need a quick and dirty airport code lookup.

Google Weather

Flying today and need a quick weather report on your destination? Simply enter “weather” followed by the city and Google will show the live conditions and a 4 day forecast.

iGoogle

Personalize your Google homepage by using www.google.com/ig instead of the normal link. Sign into your Google account and start adding “gadgets”. There are quite a few Gadgets that can help travelers, simply click on “add stuff” and search for “airport”, “travel” or “airline”. You’ll find gadgets from Priceline, Flightstats, MSNBC and many more. This makes for a great start page on your browser. You can even add a Gadget with RSS feeds. If you are feeling adventurous, you can also create your own Google Gadget.

American Airlines and Northwest Airlines even have their own Gadget, they make for a quick and easy way to lookup flight status or make a reservation right on your Google homepage.

Other keywords you can try are “fare” (for the Expedia Fare Calculator, an RSS feed of low cost airline fares and several fare finders).

Finally; check out the Google traffic gadget; enter the zip code of your destination, and keep an eye on traffic before you get there.

Google apps

Google has grown way beyond “just” another search engine. Gmail is one of the largest webmail providers in the world, and has surpassed sites that have been around since the 90’s, like Hotmail and Yahoo mail. Even Gmail can be put to work for you. Most people think that Gmail is only for people with a Gmail email address, but with Google Apps you can put them to work with your own domain name.

Google Apps is a collection of the best Google has to offer, but on your own domain name. You get the familiar Gmail interface, Google calendar, Google Docs and even basic webhosting.

If you already own a domain name you can have your domain hosting company “point” it to Google, or you can buy a domain through them for just $10 a year.

Why would you do this? For starters it means you get the power of Gmail on your own email address. You get their spam protection, mobile access and search.

You also get their (shared) calendar service, so everyone in your family can access your calendar and see where you are that day. Best of all, the service is free for personal use.

In my own situation, I have my personal domain name hosted with them, and can access my email no matter where I am. With the 6Gb of storage I have every email received in the past 3 years stored safely and can use their search tool to find important messages.

Other applications in the Google Apps suite include Google Talk, Google Docs and a personalized start pagewhere you can add your own logo, pick the colors and the content.

You can signup for Google apps here.

Google Maps

Next up is of course Google maps. It hurts to think back to the days where Mapquest was the only player in town, and I have bad memories of the poor directions they gave me. Google maps changed that.

Google maps triggered new innovations in the online map industry. Suddenly other big players like Microsoft and Yahoo had to try and catch up with them. In my personal opinion, Google is still the best. Their interface is nice and polished, their directions are almost always spot on, and their maps are the most up to date. Microsoft Live beats them in the satellite view department, but I’ve always found that more of a gimmick than a real navigation tool.

Google maps can help you, as a traveler in ways that go far beyond simple directions.

Try asking for a “grocery store in San Francisco”, or “sushi in New York”. By combining the information Google already knows, with their maps, you get a great way to find stuff.

Not only will you get an address, you’ll also get any other information Google may have on that search request, including opening hours and reviews.

And thankfully the power of Google maps does not end on your desktop. If you have a supported mobile phone (or smartphone), chances are you’ll be able to use Google maps on the road as well. Point your mobile browser to the Google Maps mobile site and download the version for your device. I’ll take a closer look at the Google mobile applications a little further down.

Other search tricks

There are some other tricks with Google search that may help save you some time. I’ll name a few that (in my opinion) could make your life a little easier.

Currency conversion

Ask Google for a quick currency conversion, it’ll get the result for you (based on the most recent Citibank published rates.

Calculator

Sure, your computer also has a calculator, but it usually doesn’t go beyond plus, minus and multiply. The Google calculator is much smarter AND it understands more questions. Google understands basic and advanced math, as well as most units for conversions. Sadly it doesn’t know shoe or clothes sizes.

Google package tracking

This one really is for the lazy (like myself). Enter a package tracking number (from USPS, UPS or FedEx) and Google will link you directly to the correct tracking site. It also bypasses the silly “I agree to these terms” box on the UPS site.

Google on the go

Naturally Google isn’t just something you use behind your desk, they have a great suite of mobile applications too. Point your mobile browser to http://www.google.com/mobile/ and they’ll show you exactly which services are available for your device.

All mobile browsers get the Google mobile search page, essentially a slimmed down version of the normal Google search. This mobile version lacks most of the smart features I talk about in this article, so sometimes you’ll need to click the “classic mode” button on the mobile search page.

Google Maps Mobile

Google maps has a version for almost any phone. iPhone users get it installed by default, Palm users, Windows Mobile users, Symbian users and Java enabled phones can download the application for their phone at www.google.com/gmm.

Mobile Gmail

Once again, available on any iPhone right away. Gmail users with a Windows Mobile device, Palm or Java enabled phone can download the Google Gmail application. If your phone has an email client I suggest setting up POP or IMAP access instead, that way it integrates nicely with your existing email client.

Mobile Youtube

Can’t get enough of watching grainy videos of the Star Wars kid? Point your mobile browser to m.youtube.com. It doesn’t work on all phones, but you might just be lucky and have something new to do while waiting in the departure lounge.

Like with any mobile data application, be sure to check your plan specifics before running up a massive data overage bill. Some of these programs are very data hungry, so don’t come crying to me when you get a $14,000 Sprint bill.

Do you use Google on the road? Are there any applications I’ve missed here that you’d like to share with our readers? Drop me an email at tips@traveltechtalk.com.