Navigation, getting lost safely and sharing your location

Even confident travellers get lost: a dead phone, a wrong exit, a new city at night. The skill is not never getting lost, it is staying calm, staying safe and knowing exactly what to do next.

Before you set off

• Look at the route on a map before you leave, not only once you are moving. Note two or three landmarks, the station name and the exit you need.
• Download an offline map of the area. In Google Maps, go to your profile picture, then Offline maps, then Select your own map, and tap Download while you are on Wi-Fi.
• Know the limits: Google says offline maps give driving directions only within the downloaded area, and walking, cycling and public transport directions do not work offline.
• Offline maps expire, so update them before a trip. Google Maps tries to update areas automatically if they expire within 15 days and your phone is on Wi-Fi.
• Save your home or hotel address in your phone and on paper, in English and in the local language if it uses a different script.

Sharing your location with family

• Most phones let you share your live location with chosen people. In Google Maps this is called Location Sharing and needs a Google account, an internet connection and location turned on.
• Agree with your family when you will share: for example, on the way home at night, on a first solo trip, or when travelling between cities.
• Only share with people you trust in real life, and check the list regularly. Google explains how to stop sharing with one person through Manage Location Sharing in your Google account.
• Location sharing is a safety tool, not a substitute for messaging. A quick 'Arrived' text is still a good habit.
• The Personal Safety module covers online safety and why you should never share your live location on public posts.

If you get lost

• Stop walking and move somewhere safe and public, such as a shop, a hotel lobby, a café or a station, rather than wandering further.
• Ask people in uniform or behind a counter for directions: station staff, police, security guards, shop or hotel staff.
• Do not accept lifts from strangers. Use an official taxi rank or a licensed ride-hailing app, and share the trip details with someone.
• If your battery is low, turn on low-power mode, close other apps and lower the screen brightness, and send your location to someone before the phone dies.
• Call home and say clearly where you are: the street name, a nearby landmark or the name of the shop you are standing in.

Emergency numbers to know

• In the UAE: 999 for police, 998 for ambulance, 997 for Civil Defence (fire) and 996 for the coastguard.
• Dubai Police's Al Ameen service is 8004888 for reporting safety concerns that are not emergencies.
• In the EU, 112 reaches police, ambulance or fire from any phone, free of charge. It also works on mobile networks in many other countries.
• If you do not know where you are, the European Commission says 112 operators can identify your location and pass it to the emergency services.
• Save local emergency numbers in your phone before you travel, and look them up for each new country.

Building your sense of direction

• Practise walking a route without the map once you have done it with the map. Notice which way you turn and what you pass.
• Learn to read the map the right way up: look for the blue dot and the direction it is facing, and match it to a building or street you can see.
• Use big landmarks (a tower, a river, the sea, a mall) to orient yourself, and keep track of roughly which direction they are in.
• In a station, read the exit signs before going up to street level. Choosing the right exit can save a long walk around a busy road.