Google Earth is a three-dimensional map developed by the people of the world's most famous search engine, allowing users to travel from the comfort of their homes to those tourist destinations they dream of visiting at some point. Thanks to this software, you can move from Bangkok to Rio de Janeiro and, from there, jump to New York in just a few seconds to learn the secrets of these great cities.

This interactive atlas offers the possibility, then, of using our laptop or desktop computer to visit some of the most exciting places on the planet, with the advantage that being a Google program, it is constantly updated, and also all the images and videos it offers to have a quality above average.

The initial or primary use of this platform has to do with the Explore function, thanks to which you can move in the direction you want from the world map, going aimlessly from one part to another as you feel like it at any time. However, Earth has markers to leave specific places that we want to see later, and we can even save images so as not to lose them and give them any other use.

If you have to take a trip and you are planning it, this tool could be handy for you since it has a system to calculate the distance between kilometers or miles that exist between different points that you are marking. This program is compatible with most current GPS formats, so you can also complement it with them, adding all kinds of tips or notes to the trip you are planning.

But if we talk about Google Earth, we must speak of its layer system. This software's creators have developed several superimposed layers that add information about the places we visit. In this way, we can keep only the layers of information that interest us, eliminating those that do not, to access only those data that affect us for our trip or out of curiosity.

Some of the data layers that we can find have to do with the following:

• Road, highway, and road information.
• 3D tours of touristic sites.
• Updated traffic and weather data.
• Photo galleries of places of interest, thanks to Street View.

How to find the place I want in this program? In a straightforward way. When you open it, you will find the globe. Just use your computer mouse to move around the world with absolute freedom. And then, you will see that you can also search, on the left side of the screen, for the particular place you want to know. In that case, a smooth transition will take you directly to that destination.

Besides that, the folks at Google have also taken the trouble to add some content that might interest many users while not directly related to Earth's apparent functions. The flight simulator is one of them. Thanks to this kind of game or integrated entertainment platform, you can move around the planet as if you were a professional airplane pilot.

What do I need to be able to take advantage of this program? Not much. For example, it is not a system that requires a potent computer, even when its graphics are well done and has a significant weight. However, you must have access to a quality Internet connection. Otherwise, it will be tedious to move between sites.

Another detail that is probably important for some users has to do with the disparity of content or information for each region. Although logically, it is not possible to offer the exact detail of images or data regarding a tourist site as another, in some specific cases, it is possible that we do not get a reliable tour through this platform, especially for those less common destinations. But if you go to the classics, you will not have problems of this type.

Now, taking into account the overall quality of the content of this program, we believe it is important to note that this is an entirely free tool, one for which you will not have to pay a single cent for downloading or installation. On this basis, we are sure that the compliance of users who try it will be total in almost all cases.

Finally, we would like to point out that although, at the time, there were many criticisms that this program received from Google for specific bugs or forced closures, it is noticeable that work has been done on it. These inconveniences are much less frequent today. In our most recent experience of use, the program has behaved in a stable way, has not given forced closures, and has hardly had moments of delay in the loads.

Google Earth then becomes not only a fun tool if you want to get to know places in the world you have not yet traveled to and dream of doing so someday but also helpful if the travel project is already underway. If you want to have a first approach to those tourist sites to which you will arrive soon to get to know them, few programs can offer as much as this.