I just came back from Istanbul and wanted to make a video using my new Insta360 ONE X2 360-degree camera. To make viewers feel like they’re joining me on the trip, I wanted to include video clips showing movement from one place to another. This was easy to do using Google Earth Pro on desktop. Here’s are some examples.
In the video below, there are 4 “places”
San Francisco (zoomed in)
San Francisco (zoomed out to space)
Istanbul (zoomed out to space)
Istanbul (zoomed in)
Here’s how to make the video.
Add “Places”
To add a place, you can search for the place using the Search field. Then, zoom in or out to your desired elevation. When you like the view of the place, click the “Add Placemark” button to add a yellow pin to the place. If you want the place label to appear in the map, check the checkbox beside the place name.
If you right click on a place under “My Places” and click on “Properties”, you can rename the place, change the camera elevation (range), etc.
Record a Tour
When you’re done adding places, click the Record a Tour button in the toolbar.
This will open a record.
Click on the first place (San Francisco) and then click the red Record button. Then, click on each place in the order you want them to appear in the video. Google Earth 3D will animate from one place to another as you are recording in real time. When you are done, click the Record button again to stop recording. You’ll then see a video player control bar.
Click the Play button to play the video. If you are happy with it, click the floppy disk (seriously, Google?) button to save the video. It will add a video item to the list of places.
Export the Video
To export the video, click Tools > Movie Maker. If it is grayed out, close the video player control bar.
Specify a file path and name, choose video parameters (e.g. 1080p), and an output file type (e.g. H.264), and then click the “Create Movie” button.
Convert Video
The video will be exported but you may not be able to open it in certain applications like Corel VideoStudio even though it opens in VLC. To fix this, install Handbrake and convert the video to MP4 format.
Other Examples
You can make videos from other angles and elevations as well. For example, if you hold the Shift key and drag, you can rotate your view. Then, add a place marker at the view you want to save. Google Earth Pro will animation smoothly from each place marker. For example, here’s a video going from the Sulemaniye mosque to the Grand Bazaar.
After visiting Istanbul (aka Kebab Heaven) for 8 days, I think I’ve come up with an itinerary for anyone who only has 3 days there.
Note: check open / close times as not everything is open every day 24 hours a day.
Recommended Hotel
Mercure Istanbul Sirkeci Hobyar, Muhzirbaşı Sk. No6, 34112 Fatih/İstanbul, Turkey Google Map
This hotel is in the perfect location as it’s in the middle of most places you’ll want to visit and there are a ton of restaurants and tourist services nearby.
Junior Suite
Day 1
9:00 AM – Breakfast
Have breakfast at the hotel and/or eat at one of the many nearby restaurants. My favorite breakfast which most people would enjoy is Menemen (Turkish scrambled eggs) which you eat with bread.
Breakfast at the hotelMenemen
10:00 AM – Baklava
If you have time, stop by and get some Baklava. One famous place that you’ll find all over Istanbul is Hafiz Mustafa just around the corner from the hotel.
If this is your first time in Istanbul, it’s helpful to go on a quick tour to get an idea of where everything is and what the city is like. The BIG BUS will also cross the bridge connecting Europe to Asia. If you’re staying at the Mercure hotel, then catch the bus at 11:00 AM at Eminonu which is just 10 minutes away by foot.
Note: in the screenshot below, Google Maps says you need to walk across the bridge and back and that the walk would take 27 minutes. That’s incorrect. You don’t need to cross the bridge, and the walking time is more like 10 minutes.
Note: The first stop is at Sultanahmet Square and the 2nd stop is at Eminonu (near the hotel). Most people will get on at Sultanahmet Square and sit on the upper deck. By the time the bus gets to stop #2 (Eminonu), the upper deck will most likely be full. You can wait until someone goes down (usually at Dolmabahce Palace) and then move to the upper deck. Or, get on the bus at the starting point (Sultanahmet Square).
https://www.bigbustours.com/en/istanbul/classic-istanbul-tour-ticket 1 Day: $56 per person 2 Days: $67 per person 3 Days: $75 per person Red Route: First Tour: 11:00 from Stop #20: Sultanahmet Square Last Tour: 17:00 from Stop #20: Sultanahmet Square Full Circuit Duration: 2 hours (approx.) Bus Frequency: every 60 minutes (approx.) Bus Stops
Stop #2 is Eminonu
1:00 PM – Get Off at Sultanahmet Square
Sultanahmet Square is between the Blue Mosque and the Aya Sophia. The Aya Sophia is next to Topkapi Palace. Get off the bus here so you can visit all 3 places at once.
1:15 PM – Grilled Corn on the Cob
The Blue Mosque is closed to visitors during prayer times. Whether it’s closed or not, pick up some grilled corn and have a snack at Sultanahmet Square.
1:30 PM – The Blue Mosque
Walk over to the Blue Mosque and check out this building which was built in 1616.
Note: there is often construction going on so some or all parts may be inaccessible.
2:30 PM – Aya Sophia
Check out this building which was built in 537 as a church. It later became at mosque and then a museum and then a mosque again in 2020.
3:30 PM – Topkapi Palace
This is a palace. Personally, I didn’t care for it much, but for the sake of completeness, we checked it out anyway. Some of the rooms were interestingly decorated as were some of the ancient items on display.
5:30 PM – Dinner
When you leave Topkapi Palace, there is a nearby restaurant you can have dinner at. I haven’t eaten there yet but the food looks good and the place looks exotic.
The Han Restaurant Cankurtaran, Alemdar Cd. No:20, 34122 Fatih/İstanbul, Turkey Google Map
Try the Testi Kebap, which is made in a clay pot, or the meter-long Kebap
Testi KebapMeter-long Kebap
8:00 PM – Shisha and Sahlep
Right in front of the Mercure hotel is a cafe. Stop by for shisha and sahlep before calling it a day.
Day 2
9:00 AM – Breakfast
If you can, try to find a place that has Katmer, a pistachio pastry. It’s really good but hard to find.
11:00 AM – Egyptian Spice Bazaar (Mısır Çarşısı)
Walk 10 minutes to the Egyptian Spice Bazaar. It’s a very photogenic place.
If you are still hungry, try Tantuni (chicken or beef sandwich or roll) located just outside the bazaar.
or, try Pide with eggs nearby.
Mavi Halic Pidecisi Sarıdemir, Kutucular Cd. No:28, 34134 Fatih/İstanbul, Turkey Open everyday: 8 AM to 6:30 PM Google Map Order kıymalı yumurtalı pide
Walk from the Egyptian Spice Bazaar to Mavi Halic Pidecisi
12:30 PM – Go to Sulemaniye Mosque
You can take a taxi, but traffic may be so bad that you’ll end up walking part of the way. If you walk from the Egyptian market to the Sulemaniye Mosque, you’ll be walking through an ancient market for part of the way, but you’ll also be walking uphill, which can be tiring.
1:30 PM – Visit Sulemaniye Mosque
Check out this building, which was built in 1558.
2:30 PM – Walk to the Grand Bazaar
From the Sulemaniye Mosque, you can easily walk to the Grand Bazaar as the walk is either on level ground or downhill. For half the way, you’ll be again walking through a VERY busy, ancient-looking market.
3:00 PM – The Grand Bazaar
Check out this labyrinth of colorful covered markets that was built in 1481.
Grand Bazaar Kapalı Çarşı Beyazıt, Kalpakçılar Cd. No:22, 34126 Fatih/İstanbul, Turkey https://www.kapalicarsi.com.tr/
Since you’ll have walked a bit, take a break in the bazaar for some delicious Turkish coffee.
7:00 PM – Whirling Dervishes Show
The Hodjapasha Cultural Center is located near the Mercure Hotel (5-minute walk). If you’re curious, you can watch a whirling dervishes show where Sufi Muslims spin around without getting dizzy and falling.
Note: I watched this because I was curious, but I was also bored and fell asleep. Watch at your own risk.
8:30 PM – Rhythm of the Dance Show
This show is also at the Hodjapasha Cultural Center. This show was very much worth watching. Highly recommend!
9:30 PM – Dinner
Since the recommended restaurants below are next door to the Hodjapasha Cultural Center, you can have dinner before or after the shows. One place that gets many good reviews and that I personally liked is
Şehzade Cağ Kebap Open every day 11AM–10PM except Sundays Hoca Paşa, Hoca Paşa Sk. No:6 D:4, 34110 Fatih/İstanbul, Turkey Google Map
Though tasty, it’s not very filling. At $3.50, consider it an appetizer, then go next door to fill you up with something like Iskendar Kebap or mixed grill at
Kasap Osman Hoca Paşa, Hoca Paşa Sk. No:22, 34110, 34110 Fatih/İstanbul, Turkey Google Map
Iskendar Kebap
Day 3
9:00 AM – Breakfast
For a change, walk 4 minutes from the Mercure Hotel to this restaurant.
Near Taksim Square, on Istiklal Cadessi, have lunch at Sütiş Kebap Dünyası (Kabab World).
Note: Don’t eat too much because there’s another place nearby you have to try.
Sütiş Kebap Dünyası Katip Mustafa Çelebi, İstiklal Cd. No:13, 34433 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Turkey Google Map
I had the Iskendar Kebap and Domatesli (Tomato) Kebap and both were extremely good.
Iskendar KebapDomatesli Kebap
2:00 PM – Walk Along Istiklal Cadessi
This street is closed to vehicles except for trams that run along its length.
2:15 PM – Lunch (Part 2)
I know you just had lunch, but this second lunch is light if you eat it without the bread. The place is right off of Istiklal Cadessi.
Lades Menemen Katip Mustafa Çelebi, Mahallesi, Sadri Alışık Sk. 11/12 11/12 11 D:12, 34435 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Turkey http://lades.com.tr/ Open everyday 7AM–11PM Google Map Order Menemen with Turkish Sausage or mixed Menemen
2:45 PM – (Turkish) Coffee Break
Continue walking along Istiklal Cadessi and stop by this cafe for some Turkish coffee.
Continue walking along Istiklal Cadessi until you reach the Galata Tower (built in 1348).
5:00 PM – Galata Bridge
Continue walking along the main path until you get to the Galata Bridge. Walk across the bridge to the other side.
6:00 PM – Bosphorus Tour
Near the government ferry terminal you’ll see a Bosphorus Tour boat. Pay 25 Turkish Lira for the 90-minute tour. Boats leave every hour on the hour.
8:00 PM – Dinner
Walk across the Galata bridge then to the right where you’ll see a bunch of waterfront restaurants. Pick one where you can dine on the top floor with a nice view, e.g.
Paradise Restaurant Karaköy Kemankeş Karamustafa Paşa, Rıhtım Cd. 25/A, 34425 Karaköy Beyoğlu/Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Turkey Google Map
9:30 PM – Baklava
Continue walking a short distance to
Karaköy Güllüoğlu Kemankeş Cad. Katlı Otopark Altı No: 3-4, 34425 Beyoğlu, Turkey Open every day from 7 AM to 1 AM Google Map
Have some baklava and Turkish tea. Then, buy a lot of baklava to bring home.
More Food
If you have time, here is some more food to try.
Dönerci Şahin Usta Mollafenari, Kılıçcılar Sk. No:5, 34120 Fatih/İstanbul, Turkey Open everyday 11 am to 5 pm except Sundays Google Map
Ayla Tantuni Asmalımescit Tomtom, İstiklal Cd., 34433 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Turkey Open everyday 24 hours Google Map
Dürümzade Hüseyinağa, Kamer Hatun Cd. 26/A, 34435 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Turkey Open everyday 10AM–1AM Google Map
Van Kahvaltı Evi Kılıçali Paşa, Defterdar Ykş. 52/A, 34425 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Turkey Open everyday: 8 AM to 5 PM Google Map Order Gozleme
Tarihi Leziz Pide Fırını Demirtaş Mahallesi, Kuvel Oğlu Han, Kıble Çeşme Caddesi, Fatih, İstanbul (Near Sulaimaniye Mosque) Instagram M-F: 10 AM – 7 PM Sat, Sun: Closed Google Map Order Pide
Karadeniz Döner Asım Usta Sinanpaşa, Mumcu Bakkal Sokağı No:6, 34353 Beşiktaş/İstanbul, Turkey Google Map Open everyday 10:30 AM to 6 PM except Sundays Order Doner kabab
If you’re on Google Fi and landed in a another country and turned off Airplane mode and you get no data, try the following (with wifi off so you don’t get confused).
Open the Google Fi App
The app should welcome you to the country you have just landed in. However, it may also say “You’re offline”.
Update Settings
Go to Settings > Network & internet > Mobile network >
Ensure “Mobile data” is enabled
Ensure “Roaming” is enabled
Click “Advanced” and disable “Automatically select network”. You will then see a list of local cellular networks. Some may be G, 3G and LTE. Pick one that works, preferably a faster one.
At this point, you should be able to connect to the internet on your phone.
The summer weather in Orlando appears to be unpredictable with possible hot and sunny mornings followed by torrential thunderstorms in the afternoon.
Bring a heavy duty poncho
It can rain heavily for 15 to 30 minutes then completely stop at which time activities and attractions will resume. It may be worth it to wait out the rain.
Hotel
Extended Stay America on Universal Blvd
Location is great next to the heart of the tourist area
The rooms are spacious with a king size bed, kitchenette with full-size fridge, sofa and dining table.
The bathroom lights are an ugly bright daylight white
Bring your own dish sponge
Laundry is available on site at a cost of $2.00 per wash and $2.00 per dry
wi-fi is weak. You can pay extra for fast wi-fi or just use your phone as a hot spot.
When traveling, it’s super handy to be able to see a map of just the places you want to visit. This can easily be done with Google Maps. In addition, with Google Maps you can zoom in and out and get directions to each place of interest. Here’s how to create a custom Google Map with your choice of places.
1. Go to maps.google.com and log in 2. Click the hamburger menu icon and then “Your Places” 3. Click the “Maps” tab 3. At the bottom, click “Create Map” 4. In the search bar, enter the name or address of a place then click the search button. 5. Google Maps will place a balloon on the map where the place it along with a description box. 6. In the description box, click “Add to map”
7. Repeat steps 4-6 adding as many locations as you’d like 8. To make it easier to see the location, change the color and details of the base map.
9. To share or embed a map, click the hamburger menu icon and then “Share or embed map”
If you want to make your location markers stand out more, you can change their color and icon, e.g. from default blue to red.
To show routes, click the “Add directions button and then add an address for each location.
Or, click on the Draw a Line button and choose “Add driving route”.
You can then drag the blue route line to follow the paths or roads you want.
To add a picture to each location, click the camera icon. You can upload or add one or more pictures by URL from Google Images.
There are many tools that can help you plan a trip. Sometimes I’d even use Google Calendar. But when I want something that includes additional information such as a table of expenses, links to websites, and pictures, then I use Google Docs with an embedded Google Sheet.
The workflow goes like this:
Create a new Google Doc (or clone the example below) In the Google Doc, I use tables to create a 2-column layout with times on the left and details on the right. This makes it easy to read and looks more like an itinerary or agenda view.
Uncheck Print Layout If you’re like me, you probably don’t print on paper much anymore. And why would you, when you can just save a copy or view the original version of a doc on your various devices (phone, laptop, etc). Print layout is intended for print so you’ll see gaps between each sheet. This is annoying when you want to just see all of your content as you scroll without any large gaps. To eliminate these gaps, in the View menu, uncheck the “Print Layout” menu item.
Add content When it comes to content, I find it helpful to add the following bits of information
Screenshots of Google Maps showing travel time and path
Links to directions in Google Maps
Photos of destinations, activities, and food Google Docs lets you paste images from the clipboard so you can simply take screenshots of pictures on your computer and paste them right into Google Docs
Special notes about each activity
etc
Create a Google Sheet (or clone the example below) I use the Google Sheet to list all expenses and easily calculate the total using the sum function.
Embed Google Sheet into Google Doc The nice thing about Google Docs and Sheets is you can embed a Google Sheet into your Google Doc and have it updated when you update the Google Sheet. In Google Sheets, you’ll have to hover over the embed and click the “Update” button. Nevertheless, it’s still super useful and may even auto-update if you want long enough, e.g. 5 minutes? To embed a table of costs from Google Sheets, select the table in Google Sheets and then paste it where you want it embedded in your Google Doc.
Publish If you want to share your trip plan with others, you can share the Google Doc itself. Or, better yet, since who you share it with won’t need to edit anything, you can publish your Google Doc as a web page so your recipients can just see a clean, simple view of the trip plan.
If you need cash, just withdraw it from the ATM of a big bank. The currency conversion rate is just 3%. However, there are withdrawal limits.
Upon arrival, look for an ATM of a big bank at the airport to withdraw cash. The money exchangers will rip you off big time.
If you need to exchange cash at the airport, do so after you pass through immigrations near the exit rather than before passing immigrations. There are more options and the rates are cheaper there.
Get and set up a currency converter app
Booking Sites
If purchasing plane tickets, buy direct from airlines if the price is not much more expensive. It’ll be much easier to make changes and cancellations by dealing directly with the airline.
Print a copy of all trip arrangements (plane tickets, hotel reservations) as a backup
Download a copy of all travel documents to your phone. You can do this by uploading them all to a folder in Google Drive and then setting the folder to “Available Offline”.
For your carry-on, if you can, just bring a backpack. It can be pointless to bring a carry-on luggage since max weight allowance is so low.
Within your carry on backpack, bring a thin, lightweight backpack to put under the plane seat in front of you. This will not take a lot of space and carry your in-air essentials like laptop, munchies, smartphone, earphones, etc.
Munchies
Trail mix
Chewy nutrition bars, e.g. Nature Valley Peanut Butter bar
Goldfish
Sunflower seeds (without the shells) in a zip-loc bag
Pringles
Beef Jerky + Cheddar Cheese (Costco)
Hawaiian Sweet Bread + Nutella + plastic knives
Disposable cup in which to put munchies for easy access
Toiletries / Bathroom Accessories
Hair dryer
Sunscreen
Plug adapters
Shampoo
Soap
Medium towel
Wet tissue / Bring fragrant-free wet wipes to wipe the sweat and dirt off your hands and face.
Wear shirts designed for hot and humid weather when traveling to hot and humid destinations. Golf clothes usually meet this requirement (PGA Tour Airflux – 100% polyester)
Walking shorts (cargo shorts with many pockets are good to hold many things)
If you’ll be doing a lot of walking, bring comfortable walking sandals. Test your shoes thoroughly before departing. What may feel comfortable at first may not actually feel comfortable after a few hours of walking. Maybe get a memory foam one, e.g. from Skechers.
Neckband Bluetooth earphones with plane plug adapter
Noise-canceling headphones
Extension cord and power strip (since houses and hotels in many countries don’t have enough outlets where you need them or the outlet is too high above the floor)
Mini USB fan. Some planes don’t turn the A/C until takeoff, and even then, it can still be very hot and stuffy in a plane. Since most planes include a USB port, having a mini USB fan can keep you cool while flying.
3 prong to 2 prong plug adapter
Miscellaneous
Bring plastic bags to hold your wet clothes, dirty clothes, etc
