* Going Abroad:
Language hacks to help you speak to locals, read signs, and make the most of your trip, getting comfortable in a foreign place.

* Being a savvy local:
how to navigate, make calls, and stay in the know and on a budget.

* Last Minute Getaways:
How to know when to book travel, find hotel deals, and plan an agenda for your trip. If you’re flexible on your destination, you can even explore the best flight deals using Google Flights.

* Let Google be your Guide:
How to use the service to your advantage to find restaurants favored by locals, avoid crowds, use local transit, identify cool local events, and determine don’t-miss landmarks. You can even coordinate with family and friends using Google Maps to stay in the loop on where your loved ones are, and even where you’d like to go to dinner.

LaToya Drake is a founding member of the News Lab at Google. She provides television and radio commentary on news, social media and pop culture trends. She also manages programs and partnerships with innovative news and media organizations, with the goal of helping to build the future of media. She previously worked at Microsoft and AOL and as an adjunct at NYU. She is a graduate of Georgetown and Florida State University