Head to the Mapquest or Google Maps Websites (see Resources) if you are making a local trip or traveling within the United States. Go to a travel distance calculator website (see Resources) if you are traveling to or within a country outside of the United States.
Enter your starting location where indicated. Enter your ending location in its proper space. The more specific you can be, the more precise your results will be. When using Google Maps or Mapquest, the minimum information you need for locations is a city and a state.
Some international travel distance only calculate distances between countries, others calculate distances between international cities and states, between United States and international cities and states, between countries, and even between airports worldwide.
Click the "Get Directions" button.
Look at the top left-hand corner of the results page if you are using Google Maps or Mapquest. This is where you will find total estimated distance. If you are using an international distance calculator, you will get a simple results page.
Find the scale on the map key. Usually the map key is located at the bottom of the map. The scale will likely be a bar scale that looks like a ruler, but it will sometimes simply be an equation in words or numbers.
Using the ruler, measure the distance between two places. If your route isn't a straight line, use a piece of string to follow the route, and then straighten the string. Measure the string's length.
Use the map scale to equate the ruler unit measurement to distance in miles.
