# Distance/Time: road-travel areas Official GBMaps guide for the classic map maker. VectorMaps has a different interface. Source: https://www.gbmaps.com/mcs/map-help.php?topic=travel Updated: 2026-10-22 Choose a starting point, set how far to travel, then pick your legend colours and labels. Press Create to draw the travel areas. Add more starting points to compare depots, shops or service bases. These are road-network estimates, not straight-line circles or guaranteed journey times. [Watch tutorial video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-sWexGmyfo) Some videos show an earlier layout. The written instructions below describe the current controls; this is a guide, not a video transcript. ![Distance/Time: road-travel areas — current GBMaps controls](https://www.gbmaps.com/mcs/help/images/travel-multiple-panel.png) Current controls with a sample travel result. The picture explains the tools, not a real journey. ## Travel areas on the map ![Three nested irregular travel-area bands over a Yorkshire map, with a separate key for 10, 20 and 30 minutes. The screenshot states that the contours are illustrative, not a calculated journey.](https://www.gbmaps.com/mcs/help/images/example-travel.png) Isochrones are travel-area shapes. Their irregular edges show why a time-based catchment can look very different from a circle: the available network affects how far you can travel. This is an illustrative display made with the tool’s renderer, not a calculated route or journey-time estimate. Use Create areas with your own starting location and settings to calculate your map. ## 1. Name, choose and hide your travel areas Each starting point has a name box in the list. Type a useful name such as “York depot”; this also becomes its legend heading. Click a name, flag or legend to choose that analysis. The checkbox beside the name hides or shows the whole analysis. You can keep up to five starting points on a map. [Open this step](https://www.gbmaps.com/mcs/map-help.php?topic=travel#travel--sets) ## 2. Place and drag a starting flag Choose Or click on the map. The postcode box changes to Click map to set. Click your starting location and the button changes to Pinned. Drag the flag to adjust it. Or search by postcode brings the search box back. Press Escape to cancel placement. Positioning a flag makes no route request: press Create when ready. Use the main map rather than an enlarged London inset. [Open this step](https://www.gbmaps.com/mcs/map-help.php?topic=travel#travel--place) ## 3. Find a postcode or place Type a full postcode or a place name under Start from. Click the magnifying glass or press Enter. Check where the flag lands and drag it if needed. Searching only positions the flag; Create creates the travel areas from that position. [Open this step](https://www.gbmaps.com/mcs/map-help.php?topic=travel#travel--postcode) ## 4. Longer journeys work automatically Try up to 50 minutes or 50 miles without signing in or buying an unlock. These are separate time and distance limits, not a promise that 50 miles takes 50 minutes. An unlocked map supports up to 360 minutes or 310 miles. The tool automatically uses a less detailed boundary for journeys beyond 60 minutes or 55 miles; there is no separate setting to choose. Each band is calculated from the road network, rather than made by shrinking the outer shape. [Open this step](https://www.gbmaps.com/mcs/map-help.php?topic=travel#travel--range) ## 5. Distance or drive time Under How far, choose Distance for miles travelled or Drive time for minutes. The Up to field shows the units. A 20-minute area is different from a 20-mile area or a 20-mile radial circle. [Open this step](https://www.gbmaps.com/mcs/map-help.php?topic=travel#travel--measure) ## 6. Distance / Time limit Enter the outer travel limit you want to explore. Travel areas are calculated estimates from the routing service and road network, not a promise that every journey will take exactly that time. [Open this step](https://www.gbmaps.com/mcs/map-help.php?topic=travel#travel--limit) ## 7. Travel bands Choose 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 10 equal bands within the total. For example, a 30-minute limit with three bands represents 10, 20 and 30 minutes. More bands show detail but add visual complexity. [Open this step](https://www.gbmaps.com/mcs/map-help.php?topic=travel#travel--bands) ## 8. Create or update the travel areas When the flag, range and legend are ready, press Create. This calculates the road-travel areas. Once they exist, the button says Update on map. Move the flag or change the range, then press it to update that starting point. Other starting points stay as they were. Location searches and trial calculations work without an account. The trial limit is 50 minutes or 50 miles for the whole analysis, including its outer band. An active licence for this map removes that trial limit. Normal service request limits still apply. [Open this step](https://www.gbmaps.com/mcs/map-help.php?topic=travel#travel--create) ## 9. Add another with the same settings Choose Add another starting point below the green button. Your distance or drive time, limit, bands, colours and custom labels are kept. Search for the new starting point or click the map to place its flag, then press Create. Your earlier travel areas stay on the map. [Open this step](https://www.gbmaps.com/mcs/map-help.php?topic=travel#travel--another) ## 10. Keep flags above the map, or hide them Untick Show flag to hide the selected starting marker. Tick it again to show it. Flags appear above the travel areas and remain draggable. Showing or hiding them makes no route request. [Open this step](https://www.gbmaps.com/mcs/map-help.php?topic=travel#travel--flags) ## 11. Cancel the remaining calculations Cancel remaining calculations stops the queue after any calculation already in progress finishes. A request already sent to the routing service may still be processed. Your earlier result is kept; retry can continue from completed bands. [Open this step](https://www.gbmaps.com/mcs/map-help.php?topic=travel#travel--cancel) ## 12. Edit the colours and legend labels In Legend, click a colour square to change it and type beside it to change the label. Automatic labels use the band limits: 30 miles split into four gives 7.5, 15, 22.5 and 30 miles. You can replace them with your own wording, such as Local deliveries. Clear a label or click its small reset arrow to return to automatic wording. Each starting point keeps its own colours and labels; editing them uses no route calculations. [Open this step](https://www.gbmaps.com/mcs/map-help.php?topic=travel#travel--colours) ## 13. Show areas and show legend The checkbox beside a starting-point name shows or hides that analysis as a whole. For separate controls, use Show areas, Show flag or Show legend. Hidden items remain saved and can be shown again. [Open this step](https://www.gbmaps.com/mcs/map-help.php?topic=travel#travel--show) ## 14. Select, move and resize a travel key Click a travel legend to select its starting point and show its settings. Drag the legend to move it, or drag a blue corner handle to resize it without stretching it. Scrolling over the key also changes its size. Click the map or press Escape to remove the handles. Choose Reset legend position to return it to its original position and size. [Open this step](https://www.gbmaps.com/mcs/map-help.php?topic=travel#travel--legend) ## 15. Delete areas Click the small bin button beside Create or Update on map to remove the selected starting point and its result. Other analyses stay on the map. Undo brings it back. To hide it temporarily instead, untick its name in Your starting points. [Open this step](https://www.gbmaps.com/mcs/map-help.php?topic=travel#travel--delete) ## 16. Save the flags and their results Saving keeps the flags and their visibility, starting-point names, custom band labels, calculated shapes, colours and key positions and sizes. Reopening restores all of these without requesting calculations again. Downloads include the finished keys, with no editing handles. Moving a flag stores its new position but leaves the previous boundaries until you press Update on map. [Open this step](https://www.gbmaps.com/mcs/map-help.php?topic=travel#travel--saving) ## 17. Colour postcodes Click Colour postcodes below the visibility controls to turn this starting point’s calculated bands into postcode territories. If your map already has coloured areas, choose Add to existing or Replace colouring. This reuses the calculated shapes without another routing request. See Colour postcodes inside travel areas for a full explanation. [Open this step](https://www.gbmaps.com/mcs/map-help.php?topic=travel#travel--colour) ### What this looks like Current GBMaps controls with example maps and account details. Choose View larger to see the details. ![Find this tool in the menu — GBMaps controls](https://www.gbmaps.com/mcs/help/images/help-20261022-menu-isochroneMenu.png?v=1792654464) [**Find this tool in the menu**](https://www.gbmaps.com/mcs/map-help.php?topic=travel#travel--sets) The current menu entry. Expand its options as described in the numbered instructions; extra controls appear when an item or data has been added. ## Related guides - [Colour postcodes inside travel areas](https://www.gbmaps.com/mcs/map-help.php?topic=travel-postcodes) - [Radial Circles: distance rings](https://www.gbmaps.com/mcs/map-help.php?topic=circles) - [Additional Data: add your own figures](https://www.gbmaps.com/mcs/map-help.php?topic=data)