Introduction
This free travel distance calculator tells you how far it is between any two places in the world. Just type in where you start and where you want to go, and the tool does the rest. It gives you the straight-line distance and the road distance in miles, kilometers, nautical miles, feet, and meters.
You can pick from three travel modes: driving, walking, or cycling. For each mode, you get an estimated travel time so you can plan your trip. The calculator also shows a route map, an elevation profile, the compass bearing from start to end, and the geographic midpoint between both locations.
Every result includes a step-by-step breakdown of the math behind it. The tool uses the haversine formula, which measures the shortest path over the curved surface of the Earth. This makes it useful for students, travelers, pilots, and anyone who needs to calculate distance between two cities, airports, landmarks, or addresses quickly and accurately. If you are planning a flight, you can also use our flight time calculator to estimate how long your journey will take by air.
How to Use Our Travel Distance Calculator
Enter two locations below to find the straight-line distance, road distance, travel time, bearing, midpoint, and elevation between them. The calculator also shows a route map and a step-by-step breakdown of how the distance is found.
Transport Mode: Pick how you plan to travel. Choose Driving, Walking, or Cycling. This changes the estimated travel time and route details shown in your results.
From (Origin): Type the place where your trip starts. You can enter a city and state, a street address, a ZIP code, an airport code, or a landmark. A list of suggestions will appear as you type. Click one or press Enter to select it.
To (Destination): Type the place where your trip ends. Just like the origin field, you can use a city name, address, ZIP code, airport code, or landmark. Pick a suggestion from the list or press Enter.
Swap: Click the Swap button to switch your origin and destination with one click.
Calculate Distance: Press the Calculate Distance button to see your results. The tool will show distances in miles, kilometers, nautical miles, feet, and meters for both the straight-line path and the road route. You will also see estimated travel time, compass bearing, geographic midpoint, an interactive route map, and an elevation profile chart. For a more detailed look at your driving journey, try our drive time calculator to factor in specific road conditions and speeds.
How to Calculate the Distance Between Two Places
A travel distance calculator helps you find how far apart two locations are. You can use it to measure the distance between cities, airports, landmarks, or any two points on Earth. It gives you results in miles, kilometers, nautical miles, feet, and meters so you can pick the unit that works best for you. For purely mathematical point-to-point calculations on a coordinate plane, you may also find our distance calculator helpful.
Straight-Line Distance vs. Road Distance
There are two main ways to measure distance between two places. Straight-line distance (also called "as the crow flies") is the shortest path between two points on the globe. It follows the curve of the Earth in a line called a great circle. This is the type of distance pilots use when planning flights, and our flight time calculator relies on the same great-circle math to estimate airborne duration. Road distance is the actual length you would travel by car, bike, or on foot. Road distance is always longer than straight-line distance because roads curve, turn, and go around obstacles like mountains and lakes.
The Haversine Formula
To find the straight-line distance between two places, this calculator uses the haversine formula. This math formula takes the latitude and longitude of each location and calculates the distance along the surface of a sphere. Earth is not a perfect sphere, but the haversine formula is accurate enough for almost all everyday uses. It is the same formula used in aviation and shipping to plan routes across oceans. The formula also calculates a geographic midpoint between your two locations, which can be useful for finding a meeting spot halfway between two cities.
Bearing and Direction
Along with distance, it helps to know the bearing — the compass direction you would face when heading from one place to the other. Bearing is measured in degrees from 0° to 360°, where 0° is due north, 90° is east, 180° is south, and 270° is west. Knowing the bearing tells you which general direction your destination is from your starting point. Pilots also factor in wind when navigating headings, which is where a crosswind calculator becomes essential for safe flight planning.
Estimated Travel Time
Travel time depends on your mode of transport. A car on a highway moves much faster than a person walking or riding a bike. This calculator estimates travel time using average speeds: about 50 mph (80 km/h) for driving, 3 mph (5 km/h) for walking, and 10 mph (16 km/h) for cycling. Real travel time can be longer due to traffic, weather, road conditions, or rest stops. For a deeper look at how speed, distance, and time relate to each other, check out our speed distance time calculator. If you want to estimate your arrival window more precisely, our ETA calculator can help you nail down the timing. Walkers can also track their journey with our walking distance calculator, while cyclists may want to use our pace calculator to fine-tune their speed targets.
Why Distance Calculations Matter
Knowing the distance between two places is useful for planning road trips, estimating fuel costs, booking flights, or simply satisfying your curiosity. Pilots and navigators rely on nautical miles and great-circle distances every day, often alongside tools like a density altitude calculator or pressure altitude calculator to ensure safe takeoffs and landings. Trucking and shipping companies use road distance to price deliveries. Even hikers and cyclists use distance and elevation data to plan safe, enjoyable routes. If you are driving, our fuel cost calculator can help you budget for gas, and our gas mileage calculator lets you see how efficiently your vehicle uses fuel over the trip. For those traveling across regions, our time zone calculator is handy for adjusting your schedule, and a toll calculator can help you account for highway tolls along your route. You might also consider the environmental impact of your journey using our carbon footprint calculator.