Miscalculating long distances can be an expensive mistake.
While today's cars can track distances long and short, it can be difficult to estimate long distances when you are traveling on foot, without any extra equipment. Miscalculating a distance can mean underestimating the time it will take you to get there, as well as making it harder to keep track of the relative distances between the places you have traveled. Several methods will help you estimate long distances.
Your Arm
Estimate using your arm. If your view of your destination is not blocked by any buildings or other objects, you can estimate long distances by holding your arm out in front of you with the elbow straight and thumb pointing up. Close one of your eyes, matching your thumb to the edge of your destination. Open your eye and close the other one without moving anything else. Estimate how far away the image moved (for example, if you are looking at a 10-foot wide structure, you might estimate that the image moved by 50 feet, or five times the building's width). Multiply that distance by 10, which describes the ratio of your arm's length to the space between your eyes, and you will have an estimate of how far away the object is.
Pedometer
Use a pedometer. If you have walked a certain distance and need to know how far it was, re-walk it with a pedometer tied to your shoe or to your belt. This will count the number of steps you take and estimate the distance based on your stride.
Arithmetic
Calculate distance based on your walking speed and time. If you need to estimate a distance that you walked, time yourself walking a mile and compare it to the time it took you to walk the distance. If it takes you 20 minutes to walk a mile, and you were walking for an hour, you most likely walked around three miles.
Google Maps
Use Google Maps. Google Maps will allow you to track the distance you traveled using its point-to-point feature, where you enter your start and end locations and drag the route to match the route you actually took. However, while this works well for journeys involving roads, it is harder to use for off-road trips, such as long hikes.
Odometer
Track your journey in a car. If you traveled mostly by road, you can re-trace your route in your car, keeping close track of the changing miles on your odometer. Subtract the end result from your beginning mileage, and you have the approximate distance you traveled.
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