View the route that an IP packet follows from one host to the next using the time-to-live (TTL).
The packet counts the number of hops in the route taken.
It uses ICMP packets to map the route. Use nmap instead (uses the TCP protocol instead, nearly every firewall allows it).
Trace the route to the URL
URL=www.google.com
traceroute $URL
See where the packet stops (router, firewall, etc.)
traceroute -T -p $PORT -q 1 -w 1 -n $IP