Disembarking from a recent flight at Detroit Metro Airport, I watched as my fellow passengers flocked to the nearest bank of departure boards. It took me a moment to realize I hardly recognized this traveler behavior. I couldn’t remember the last time I had to pause at a screen and spend the time scanning for my connecting flight’s gate. Why? Because, thanks to TripIt, I already knew my next gate. In fact, upon landing, not only had the app notified me that my gate had changed, I knew exactly how long it would take to get from Gate A5 to B2—with step-by-step directions, to boot.
Armed with the knowledge of where I was going, how long it would take me, and what pitstops I could make along the journey without fear of missing my connection, I breezed past my fellow passengers, feeling calm and confident about the next step of my journey. And I know I’m not alone. Everyday leisure and business travelers also use the TripIt app to plan, organize, and customize their travel plans. Here’s a look at the top reasons to leverage TripIt for your next trip.
You have everything in one place
Picture this: You and your dad are embarking on a late autumn tour of Europe to celebrate his recent retirement. Three cities; one round-trip, long-haul flight; two one-way, intercontinental flights; one ferry ride; three Airbnbs; various restaurant reservations—whew! Not to mention, you’re in charge of booking it all.
The good news? No matter how many different booking sites you use (I’m partial to Hipmunk for finding flights that induce the least amount of agony) or whether you make the dinner reservations in advance or on the fly, every detail ends up in one place: your TripIt app. This way, you can stay in-the-know as you go, and so can your mom who will be monitoring your trip from afar. How? She’s in your Inner Circle, of course—the TripIt Pro feature that allows you to share your travel plans with whomever you choose. It’s peace of mind for everyone involved.
Get itineraries at a glance
All of those individual reservations you made above? Now’s the time to get them organized. Simply forward your confirmation emails to plans@tripit.com and in a matter of seconds, TripIt will create a master itinerary for every trip.
Big kudos to @TripIt – a killer app if you frequently travel. All your flight, car and hotel bookings turned into a beautiful itinerary. pic.twitter.com/W4Iqh7qgOb
— Euan Cameron (@EuanACameron) May 24, 2019
You have offline access
No Wi-FI? No problem. With the TripIt app, you can access all of your itineraries—and your individual trip details—whether you have internet access or not. Even when you are without Wi-Fi at 35,000 feet, TripIt keeps you in the know about how long until you land:
Under-appreciated @TripIt feature that I LOVE when traveling across time zones and without a seat-back screen. pic.twitter.com/PkgoBylPvn
— Kelly Soderlund (@KellyLSoderlund) June 24, 2019
Travel planning made easy
To some, researching a trip is half the fun. Sorting out the details of the place you’re traveling to has never been easier, thanks to TripIt’s latest features. Take International Travel Tools, for instance. Ahead of traveling to a foreign country, you’ll be able to field all of your travel buddy’s detailed questions.
Details like…
Q: What’s the local currency?
A: Euros.
Q: Will I need an adapter for sockets and plugs?
A: Yes, a different one for each country. Bring your all-in-one adapter and you’ll be set.
Q: What is the appropriate amount to tip in a restaurant or to a taxi driver?
A: 10% and round-up.
Discovering this new feature of @TripIt : everything you need to know before travelling in one app ?? pic.twitter.com/pnh769Y0SP
— Alexis FRÉMONT ✏️ (@alexis__fremont) March 23, 2019
And then there’s Nearby Places, the feature which spotlights the cafes, bars, restaurants, ATMs, and more, close to the addresses within your itinerary. For instance, the Airbnb you booked for your trip to Helsinki has 10 cafes located less than 0.1 miles from it—critical intel for the impending battle against jet lag.
So the @TripIt app has neighborhood safety scores (categorized by physical harm, women’s safety, etc.), transit options with $ estimates and step-by-step instructions, and info on restaurants, bars, and drug stores nearby.
Me, a UXer, procrastinator, and 1st time solo traveler: pic.twitter.com/VUhuv9cAyB
— SIS-uh-lee HAIR(e) (@ciceflyyest) May 21, 2019
You can customize your plans
Speaking of plans, one of my favorite reasons to use the TripIt app is it’s completely customizable. Want to rename an upcoming trip? Need to add a last-minute client meeting to your itinerary? A quick tap of the orange pencil in the lower right-hand corner of your trip screen allows you to edit the trip, add a plan, or merge one trip into another one, if needed.
When adding new details to an itinerary, you can choose from popular plans like flight, lodging, and car rental, or maybe you’ve booked something a bit more specific, like a concert, walking tour, or Broadway show. Either way, TripIt has you covered for seamlessly adding every detail into your itinerary.
The next time you’re breezing through the airport, keep an eye out for how TripIt has streamlined your travel experience. Then tweet us @TripIt to let us know. We not only love to hear from you, we’re willing to bet you’ll help a fellow traveler learn a new travel hack, too.
