Whether you’re planning a holiday or travelling for work, there is always the annoyance of having to keep track of all your plans and bookings. Technology is here to save the day, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of applications and websites that can help keep your trip organised. Here’s a few that I use (and a few that I’m yet to try) when I’m travelling.
This one has to come first. Once you start using TripIt, you’ll wonder why you ever used to bother printing out an itinerary. TripIt is an online itinerary that you can create by uploading all your trip details as you book them. You can even forward your confirmation emails from a large number of supported booking sites to plans@tripit.com and they’ll automatically be added to your itinerary. It’s as easy as that.
There’s nothing like turning up at a hotel without the need to search for that piece of paper you printed your booking details on. TripIt offers a mobile site and an iPhone app to make life easier. No need to worry about remembering times, names, addresses or numbers. They’re all kept in your virtual itinerary, which you can share with friends or fellow travellers, being notified of updates as and when you they are made. Oh, and did I mention that you can check your flight status direct from your itinerary?
UPDATE – TripIt has just launched TripIt Pro. For an introductory rate of $49 US per year (normal price $99 US per year) you will get access to extra features such as travel alerts, suggestions for any flight problems and frequent flyer tracker. Whether you’re an avid traveller who would need these extra features or not, standard TripIt is still a must.
I read an article a while ago about the many uses of Evernote when travelling. Evernote offers it’s service over several platforms, including a desktop, web and iPhone application. The ability to sync virtually any type of note between these platforms means that you’re almost always within reach of the info you need. I do however disagree with the TUAW article in using Evernote to keep track of flight and hotel details, which can quite easily be added in TripIt, even as an attachment if need be. It is however useful in keeping things such as travel insurance PDF’s, website clips and any other information that doesn’t necessarily fit into an itinerary, synced up for you to refer back to when needed.
Now that you have the tools to organise your trip, you need to work out where you’re going. There are quite a few places to gather inspiration and Offbeat Guides is one of them. Simply start by inserting your destination, origin, name and travel dates to get your own personalised travel guide. You have the option to view the guide online for free or go all out and purchase a PDF or printed version. For me the key here is to take a look through the online version and take down a few ideas in Evernote.
Why not use social media to source your next holiday destination? Developed by some ex-Googlers, nextstop basically a social travel recommendation site. Login using your Facebook account details to start building your own guides or search through some recommended guides for great tips on places to go and things to see.
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