TripIt.com - Cool, but not sure I’ll ever use it
December 7th, 2007 by TJ Mahony tj@flipkey.comWhat can I say? I’m a sucker for cool websites. I recently came across TripIt.com and it definitely met my requirements for COOL.
In short, TripIt helps you organize your travel plans.
How it works:
- You set up a free account (takes two minutes)
- As you receive itinerary confirmations from airlines, hotels, car rental companies, etc. you simply forward them to TripIt (takes two seconds)
- TripIt then identifies your email, parses your itinerary and then automatically saves it in an easy to read format. As you send your various travel plans it intelligently blends your trip into one integrated itinerary.
Here is a view of my Colorado trip I just forwarded from my Gmail account.
Why I won’t use it
Although the service is cool and ported my itinerary with 100% accuracy, I just don’t know why I need this service. I, like so many others, get a little stressed before trips. I like having the original itineraries to PROVE to the airline/hotel that I have a reservation. We have all checked into the Marriott at some point in our lives when the dreaded, “I’m sorry sir, I don’t seem to have a record of your reservation in the computer” conversation is initiated.
In addition, there is a sense of craftsmanship in taking notes, stapling multiple itineraries together, printing out to and from maps and placing all needed documentation into a Trip Folder. I understand that this process is so “pre-internet”, but some things were simply never meant to be automated.
Like so many others, TripIt forgot about vacation rentals
Like 99% of the travel sites on the market, TripIt doesn’t really address the vacation rental market. To be fair, it would be near impossible for them to do so. TripIt can only parse standard emails, thus its system works for the standard confirmations generated by major airlines and hotels. However, TripIt does allow a user to manually enter additional details of their trip, but unfortunately doesn’t even recognize the existence of vacation rentals. Notice how “Hotels” is the only option provided to me as I try to add my ski house rental.
I think TripIt has done a great job with a limited idea. I will likely not use it, but if they were to include a link for Vacation Rentals in their next release I could be won over.
December 7th, 2007 at 7:29 pm
Hi, TJ — thanks for the nice post about TripIt. I’m one of the co-founders so just wanted to chime in if I may.
First, we love hearing from users how we can make the service better. You’re not the first to ask for us to support different types of lodging beyond just hotels, and we’re working on just that right now. I think you’ll be pleased next month when you see some new object types we add to the site.
I hear you on wanting to have originals so you can wage an effective battle at the hotel front desk — we’re former road warriors, too, so I know how it goes!
But other advantages of having all your info online in TripIt include automatic feeds to your calendar so you don’t have to manually type everything in. And since all your info is in one place at TripIt, it’s super convenient for sharing your plans with people like family and colleagues. Our friends calendar even makes it easy to see if anyone you know is coming to town or will be in the same place you are when traveling.
Look for lots more features like this from TripIt in the future, hopefully giving you lots more reasons to have all your trip info online instead of (or in addition to!) carrying it around in paper.
Cheers,
Scott
December 10th, 2007 at 1:27 pm
Scott:
Thanks for the follow up. I agree that group coordination is the strongest value proposition of TripIt. It really is a pain to coordinate flights and hotel meet ups. In addition, this aspect of the service is a solid viral component to expand usage. As I share my plans with friends, they will obviously have to sign up for TripIt.
The ease and simplicity of the service lowers a lot of barriers of adoption as well. Good luck. We will try to use it and will be on the look out for a ‘Enter the details of your Vacation Rental” link:)
Best,
TJ