TripIt Blog

Quite a Journey: Looking Back at 2011

It's been quite a year. Before 2012 kicks into full gear, we wanted to take a moment to look back and celebrate the most recent leg of our journey together...

Collectively, you've traveled more than 5 billion miles! That's more than double the miles logged last year. Thanks for taking us with you, and providing suggestions from the road. We love hearing from you - and we celebrate the victories you share @TripIt or on Facebook, whether it's dollars earned back on airfare with TripIt Pro, or when you get the last seat on an alternate flight. 

This year we welcomed fresh new faces to the TripIt team, and there's room for more (check out our open positions here). We even had our first Hack Day! And the team was very busy this year...

We launched the iPad and Windows Phone apps, gave the Android and iPhone apps design refreshes, and joined the Amazon app store and Kindle Fire in December. There's more to come in January, so all those recently unwrapped tablets will be able to download TripIt in no time.

In October, we announced an exciting partnership with Avis to make booking a rental car even easier in less clicks. We're also helping power the new Frommer's Remix by HP. Putting itinerary data to work for you is an idea that we'll continue to bring to life with the 1,200 developers now using our open platform.

Joining Concur in January opened the door for exciting new features and partnerships. In June, we made it easy for TripIt users to automatically create an itinerary any time they book travel through Concur, and for TripIt Pro itineraries to feed expense reports in Concur. Companies of all sizes now have endless options to organize travel and expenses, seamlessly.

TripIt for Business really started to take off this year with a convenient way to see who's in or out of the office - and it's about to get really interesting in early 2012. We also introduced trip sharing through Salesforce Chatter and Yammer, as another way to keep colleagues in the loop.

One of the biggest highlights of the year was winning our first Webby Award. We were delighted to be recognized among top innovators in tech, and also later within the travel industry, when we received honors from Travel Weekly's Magellan Awards and the Telegraph Travel Awards.

It really is an exciting time to be a traveler, and we can't wait to show you what we have up our sleeves for 2012. 

Cheers,

Gregg, Scott, Andy and the TripIt team

 

Itineraries on Fire: Download TripIt in the Amazon Appstore

For those of you asking when TripIt would be available on the Kindle Fire, your wish is our command! TripIt is now available for download from the Amazon Appstore for Android.

Have tablet fever? So do we... 

“The compact size of Kindle Fire and its growing ecosystem of apps make it a solid match for travelers,” said Gregg Brockway, Executive Vice President and General Manager of TripIt. “Tablets are becoming a popular choice for life on the road, and we’re excited to take part.”

Stay tuned, there's much more to come. Happy downloading!

"Inner Circle" Demystified

With the holidays on the brain, here are some ways to make the most of TripIt Pro’s “Inner Circle” feature, which allows you to automatically share trip plans with significant others, family members, or other VIPs - making it easier to coordinate airport pick-ups and holiday activities seamlessly.

Choose wisely. Members of the “Inner Circle” will be notified immediately by email when you create a new itinerary in TripIt, and they'll have access to your trip details from their smartphone or online. 

TripIt Pro’s “Inner Circle” makes it easy for the VIPs in your life to:

• Be notified every time you create a new itinerary
• Access shared trip itineraries on their smartphone or on the web
• Download a calendar file to keep trip plans organized

As always, to learn more about TripIt Pro, visit http://tripit.com/pro. 

4 Easy Ways to Put Your Itinerary Data to Work

Today at PhoCusWright, we announced four exciting new innovations built on TripIt's open platform, which is now a vibrant community of more than 1,200 developers.

Put your itinerary data to work, and get personalized reservations, travel guides, and deals in return:

1. Personalized Reservations in Fewer Clicks on Avis.com

Booking a rental car is now easier and faster if you connect your TripIt account with Avis.com. Itineraries auto-populate new reservations and help Avis anticipate any changes in your travel schedule.

2. DIY Travel Guides with Frommer’s® Remix by HP

To get a personalized travel guide from Frommer’s Travel powered by HP custom publishing technology, import your TripIt itineraries at www.frommersremix.com, and you can get expert recommendations on activities, restaurants, nightlife, shopping, as well as money saving coupons for your trip. 

 

3. Trip Recommendations from Friends by FlyMuch

By sharing trip itineraries automatically on FlyMuch.com, you can get recommendations from friends and social networking connections, and build an online travel profile.

4. Destination-Based Dining Deals from FoodieBytes

Get personalized restaurant deals in the cities you’re traveling to by connecting your TripIt account with Foodiebytes.com.

To date, TripIt’s open platform has welcomed hundreds of apps and services to improve life for travelers before, during and after the journey; some of which include USA TODAY Auto Pilot, GateGuru and MemoLane.

To see more examples, go to http://www.tripit.com/uhp/tools. 

5 Ways to Get Peace of Mind & Money Back Over the Holidays

If you're traveling this month, there's a good chance TripIt can help put money back in your pocket. To date, we've identified more than $300,000 in airfare refunds for TripIt Pro users traveling in the month of November. (Not a Pro member yet? See tip #2!)

Without further ado, here are 5 ways to get peace of mind - and money back - this holiday travel season. Less time waiting in line at the airport, or the mall, means more unwinding and unwrapping with loved ones:

1. Skip the Mall: New this year, you can purchase, print and wrap the gift of TripIt Pro without leaving the house.
2. Gift Yourself, No Strings Attached –TripIt Pro acts like a personal travel assistant, sending helpful reminders and alerts. Give it a test drive during the holidays with a free 30-day trial.
3. Put Money Back in Your Pocket – TripIt Pro monitors airfare after booking, and notifies the traveler of a potential refund or credit - as well as how to claim it – by text or email.
4. Hit the Snooze Button, One More Time – Have TripIt Pro notify you if there’s a flight delay by text or email, and catch a few extra zzz's, or get alternate flight options right from the app.
5. Ditch the Manila Folder – No need to carry around extra baggage to keep trip plans organized. Access TripIt itineraries for free on any smartphone, including iPhone, iPad, Android, BlackBerry and Windows Phone.

Okay, so #5 is an obvious one by now, but don't be afraid to send this as a hint to that person in your life who still walks around with a printed itinerary...

'Tis the season of giving, after all!

Share Trips with Colleagues in Chatter and Yammer

By Edith Harbaugh, Senior Product Manager

Traveling can be lonely. And finding out later that a colleague or friend was in your city and you didn't know can be even more frustrating. In Barcelona for a conference several years ago, I thought my jet lag was causing a hallucination, as I stumbled on my coworker Tam in the lobby. 

Part of the power of TripIt is not just organizing your trips, but letting friends and coworkers know when and where you're traveling (and vice versa). That's why we've added two more ways to share trips today, in Salesforce Chatter and Yammer. If you choose to do so, we'll let your colleagues know when you're planning a trip, about to leave, and returning - just like you can share with friends in Facebook. 

To mark the occasion, we're featured today at Yammer on Tour in San Francisco, along with collaborative services like Box and ZenDesk that are making it easier for coworkers to keep each other in the loop. 

Beyond Yammer and Chatter, here are some other easy ways to find out when and where colleagues are traveling:

• TripIt Groups is a free service for companies that makes it easy to view and share travel plans with colleagues all in one place - in a company calendar or map view. More than 25,000 companies use TripIt Groups, ranging from those in the Fortune 500 to small businesses.
• TripIt for Business is a simple solution for companies who want to take the pain out of traveling, planning, and organizing office travel.  Plus, TripIt for Business customers get premium calendar and group features including: a quick view of who’s in/out today; historical and future month access; and company sub-groups. TripIt for Business pricing starts at $29/month.

So, let your coworkers know where you are, and be a little less lonely on your next trip!

Android Takes Flight in 2011: Version 1.9 Now Available

Time to get the charger out, your smartphone has been busy! Today we announced that overall mobile usage has doubled - and Android usage in particular has tripled - in one year among TripIt users. 

Also, Android 1.9 is now available for download in the Marketplace. The design changes will help you find important trip information quickly. Other highlights:

• Links and phone numbers in your notes are now fully clickable, so you can quickly make a call, right from the app. 
• You now have more options to preserve memory when you're not running the app.
• TripIt Pro users can customize reward point expiration alerts.

 

“It’s exciting to watch mobile adoption take off this year, as innovation in the industry heats up,” said Gregg Brockway, Executive Vice President and General Manager of TripIt. “Each generation of smartphone provides even more opportunities for us to improve life on the road for travelers. The idea of a personal assistant in the palm of your hand – one that organizes important trip details, or sends helpful reminders and alerts – is becoming a reality.”

What do you think of the Android app's new look?

TripIt and Avis: Making Travel About the Traveler, Again

In 2009 we started talking about the concept of a “traveler-centric future.” What we meant was that the needs of travelers would increasingly drive innovation because fundamental technology trends like mobility, social networking, and open data offered powerful new opportunities to make life easier for travelers. 

Well a lot has happened since then. Especially lately; we’ve witnessed a juxtaposition of nostalgia and innovation. Within the same week that Facebook broke new ground for the social web at F8, we were swept back to the Golden Age of travel with the premiere of “Pan Am.”

Today, I’m very excited to tell you that we’ve partnered with Avis to bring travelers the best of both worlds. The Jet Age meets the Information Age.

Together, TripIt and Avis are supercharging car rental reservations by putting your itineraries to work for you. By connecting your accounts, you’ll be able to make new car reservations in just a few simple clicks. And in the future, Avis will be able to anticipate your need for a car and present you with options without requiring any searching at all.  Surely this is how they would have rented spacecraft on the Jetsons.

Our goal is to make your journey go smoother. Using itinerary data, we’ll remind you when you haven’t booked a car yet, and Avis will know if you’re running late. 

Oh, and there are prizes involved. Check out Avis' and TripIt's “Supercharge Your Itinerary to Win” sweepstakes.

 NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.

Promotion open only to residents of the 50 United States and District of Columbia who are at least 18 (or the age of majority in entrant's state of residence). Promotion starts 12:01 AM PT on October 3, 2011 and ends 11:59 PM PT on November 27, 2011. Winner will be selected by random drawing on December 6, 2011 and notified by phone and/or e-mail by December 17, 2011. Prize: (1 winner): one 14 day Avis car rental (luxury, passenger van, or convertible) (approx. retail value: $2876 and one 12-month subscription to online TripIt Pro (approx. retail value: $49). Combined approx. retail value of all prizes: $9,054. To enter, follow the directions in Section 7 of the Official Rules at www.tripit.com/promotions/rules_avissweepstakes ("Rules") to enter online (via www.tripit.com/promotions/avissweepstakes) or by mail. Odds of winning depend on number of eligible entries received. Void where prohibited. Promotion subject to Rules, see Rules at www.tripit.com/promotions/rules_avissweepstakes for full details. Sponsor: Concur Technologies, Inc., 500 Treat Ave., Suite 100, San Francisco, CA 94110.

Put Your iPad to Work with Reward Point Tracking

Today we announced that reward point tracking is now available on our iPad app. It’s a popular feature for TripIt Pro users, and makes it easy to see how many points you have, when they expire, and how close you are to the next status level.

Here are some suggestions on how you can get the most out of our point tracking feature…

How to Maximize TripIt Pro Point Tracking

• Set it and forget it: Add your accounts once for up to two travelers
• It’s automagical: TripIt automatically monitors for new account activity
• Make it count: Easily see when you’re eligible for the next status level
• Use ‘em or lose ‘em: Monitor your points’ expiration dates
• Slimmer wallet: Turn your iPhone or Android phone horizontal to flash the ID number 

As a reminder, reward point tracking is also available on our apps for iPhone, Android, BlackBerry and Windows Phone. 

What feature would you like to see on the iPad next?

TripIt’s Android app has a fresh new face

Today, we unveiled a facelift for our Android app, designed to make it even easier for you to navigate between itineraries and connections, and view reward program points for TripIt Pro users. 

Don’t like ads? Also available is an ad-free version of the app for $3.99.

And for all the stats junkies, we also discovered some interesting things about those of you who use our Android app. Take a look at the trends below, and let us know your thoughts in the comments section.

Android Use Peaks Among Millennials

• A higher percentage of TripIt’s Android users are in their late twenties (25-29) and early thirties (30-34) than any other smartphone group.
• Among iPhone and BlackBerry users, the largest percentages are in their late thirties (35-39) and early forties (40-44).

On the Road Again? Not Necessarily

• TripIt’s Android users travel less frequently for business than other smartphone users.
  • 21 percent of Android users travel 15 or more times per year for business, compared to 36 percent of BlackBerry users and 23 percent of iPhone users.
• Android users take less leisure trips per year than iPhone users.
  • A higher percentage of Android users take 1-3 leisure trips per year than iPhone users; meanwhile, a higher percentage of iPhone users take four or more leisure trips per year than Android users.

Favorite Travel Apps

• Beyond TripIt, other popular travel apps for Android users are: Google Maps, Yelp and TripAdvisor.

What other apps do you use while traveling?