Manage Travel Plans On the Go with TripDeck for iOS

It’s academic travel season again, and as I was returning from a recent trip (and thinking about another soon to come), I thought about those tech tools that help make organizing those trips easier. Both Heather and Erin have written about using Tripit to organize their travel plans. I too love the way Tripit automatically sorts my flight, car rental, hotel, and other travel reservations when I’m planning for conferences or other travel.

When I’m on the go, I access my Tripit plans through TripDeck for iPhone. TripDeck syncs with Tripit, so it imports all the plans I’ve collected there [It's important to note that TripDeck doesn't require Tripit. You can enter trip information directly into the app if you're not a Tripit user]. It makes that information, including confirmation numbers, available on my phone, where they’re easy to access as I go. What’s more, TripDeck imports timely information, such as the arrival and departure gates of my flights. So, when I’m taxiing to the gate and preparing to make a connecting flight, I can open TripDeck to find out what gate I’ll arrive at, and what gate I need to get to. TripDeck gives easy access to other timely information as well: maps that will help me find destinations, for instance.

There’s actually an offical Tripit app, but I prefer TripDeck’s clean interface and useful additional features. The app is free, though some functionality can only be accessed through paid upgrades. I’ve never needed those features, and so I’m still happily using the free version. If you’re a frequent traveler (and especially if you’re a Tripit user), I recommend giving TripDeck a try.