In Praise of TripIt — Finally I am the business traveller that I always wanted to be
by David Rosen | SVP Strategy and Channel Development
I’ve always been the business traveller that didn’t fit the typical stereotypes. I never had one of those rolling suitcases, I’m happy sitting in coach (I have short legs), I don’t order bloody mary’s in the morning nor ginger ales ever. I have always taken care of my own travel plans, down to the very last detail of seat selection, hotel room type and rental car coverage. I look at the stressed salesmen with their coffee-stained button-down shirts or the conference-calling middle managers with their blu-toothed heads and amdelighted that I’m not one of them.
But there was one group of travellers that I envied. The ones with clear plastic envelopes with the well-typed, hyper organzied, color-coded, hour-by-hour, location-by-location itineraties. Wow. Who can afford that kind of support? Who has an admin that is that super-focused on keeping his or her boss that prepared?
I do.
It’s called TripIt. [let's establish right now that this is not a paid endorsement nor are they a client or prospect]. All I do is forward my email confirmations from airlines, hotels and car rentals. I can add my meetings, restaurants, etc. My trips build over time with each additional travel partner or appointment.
When I’m ready to go I upload to my Outlook, synch to my Blackberry, forward to my wife and print out the itinerary that I’ve dreamed of since I graduated college. While we’re all watching how much we spend on travel, while increasingly hotels are booked on hotwire and cars rented on priceline, my itinerary looks as nice as the guy in first class who stays at the Ritz. And I feel just as important.
