Best Smartphone App for Travelers: TripIt Pro

As someone who travels frequently for both business and leisure, the one smartphone app I would not be without is TripIt Pro.

The free version is a great tool for any traveler, allowing one to keep track of all the various confirmations and itineraries involved in any trip, sync your travel plans to your calendar of choice (such as Outlook, iCal or Google Calendar) and share your trip itinerary and details with others via social media or email.

Priced at a very reasonable $49 annually, the Pro version offers numerous benefits that, for any serious traveler, far outweigh the cost.

 A snapshot of TripIt Pro in action (c) Trisha Miller. FWT Magazine.
Photo: A snapshot of TripIt Pro in action (c) Trisha Miller. FWT Magazine.

 

Benefits of TripIt Pro

TripIt Pro features push notifications for such events as flight status updates, delays, schedule changes and gate reassignments – this feature alone has saved me from missing flights many times – but the benefits don’t stop there.

  • Pro users also have quick access with just a tap to Alternate Flights with open seats in the event that your original flight gets delayed or cancelled, making it easy to rebook before your fellow passengers are even aware of the problem.
  • The Points Tracker feature lets you keep track of all your various mileage/points/rewards programs (and even notifies you when your points or rewards are about to expire).
  • The Flight Refund tracking feature continually monitors the fare changes on your flight and notifies you if the fare goes down (to the extent that, less any change fees, it’s worth your time to claim a refund, so you can call your airline or travel agent).
  • Seat Tracker will notify you if an unavailable seat that you want becomes available.
  • There’s a free four-month membership with CLEAR (and a $20 discount on continuing membership after the initial four months), which gives members access to special lanes to speed you through security (only available at 12 airports currently but quickly expanding).

Gone are the days when I printed out page after page of confirmations for my flights, hotels and car rentals….now I have it all in one very convenient app, easily accessible with just a few taps.  With so many great benefits for less than $5 a month, TripIt Pro is a smart choice for smart travelers.

Available for iOS and Android, and supports mobile-browser access on Blackberry and Windows Phone 7.

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