Using Tripit to Plan a Research Trip

 

I am planning two trips this year to ancestral areas. Normally I used Facebook notes to keep my travel and research plans, and all other pertinent information. I copy and paste my flight information, and hotel information along with all directions and hours for places I'm visiting.

I learned about an alternative called Tripit which allows you to make an itinerary, keep notes, and post pictures. You can allow Tripit access to your email and it will use your confirmation emails to make an itinerary. If you're not comfortable giving them access to your email you can enter the information yourself.

I'm using the free version. The pay version is called Tripit Pro. 

This is how I'm using Tripit to plan my research trips

First of all I'm adding my research trip locations as activities or tours. Then I add the address, I will add contact information later. Notes are wonderful for research purposes. I'm recording location information and questions to ask in my notes.

Adding pictures of maps or public transportation routes, and schedules, will help me too. I've added a copy of a document with enough information displayed in order to be able to identify a possible case file at the courthouse.
I've included library hours in my Brownstown Library research trip.

I added a nearby address to my Granny White Cemetery trip. There is no address for this small cemetery so I added a nearby address. I also added cross street information in the note.



The site also provides weather forecasts for each day you will be at that location, as you see across the top of the image above.

A fun feature is your travel stats. I added my previous trips and got the results below. I've traveled 200,000 miles in the past few years.


The best way to access your saved information is through the browser site. The app may be better if you pay for the Tripit Pro version? This is what the itinerary look like in app. I haven't found my pictures in the app. I do see my notes and hotel and flight information.

 

I'm enjoying using this. I will probably make hard copies and image copies of all these pages with my itinerary just in case I can't get into the browser. Hopefully I can just access everything through the browser and continue to make notes when I arrive. I'll keep thinking of questions to ask and adding information up until the time I leave.