When I first heard about TripIt, I thought there was no way I would ever consider using software to organize a trip. I'm a budget backpacker, not an international jet-setter, after all. But the more I read about it, the more I'm convinced that outside organization might be the way to go for me, especially with my mother constantly pleading for some form of an itinerary from me.

Gregg Brockaway, the co-founder of Hotwire.com, is launching what he's calling "an intelligent travel organizer with a social twist." TripIt organizes travel articles, street maps and confirmation e-mails for various flights, hotels, and rental cars, and the site's software (called "the Itinerator" -- how cools is that?) can read emails from more than 70 booking sites. It then takes all that information and compiles it into a single master itinerary.

There's no booking feature, but the site acts as a personal secretary for everything else you use to plan your trip. So, while it won't book your flights, it will take your flight information, order it chronologically, and add weather-related information for each destination. Enter an address and it will spit out driving directions and a map.

What more can one's worried mother ask for?

[via Msnbc]

Filed under: Business, Internet Tools