As holiday travel chaos fades into memory, it’s an ideal time to start 2013 travels on the right foot. This week, 150,000 people from all over the world will descend on Las Vegas for the Super Bowl of the technology industry, the Consumer Electronics Show.
Whether or not you’re CES-bound, here are some travel resolutions to make in the new year. If you’ve forwarded all your travel confirmations to plans@tripit.com, you’re already ahead of the game!
1. Have TripIt do all the work
TripIt can keep an eye out for travel-related email confirmations in your Gmail inbox and create an itinerary without you having to lift a finger. Look for the “auto-import” option next time you log in to TripIt.com.
2. Sync your trip plans with your calendar
TripIt can automatically publish itinerary details to your calendar, so you can keep track of upcoming trips, and easily schedule meetings or other activities. See calendar integration.
3. Keep your loved ones in the loop
Share plans with the click of a button. Or, with TripIt Pro, your “Inner Circle” can be automatically notified and have access to your trip plans ($49/year; http://tripit.com/pro).
4. Keep track of who’s in or out of the office
Join your company’s group travel calendar on TripIt.com, and see who’s traveling when and where. Simply go to https://www.tripit.com/uhp/groups to find your company group, or create one.
5. Get suggestions from your network
Easily publish trip dates and destinations on LinkedIn, Facebook, Yammer and Salesforce Chatter – to uncover meeting opportunities, tips and recommendations. You can decide where and how much to share under your account settings on TripIt.com.
6. Stay in the know, on-the-go
You probably know that TripIt Pro acts like a personal travel assistant, alerting you to flight changes. But did you know in addition to email and text alerts, you can now sign up for push notifications? It’s an ideal option for when you have wifi access, but no cell service, i.e. on a plane or traveling internationally.
7. Get money back after you book
Let the fluctuating airfare game be your gain. TripIt Pro monitors the cost of eligible flights, and if the price goes down, you’ll receive instructions on how to request a refund or credit for the difference. Cha-ching!
8. Maximize your reward points
Organize your frequent flier accounts, and 200+ reward-earning programs using TripIt Pro. By monitoring your points and status, you can create a miles-earning strategy for the year.
If you’re CES-bound, let us know on Twitter @TripIt. Where else are you headed in 2013?