Best Free Trip Planner in 2026
A good free trip planner gives you a shared itinerary, day-by-day timeline, and real-time collaboration without a paywall. Here's what to look for and how a few options compare.
Best Free Trip Planner in 2026
If you're looking for a free trip planner or a digital travel planner that actually stays free, you want one place to hold your itinerary, a clear day-by-day view, and the ability to collaborate without hitting a paywall. Here's what to look for and how a few options stack up.
What makes a good free trip planner?
Shared itinerary: one plan everyone can view or edit so you're not copying spreadsheets or chasing updates in chat. A day-by-day structure keeps flights, hotels, and activities tied to specific days so nothing gets lost. Real-time collaboration with owner, editor, and viewer roles lets you control who can change the plan. And no paywall for the basics: create trips, add stops, and invite your crew without upgrading.
Trip planning apps that lock core features behind paid plans force you to either pay or juggle multiple tools. A good free trip planner keeps these basics free.
How can trip planning apps help you?
They help you put dates, bookings, and activities in one place. They cut down on back-and-forth with your group, make it clear who's doing what on which day, and often support maps or exports so everyone has the same view. For groups, the main benefit is one source of truth instead of scattered confirmations and messages.
Free options to consider
Journii is a free travel planner for group trips: shared timeline, city grouping, roles, and optional import from confirmation emails. It's built as a free Wanderlog alternative. TripAdvisor Trips offers a free trip planner and AI itinerary builder; it works well for inspiration and solo or small groups. TripIt is a popular travel itinerary app; the free tier organizes confirmations and some features are paid. Canva has free, customizable itinerary planner templates; they're static documents, not live collaboration. Wanderlog is a well-known travel planner; core features can be plan-dependent, so it's worth comparing with Journii vs Wanderlog if you want a free-first option for groups.
The best free trip planner for you depends on whether you need solo inspiration, static templates, or live group collaboration. For groups, a tool like Journii that stays free for shared itineraries and roles is a strong fit.
Where can I get the best digital travel planner?
For group trips, look for a digital travel planner that's free for core planning and supports real-time collaboration. You can start with Journii to create a trip, add dates and stops, and invite your crew. For a step-by-step workflow, read How to plan a group trip in 7 steps. For a comparison of apps and what to look for, see Best travel planner apps.
Next steps
Create a free trip at Journii and invite your crew. Compare features at Journii vs Wanderlog. Then follow the workflow in How to plan a group trip in 7 steps.