How to Collaborate Your Next Trip

We invented online collaborative trip planning because, like allot of things, trip planning is more fun with people you trust. And we did it because no one else had, which was shocking, since online travel has been around more or less since 1996. For the Millennial reader, that’s when phones attached to walls, not faces. For Boomers, this was long before you ordered your first pair of socks on Amazon. You can get quick story we gave the kids about why we started Relovate here.

This piece is a "how to" on using Relovate’s collaboration tools. Impatient, never read the manual users, may stop reading and do this: 

1. Click on Home
2. Start a Trip
3. Click Collaboration. Follow the guide

Those of you who seek greater knowledge before beginning, here's a slightly longer version on how to use Relovate's Collaborative Trip Planning better than everyone.

RED ALERT! You will not need to book anything in order to use our collaborative tools. Let's go.

Although Relovate is multi-party, single trip planning, someone has to move first. Fear nothing, being the First Collaborator is neither dangerous nor costly. Contrast this for example, with our CTO's lifestyle, who does things like sail around the world in much too small boats.

Register for a free, private account at www.relovate.com. We ask you to register so your collaboration can remain private. And so we can show private rates for hotels. We need an email and a password. That's it. You can do it with Google® or with Facebook®. Under no circumstances will we do anything with your data. See our Privacy Policy.

We don't care where, why, or when. Be as specific as 1600 Pennsylvanian Avenue, Washington DC, ____ or as general as "Hong Kong". Relovate is purpose and place agnostic. Put as much or as little into your plan. For example, consider a couple of flight options, a hotel and some activities.

Second Red Alert!
YOU DO NOT NEED TO BOOK.
YOU ABSOLUTELY DO NOT NEED TO BOOK.
UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES ARE YOU REQUIRED TO BOOK.

Names are good. They make things personal and friendly. You wouldn't want to be called "Barcelona-Madrid-Mahwah" all day long, right? Or worse, "that Trip". No, a Trip Plan without a name is generic and dull, and easily confused with other Trip Plans. No one wants to go on Trip Plan. People want to Sun in Cancun or Chase Eagles in the Sierras. Look for the pencil icon in the Trip Planner. It looks like a pencil.

"Collaborate" is located in the Trip Planner, on the top row. You can't miss it. It says "Collaborate". It will change color to get your attention. It cannot hurt you. 

Follow the Collaborate Steps 

1. Click the plus sign to add invitees. Only invitees can accept the invitation.
2. Create a personal message for your Invitees. You may say anything you like. 
3. Send your invitation to your invitees.

Keep building your trip plan, anyway you like. Or think about whether you want to distribute work related planning, for example, Tory, you handle activities and Lucas, you handle restaurants.

That's it. For terms to know, try this 2 minute read Terms to Know in the Collaborative Trip Flow.