Published: 23 Jan 2008

The new features include "Who's Close To Me?" which automatically notifies users if their travel plans overlap with fellow travelers while on the road, and "Who's Coming to my City?" which automatically identifies colleagues who will be visiting their hometown when they're not traveling.

TripIt is an online travel assistant that organises trip details including flight, hotel, rental car, train, restaurant reservations, and activities -- even when booked through different online services.

With the new Closeness alerts, TripIt offers a unique social network for travelers and their community of contacts, according to the company.

In addition to knowing who's going to be where in the real world, TripIt also allows travelers to "connect" with each other online to share and collaborate on trips. And, TripIt automatically syncs itineraries with calendars and eliminates the need for manual entry, even if plans or details change, so that travelers are always "in sync" wherever they are.

Gregg Brockway, CEO and co-founder of TripIt, said, "Frequent travelers just don't have the extra time to keep track of their travel as well as the travel schedules of their friends, family and associates. With our new Closeness alerts, travelers are automatically notified when they're in the same area, which allows them to stay in touch better."

TripIt is accessible from any browser or from mobile phones to keep people linked to their travel plans, allowing them to finally leave that manila folder and stack of separate itineraries at home.