Overview

TREK is a collaborative travel planner that combines itineraries, reservations, budgets, packing lists, and journaling. It is best suited to groups and technically confident travelers who want to run their own planning service; that control comes with the work of operating it.

Its breadth makes it a capable shared trip workspace, not just a day-by-day schedule. Route optimization, reservation records, and group coordination all live alongside the itinerary, while self-hosting gives the operator control over the underlying data.

For other approaches to the category, browse Travel Itinerary Apps or AI Travel Planners.

Key features

Shared planning and coordination

Collaborators can edit itineraries together with live presence, trip chat, polls, and attendance. Read-only public links let a group share plans without opening them to edits. This is a strong setup for trips where coordination is part of the planning; solo travelers may get less value from the group tools.

Routes and reservation records

Places can move between days, and routes can be optimized by distance. Sending a day to Google Maps provides turn-by-turn directions, while reservation import and records for flights, stays, and restaurants keep confirmation numbers, files, and statuses near the schedule. The combination helps keep trip logistics together, though navigation itself is handed off to Google Maps.

Budgets, packing, and journaling

Budgets support multiple currencies and per-person or per-day totals, which helps groups track costs in a format that suits the trip. Packing lists support templates and assigning items to people, reducing the chance that shared packing tasks become an informal side conversation. Journey adds travel journaling and can sync photos from Immich or Synology Photos.

Maps, weather, and add-ons

OpenStreetMap is the default for place search, with Google Places as an option. Sixteen-day forecasts use Open-Meteo without API keys. Optional Atlas statistics, Vacay vacation planning, Journey journaling, and MCP integration extend the planner, but the core appeal does not depend on those add-ons.

The MCP server supports OAuth 2.1 and is intended for use with Claude, Cursor, or another agent. That makes TREK more relevant to teams building agent-assisted workflows than a planner with no agent integration.

Control, security, and deployment

Trip data sits in a SQLite file on a volume on hardware controlled by the operator, and scheduled snapshots support retention policies. The maker lists JWT sessions, OAuth 2.1, OIDC single sign-on, TOTP multi-factor authentication, and compatibility with Authelia, Authentik, and Keycloak. These options suit operators who already manage self-hosted services; they do not remove the responsibility for deployment, backups, and upkeep.

Deployment guidance covers Docker, Docker Compose, Helm/Kubernetes, Unraid, Proxmox, Raspberry Pi, and Apple Silicon, with AMD64 and ARM64 images. TREK is PWA-installable for a device's home screen and supports Android, iOS, Linux, web, and self-hosted use. A live demo needs no email or sign-up and resets hourly, making it a low-friction way to explore the planner without setting up a deployment.

Pricing

TREK (self-hosted): 0.00 USD per free. The AGPL-3.0 offering is free for personal and internal company use. There is no free trial; the product itself is free. This is a strong fit for individuals and internal teams able to run the service themselves, but not for organizations seeking a vendor-operated hosted plan.

Platforms

TREK supports web, Android, iOS, and Linux, and can be installed as a PWA on a device's home screen. The self-hosted deployment options and AMD64 and ARM64 images give operators flexibility across common server and small-device setups.

Who it's for

TREK makes sense for travel groups that need shared schedules, reservation records, budgets, and packing assignments in one place, especially when a technically capable person can own the deployment. Internal teams that value data control and already operate services such as Docker or Kubernetes can also make good use of its free AGPL-3.0 license and authentication options.

It is a weaker fit for travelers who want a conventional hosted app and do not want to manage infrastructure. Its route handoff to Google Maps is useful for directions, but travelers seeking a standalone navigation experience should account for that division of roles.

Pros and cons

Pros: Broad shared-trip coverage, from live itinerary editing and polls to reservation records, budgets, and assigned packing lists, keeps practical planning in one workspace.
Pros: Self-hosting, SQLite storage, and scheduled snapshots give operators control over trip data and backups.
Pros: Multiple deployment routes, architecture images, and established identity integrations accommodate varied self-hosted environments.
Cons: The operator takes on deployment and ongoing service responsibilities, making it less suitable for people who want a fully managed planner.
Cons: Turn-by-turn directions depend on handing a day to Google Maps rather than navigating within TREK.

Alternatives

Choose TripBuddy if you want a free planner across Android, iOS, and web with every trip, day, and crew size included. Stippl is a better fit for travelers who want unlimited trips, co-planners, expenses, and journal entries plus AI generation, PDF export, and calendar sync in its free plan.

Pilot is another free Android, iOS, and web option, with itinerary building, route and map tools, reservation import, and real-time collaboration. For an iOS- and macOS-focused option, Navly offers a free AI travel assistant and a 2.99 USD once Day Pass that does not renew automatically.

NxVoy Trips may suit travelers looking for a chat-based AI planner: its free plan includes 5 chats and 50 messages per session. Waiz is worth considering for unlimited free trips and itineraries, with a Pro plan adding an AI trip wizard, trip chat, and booking auto-import.

Onytrip offers a completely free service with no premium tiers, including AI-generated itineraries, collaborative planning, PDF and calendar export, interactive maps, and experience booking. Travelifly is an iOS alternative whose free plan covers two full single-city trips.

Verdict

TREK is a strong choice for groups and internal teams that want a broad, free travel-planning workspace and are willing to operate it themselves. Its combination of collaboration, logistics, self-hosted data, and deployment flexibility is the reason to choose it. Look elsewhere if you want a managed service without infrastructure responsibilities.

	SMOVECITY	TREK
Free plan	No	Yes
Free trial	No	No
Paid from	—	Free
Open source	No	No
Platforms	iOS, Android	Android, iOS, Linux, self-hosted, Web
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Mobile app	Yes	—
Map view	Yes	—
Booking links	Yes	—
Collaborative planning	Yes	—

SMOVECITY vs TREK

SMOVECITY

TREK