April 21, 2026
Google Trips Is Dead: Here Are 9 Better Alternatives (2026)
Google Trips shut down in 2019, but we found 9 better alternatives—including free AI-powered trip planners that actually work offline.
If you’re searching for Google Trips in 2026, I’ve got bad news: it’s been gone since 2019.
I know. I loved that app too. It was simple, free, worked offline, and didn’t try to sell me overpriced tours every five seconds. But Google being Google, they shut it down and replaced it with something that’s… well, not the same.
The good news? Seven years later, we’ve got WAY better options. Several travel planning apps have emerged as high-quality alternatives to Google Trips, offering features like automated email syncing, map-centric itineraries, and AI-driven personalization. These travel apps streamline every aspect of trip planning, from organizing itineraries to discovering new destinations.
Some are smarter. Some are faster. And one (spoiler: TripStone) is basically what Google Trips should have become if it had evolved instead of disappeared.
I spent the last month testing nine alternatives — from AI-powered planners to old-school organizers. Here’s what actually works.
What Happened to Google Trips?
Let’s address the elephant in the room: Google Trips died in August 2019.
The timeline went like this:
- 2016: Google Trips was originally launched — a beautiful, offline-first trip planner
- 2016-2019: Millions of people use it (including me)
- August 5, 2019: Google announces shutdown with 25 days notice
- August 30, 2019: App stops working
Why did Google kill it? The official reason was to “focus on Google Travel.” The real reason? Probably because it didn’t make them enough money. No ads, no booking commissions, just a genuinely useful free tool.
Classic Google.
Google Travel vs Google Trips: What Changed?
Here’s what I learned the hard way: Google Travel is NOT Google Trips 2.0.
What Google Trips had:
- ✅ Offline itineraries
- ✅ Auto-grouped reservations by trip
- ✅ Day plans with suggested activities
- ✅ “Things to do” organized by category
- ✅ Clean UI that didn’t try to sell you stuff
- ✅ Google Trip Summaries and Google Travel Trip Summaries provided organized overviews of upcoming trips, including itineraries, reservation details, and activity suggestions.
What Google Travel has:
- ⚠️ Reservation tracking (from Gmail)
- ⚠️ Basic trip organization
- ❌ No offline mode
- ❌ No day-by-day planning
- ❌ No curated “Things to do”
- ❌ Mostly just a flight/hotel search engine
Many travel planning apps now offer features such as itinerary creation, reservation organization, and travel recommendations, which were previously available in Google Trips.
Real talk: Google Travel is fine for tracking bookings. But for actually planning your trip? It’s not even close.
Quick Comparison: Best Google Trips Alternatives
| App | Price | Best For | AI Planning? | Offline Mode? | My Rating | Free Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TripStone | Free | AI-powered planning with real budgets | ✅ Yes | ✅ PDF export | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Yes – full features in free version |
| Wanderlog | Free version / ~$40 Pro | Collaborative planning | ❌ No | ✅ Pro only | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Yes – core features in free version |
| TripIt | Free (basic version) / ~$49 Pro | Email booking import | ❌ No | ❌ No | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Yes – basic version with limited features |
| Google Travel | Free | Basic reservation tracking | ❌ No | ❌ No | ⭐⭐⭐ | Yes – all features in free version |
| Sygic Travel | Free version / ~$30 Pro | Offline maps | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Yes – basic features in free version |
| Roadtrippers | Free version / ~$36 Pro | Road trips (US/Canada) | ❌ No | ⚠️ Limited | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Yes – limited features in free version |
| Tripsy | ~$5 one-time | iOS users | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | No free version |
| Polarsteps | Free | Travel journaling | ❌ No | ⚠️ Tracks only | ⭐⭐⭐ | Yes – all features in free version |
| Notion Templates | Free | DIY planners | ❌ No | ⚠️ Requires internet | ⭐⭐⭐ | Yes – all features in free version |
Note: Apps like TripIt (basic version) and Wanderlog allow users to sync their travel bookings from Gmail, ensuring all travel details are organized in one place.
9 Best Google Trips Alternatives
1. TripStone — Best Overall Replacement
Price: 100% free Best for: AI-powered trip planning with real budget estimates Link:tripstone.app/trip-planner
Here’s the thing: TripStone is what Google Trips should have become.
Google Trips was ahead of its time in 2016. Manual planning, offline mode, clean UI. But it never evolved. No AI, no real-time pricing, no budget tracking.
TripStone takes that concept and adds what travelers actually need in 2026:
What makes it special:
- 🤖 AI generates your entire itinerary — tell it “3 days in Barcelona” and it builds a comprehensive travel itinerary and trip itinerary, consolidating all your travel details and travel plans, including restaurants, museums, and activities in 60 seconds
- 💰 Real prices baked in — shows actual costs for restaurants (~$25/€23/£20/¥3,500), museum tickets, activities
- 📊 Smart budget tracking — auto-calculates trip budget based on real place prices, lets you track expenses by category
- 🌤️ Weather forecast per day — see what to expect each day of your trip
- 🏨 Accommodation hub — manage hotels, apartments, booking documents all in one place
- 🔄 AI place swap — don’t like a recommendation? Tell AI what you want instead: “swap this for a rooftop bar”
- 🌍 Multi-city trips — Paris → Amsterdam → Berlin? No problem
- 📱 Offline PDF export — download your trip in a clean PDF format (just like Google Trips!)
- 🎨 Full customization — drag & drop, add notes, search places by name
- 💡 Travel inspiration — get activity and place suggestions tailored to your preferences, helping you discover new experiences
Like other AI-powered travel planning apps such as TriPandoo, TripStone generates personalized itineraries quickly based on your travel style and budget. Its itinerary creation tools let you customize and manage every aspect of your trip, while personalized activity suggestions enhance your travel experience by recommending things to do based on your interests and existing plans.
I tested it for a week in Lisbon. Gave it “4 days, love food and views, budget €80/day” and it built an itinerary with:
- 12 restaurants (with actual menu prices)
- 8 viewpoints (free and paid)
- 3 museums (with ticket costs)
- Total budget: €312 auto-calculated
Then I tweaked it. Swapped a Michelin place for a cheaper bistro. Added a custard tart spot someone recommended. It took 5 minutes instead of 5 hours.
Honest pros:
- ✅ Fastest planning experience I’ve tested (60 seconds from idea to full itinerary)
- ✅ Free like Google Trips was (no paywalls, no “upgrade to Pro” bullshit)
- ✅ Modern UI that doesn’t feel stuck in 2016
- ✅ Actually useful budget tracking with real prices (not just manual expense entry)
- ✅ Weather + accommodation management (things Google Trips lacked)
- ✅ Robust itinerary creation and management of all travel details, including syncing and customizing your travel plans
Honest cons:
- ❌ No email booking import (TripIt still wins here)
- ❌ No collaborative editing (Wanderlog beats it for group trips)
- ❌ No flight/hotel price alerts (not what it’s built for)
When to use TripStone:
- You want AI to do the heavy lifting (like Google Trips auto-suggestions but smarter)
- You need real budget estimates, not guesswork
- You value speed over manual planning
- You want offline access without paying $40/year
- You want travel inspiration and personalized activity suggestions to enhance your trip itinerary
Bottom line: If you loved Google Trips for its simplicity and offline mode, TripStone is the spiritual successor. It’s what Google would’ve built if they cared about travelers instead of ad revenue.
Try it free: tripstone.app/trip-planner
2. Wanderlog — Best for Collaborative Planning
Price: Free (Pro ~$40/€37/£33/¥5,500 per year) Best for: Planning a group trip with friends, family, or fellow travelers
Wanderlog is the go-to if you’re planning with other people, making it ideal for coordinating with trip mates and fellow travelers.
Real-time collaborative editing means everyone—including your trip mates—can add places, vote on restaurants, and argue about museums together. It’s like Google Docs but for travel. Itinerary creation apps like Wanderlog include collaboration features, enabling multiple users to view and edit the itinerary, which is especially useful for group travel planning.
Pros:
- ✅ Best free tier (most features available without Pro)
- ✅ Real-time group editing for group trip planning with trip mates and fellow travelers
- ✅ Beautiful map-based interface
- ✅ Budget tracking (manual entry)
Cons:
- ❌ No AI planning (you do all the work)
- ❌ Offline mode requires Pro ($40/year)
- ❌ No real price data for places
Best for: Group trips where everyone—trip mates and fellow travelers—wants input.
3. TripIt — Best for Booking Organization
Price: Free (Pro ~$49/€45/£40/¥6,500 per year) Best for: Business travelers who book a lot
TripIt is the opposite of TripStone. It doesn’t help you plan — it organizes existing bookings.
Forward your booking confirmations to TripIt, and it auto-builds an itinerary. TripIt can also sync reservations and bookings directly from your email accounts, allowing for automatic itinerary creation. Flight confirmations, hotel bookings, rental cars — all in one timeline.
Pros:
- ✅ Email parsing actually works (magic) for booking confirmations
- ✅ Syncs reservations from email accounts for automatic itinerary creation
- ✅ Flight alerts and gate changes (paid version: TripIt Pro only)
- ✅ Shared trips for colleagues
- ✅ Allows users to categorize expenses by payment method (Pro only)
Cons:
- ❌ Zero planning features (no “things to do”)
- ❌ Dated UI (feels like 2015)
- ❌ Paid version (TripIt Pro) is expensive for what you get; basic version lacks advanced features
Best for: Business travel. If you fly 5+ times a year and need everything organized automatically.
4. Google Travel — Google's Own Replacement (But Limited)
Price: Free Best for: Tracking Gmail bookings if you’re already in Google ecosystem
Google Travel is what Google gave us after killing Google Trips. It’s… fine.
It pulls reservations from Gmail, shows them in a timeline, and lets you search flights/hotels. Google Travel integrates with Google Flights for researching and comparing flight options, and with Google Maps for basic trip visualization and navigation. You can also use Google Search and other services to find recommendations, reviews, and booking information to supplement your planning. For multi-modal transport planning, tools like Rome2Rio help users understand transport options between destinations, showing estimated costs and travel times for each combination.
Pros:
- ✅ Automatic reservation import from Gmail
- ✅ Integrated with Google ecosystem
- ✅ Flight/hotel price tracking
Cons:
- ❌ No offline mode
- ❌ No day-by-day planning
- ❌ No curated “things to do”
- ❌ Basically just a booking search tool
Best for: You’re deeply invested in Google ecosystem and only need basic reservation tracking.
5. Sygic Travel — Best Offline Maps
Price: Free (Premium ~$30/€28/£25/¥4,000 per year) Best for: Travelers who need offline maps and data
Sygic Travel Maps is the offline king, offering a travel map-centric approach that lets users create custom maps, custom routes, and map-based itineraries. Download entire cities with places, photos, and descriptions, and easily visualize your travel routes—including start and end points—while seeing the locations of attractions and accommodations. Many itinerary creation tools, including Sygic, offer map-based planning to enhance trip visualization. No internet? No problem.
Pros:
- ✅ Robust offline functionality
- ✅ Detailed maps and place database
- ✅ 360° photos for major sights
- ✅ Day-by-day itinerary builder
- ✅ Create custom maps and custom routes for your trip
Cons:
- ❌ UI feels cluttered
- ❌ Manual planning (no AI)
- ❌ Premium paywall for best features
Best for: Backpackers and travelers to places with spotty internet.
6. Roadtrippers — Best for Road Trips
Price: Free (Plus ~$36/€33/£30/¥4,800 per year) Best for: US and Canada road trips
Roadtrippers excels at planning road trips by helping users map routes, add stops, and discover unique places to visit along the way. The app makes it easy to find attractions, restaurants, and activities at your destination, creating a more engaging travel itinerary.
Pros:
- ✅ Perfect for planning road trips
- ✅ Quirky roadside attractions database
- ✅ Helps you discover places to visit and things to do at your destination
- ✅ Gas cost estimates
- ✅ Offline maps (Plus)
Cons:
- ❌ Only useful for planning road trips
- ❌ US/Canada focused (limited international)
- ❌ Not great for city exploration
Best for: Cross-country drives, national park loops, Route 66 vibes.
7. Tripsy — Best for iOS Users
Price: ~$5/€5/£4/¥650 (one-time purchase) Best for: iPhone/iPad users who want a native experience
Tripsy is a beautiful iOS-only app. One-time purchase, no subscriptions, clean design. It allows users to manage accommodation bookings and flight bookings as part of their trip planning, making it easy to organize all travel details in one place. For your next trip, Tripsy can also integrate with tools like PackPoint, which generates customized packing lists based on your destination, weather forecasts, and planned activities.
Pros:
- ✅ One-time payment (no annual fees!)
- ✅ Beautiful native iOS design
- ✅ Offline mode built-in
- ✅ Expense tracking
- ✅ Manage accommodation and flight bookings
Cons:
- ❌ iOS only (sorry Android users)
- ❌ Manual planning (no AI)
- ❌ No web version
Best for: Apple ecosystem fans who hate subscriptions.
8. Polarsteps — Best Travel Journal
Price: Free (Plus ~$30/€28/£25/¥4,000 per year) Best for: Documenting trips, not planning them
Polarsteps is more journal than planner. It tracks where you’ve been, not where you’re going, allowing you to document your journeys around the world—whether it’s one trip or multiple adventures.
Pros:
- ✅ Beautiful travel diary
- ✅ Automatic location tracking
- ✅ Photo albums per trip
- ✅ Sharable trip pages
- ✅ Access to pre-created itineraries and travel guides for inspiration
Cons:
- ❌ Not a planner (no itinerary builder)
- ❌ Battery drain from GPS tracking
- ❌ Best features require Plus
Best for: Instagram-worthy trip documentation. Great for post-trip memories, not pre-trip planning, but also useful for finding inspiration through travel guides and itineraries from around the world.
9. Notion Travel Templates — Best for DIY Planners
Price: Free Best for: People who love spreadsheets and customization
Notion isn’t a travel app, but tons of people use it for trip planning. Download a template, customize everything. While Notion offers many features for customization, it does not provide pre-made travel guides or integrated travel guides—users must build everything from scratch. Unlike other travel planning apps that combine itinerary management with interactive map features to enhance user experience and collaboration, Notion lacks built-in map and guide functionalities.
Pros:
- ✅ Infinite customization
- ✅ Free (if you already use Notion)
- ✅ Combine planning + packing + budget
Cons:
- ❌ Steep learning curve
- ❌ Requires internet (not truly offline)
- ❌ You build everything from scratch
- ❌ No pre-made travel guides or integrated travel guides
Best for: Control freaks who want to design their own system. Honestly? Way too much work for most people.
What Google Trips Users Really Want (And Where to Find It)
After talking to dozens of former Google Trips users, here’s what people actually miss:
1. Simplicity→ TripStone nails this. AI does the work, you just tweak.
2. Offline access→ Sygic Travel or TripStone (PDF export). Both work without internet.
3. Free (no subscription BS)→ TripStone, Wanderlog free tier, or Google Travel. No paywalls.
4. Day-by-day structure→ TripStone auto-builds days. Wanderlog lets you manually organize days.
5. “Things to do” suggestions→ TripStone AI suggests places with real prices. Sygic has curated lists. Many users also want apps that help them discover attractions, restaurants, and activities at their destination to create a more engaging travel itinerary.
6. Clean UI without ads→ TripStone and Tripsy. No clutter, no upsells.
7. Finding travel deals and best deals→ Users want to search for, compare, and book travel deals and best deals on accommodations, flights, and activities to save money on their trips.
8. One stop shop convenience→ Some users prefer a one stop shop for all their travel planning needs, including booking, itinerary management, and discovering travel deals in one place.
The pattern? Most people want AI planning + offline access + no subscription. That’s literally TripStone’s entire value prop.
FAQ
Is there a free Google Trips alternative?
Yes — TripStone, Wanderlog (free tier), and Google Travel are all free. TripStone is the closest to Google Trips in terms of simplicity + offline mode.
What replaced Google Trips?
Officially, Google Travel replaced it. But Google Travel is just a booking tracker, not a planner. For actual trip planning, you need TripStone or Wanderlog.
Can I still download Google Trips?
Nope. The app was removed from app stores in 2019 and stopped working entirely. Your old trips are gone unless you exported them before shutdown.
What's the best offline trip planner?
Sygic Travel for robust offline maps. TripStone for offline PDF export of your itinerary. Tripsy for iOS users. All work without internet.
Is TripStone really free or is there a catch?
100% free. No Pro tier, no paywalls, no "upgrade to unlock features" nonsense. I built it because I was tired of $40-$50/year subscriptions for basic travel planning.
Which app is best for group trips?
Wanderlog hands down. Real-time collaborative editing means everyone can contribute. TripStone doesn't have collaboration (yet).
Final Verdict: What Should You Use?
Here's my honest take after testing nine apps:
For most people: Start with TripStone. It's the fastest way to go from "I'm thinking about Barcelona" to a full itinerary with real budgets. Free, no signup required, 60 seconds to test.
For group trips: Use Wanderlog. Collaboration features are unmatched.
For business travel: TripIt if you need email automation. Worth the $49/year if you fly constantly.
For road trips: Roadtrippers. Nothing else comes close for driving routes.
For offline maps: Sygic Travel. Essential for backpackers.
But if you're here because you miss Google Trips? TripStone is what you've been looking for. It's the evolution Google should've built but didn't.
Free, fast, and actually useful. No ads, no upsells, no bullshit.
Try it: tripstone.app/trip-planner
Need help comparing trip planners? Check out Wanderlog vs TripIt for a detailed breakdown of the two most popular alternatives.