A group trip planning app that does the organising

Most group trip tools do one job: an itinerary, a poll, or a cost splitter. The organiser ends up running three apps and a group chat, and still answering every question.

Here is what a group trip planner app should do for you, and how Anchor does each one.

Start your trip free

What a group trip planning app should do

1. It starts from a sentence, not a blank form
Most planners open on an empty itinerary and wait for you to type the trip in, one item at a time.
In Anchor: Tell Anchor about the trip in one sentence. It fills the trip in while you watch, lays out the days, and asks only what it cannot work out.
2. Everyone sees the same plan, by day
The plan should not live in a group chat, forty messages deep. Everyone needs the current version, on their phone, without asking you for it.
In Anchor: Every day is laid out slot by slot, and every guest sees the same current plan.
3. Guests join without downloading anything
Every app your friends must install and sign up for loses a few of them. The best group tool is one guests can open from a link.
In Anchor: Each guest gets their own private link. No app, no account, no password.
4. It answers the questions, so you do not have to
The organiser becomes the help desk: what time is the boat, what is the address, what do I owe. An app that only stores the plan still leaves you answering.
In Anchor: Anchor answers guests from the plan you approved, day and night, on the site or in Telegram. If something is not in the plan, it says so instead of guessing.
5. It keeps track of who owes what
One person fronts the rooms and the dinners, then spends a month chasing the money. You want the record kept as costs happen, not rebuilt at the end.
In Anchor: Anchor keeps who owes what always current, and hands each person to their own bank app to settle up. It never holds your card and takes no commission.
See what your trip will cost first, no account needed
6. It tells the right people, once
Plans change. Sending the same update to the same people one at a time is how somebody misses the new pick-up time.
In Anchor: Say it once. Anchor tells exactly the people it applies to.
7. Personal details stay personal
Passports, flights and payments belong to each guest. A shared spreadsheet shows everything to everyone.
In Anchor: Guests cannot see one another's documents, and the trip stays out of search. Every guest has their own key.

Questions people ask

Is there a free group trip planning app?: Anchor is free to start: the plan, the guests, the money record, the messages, a private key for every guest and Anchor answering day and night. You pay only if you want the trip on your own web address with your own colours.
Do my friends need to download an app?: No. Each guest opens their own private link in the browser on their phone. There is no app to install, no account to make and no password to remember.
Can a group trip app split costs?: Anchor records each cost, who paid it and who owes what, so the totals are always current. The money itself moves through whatever banking app each person already uses.
What kinds of trips is it for?: A birthday abroad, a family holiday, a destination wedding, a company offsite, a few days in a city. It works the same from a dozen friends to a full production.
Should I just use a spreadsheet?: A spreadsheet works while one person is planning. Once twenty people need the latest version on their phones and money is moving between them, you want one place that stays current for everyone. The order to plan things in is on our group trip checklist. Read the group trip planning checklist

Plan the whole trip in one place

Tell Anchor about the trip in one sentence. It lays out the days, takes the guests, and answers their questions so you do not have to. Free to start, nothing for your guests to install.

Start your trip

What a group trip planning app should do

1. It starts from a sentence, not a blank form

Most planners open on an empty itinerary and wait for you to type the trip in, one item at a time.

In Anchor: Tell Anchor about the trip in one sentence. It fills the trip in while you watch, lays out the days, and asks only what it cannot work out.

2. Everyone sees the same plan, by day

The plan should not live in a group chat, forty messages deep. Everyone needs the current version, on their phone, without asking you for it.

In Anchor: Every day is laid out slot by slot, and every guest sees the same current plan.

3. Guests join without downloading anything

Every app your friends must install and sign up for loses a few of them. The best group tool is one guests can open from a link.

In Anchor: Each guest gets their own private link. No app, no account, no password.

4. It answers the questions, so you do not have to

The organiser becomes the help desk: what time is the boat, what is the address, what do I owe. An app that only stores the plan still leaves you answering.

In Anchor: Anchor answers guests from the plan you approved, day and night, on the site or in Telegram. If something is not in the plan, it says so instead of guessing.

5. It keeps track of who owes what

One person fronts the rooms and the dinners, then spends a month chasing the money. You want the record kept as costs happen, not rebuilt at the end.

In Anchor: Anchor keeps who owes what always current, and hands each person to their own bank app to settle up. It never holds your card and takes no commission.

See what your trip will cost first, no account needed

6. It tells the right people, once

Plans change. Sending the same update to the same people one at a time is how somebody misses the new pick-up time.

In Anchor: Say it once. Anchor tells exactly the people it applies to.

7. Personal details stay personal

Passports, flights and payments belong to each guest. A shared spreadsheet shows everything to everyone.

In Anchor: Guests cannot see one another's documents, and the trip stays out of search. Every guest has their own key.

Questions people ask

Is there a free group trip planning app?

Anchor is free to start: the plan, the guests, the money record, the messages, a private key for every guest and Anchor answering day and night. You pay only if you want the trip on your own web address with your own colours.

Do my friends need to download an app?

No. Each guest opens their own private link in the browser on their phone. There is no app to install, no account to make and no password to remember.

Can a group trip app split costs?

Anchor records each cost, who paid it and who owes what, so the totals are always current. The money itself moves through whatever banking app each person already uses.

What kinds of trips is it for?

A birthday abroad, a family holiday, a destination wedding, a company offsite, a few days in a city. It works the same from a dozen friends to a full production.

Should I just use a spreadsheet?

A spreadsheet works while one person is planning. Once twenty people need the latest version on their phones and money is moving between them, you want one place that stays current for everyone. The order to plan things in is on our group trip checklist. Read the group trip planning checklist