TREK

TREK is a free, open-source travel planner that runs on hardware controlled by its operator. It supports shared trip itineraries with live presence, chat, polls, attendance, and read-only public links. Users can move places between days, optimize routes by distance, and send a day to Google Maps for turn-by-turn directions. Reservation records can hold confirmation numbers, files, and statuses for flights, stays, and restaurants. Budgets handle multiple currencies and per-person or per-day totals, while packing lists include templates and assignments to people. OpenStreetMap is the default place search; Google Places is optional, and 16-day forecasts use Open-Meteo without API keys. Optional addons include Atlas travel statistics, Vacay vacation planning, Journey travel journaling, and MCP integration. TREK can be installed as a PWA on a device's home screen. Trip data is stored in a SQLite file, with scheduled snapshots and retention policies. Deployment documentation covers Docker, Docker Compose, Helm/Kubernetes, Unraid, Proxmox, Raspberry Pi, and Apple Silicon, with AMD64 and ARM64 images. It is free for personal and internal company use under AGPL-3.0.

TREK combines collaborative trip organization with self-hosting and practical planning tools. Its fit depends on whether you want to operate the service on your own hardware.

TREK suits travelers who want to plan together and manage reservations, budgets, and packing lists in one planner. Its self-hosted design may appeal to people who want to run trip data on hardware they control.

TREK is a free, open-source travel planner for people organizing trips together. It suits groups who want shared planning and control over where their trip data runs. Its breadth is compelling, but self-hosting makes it a better fit for operators comfortable managing a service than for travelers seeking a conventional hosted app.

Overview

TREK brings itinerary planning, reservations, budgets, packing lists, and a journal into one collaborative workspace. It is designed to run on hardware the operator controls, with trip data stored in a SQLite file on a volume and scheduled snapshots available with retention policies. That control comes with responsibility: the operator must deploy and maintain the service.

The open-source AGPL-3.0 software is free for personal and internal company use. A live demo requires no account and resets every hour, making it useful for a quick look without committing to a deployment.

For more options, see Travel Itinerary Apps and AI Travel Planners.

Key features

Shared itineraries and coordination

Collaborators can edit itineraries together with live presence, then use chat, polls, and attendance tools to coordinate the group. Read-only public links let organizers share plans without handing out editing access. This combination is useful when several people are shaping a trip, though it does not remove the work of operating the planner itself.

Routes and reservation records

Places can move between itinerary days, and routes can be optimized by distance. Sending a day's plan to Google Maps provides turn-by-turn directions, while reservation import and records for flights, stays, and restaurants keep confirmation numbers, files, and statuses alongside the trip. The planner handles organization; Google Maps handles navigation.

Budgets, packing, and journaling

Budgets support multiple currencies and totals per person or per day, helping groups track costs in a format that reflects how they plan to split or review spending. Packing-list templates and assignment of items to people add practical preparation tools. Optional Journey adds travel journaling and can sync photos from Immich or Synology Photos; other optional addons include Atlas for travel statistics and Vacay for vacation planning.

Maps, forecasts, and integrations

OpenStreetMap powers place search by default, with Google Places available as an option. Weather forecasts extend to 16 days through Open-Meteo without API keys. The MCP server supports OAuth 2.1 and is described for use with Claude, Cursor, or another agent. That makes TREK more adaptable for technically inclined users, while the core planning tools remain usable without those optional integrations.

Security and deployment

The maker lists JWT sessions, OAuth 2.1, OIDC single sign-on, TOTP multi-factor authentication, and compatibility with Authelia, Authentik, and Keycloak. Deployment documentation covers Docker, Docker Compose, Helm/Kubernetes, Unraid, Proxmox, Raspberry Pi, and Apple Silicon, with AMD64 and ARM64 images. This range supports varied self-hosted setups, but the breadth is most valuable to people who already manage such environments.

Pricing

TREK (self-hosted): free. The free plan is for personal and internal company use under AGPL-3.0. There is no free trial because the product is free, and the demo offers a low-commitment way to explore it before setting up a server.

The free plan's cost does not include a hosted-service option in the stated offer: the operator runs TREK on controlled hardware and manages deployment and upkeep. That trade-off makes it a strong choice for people who want control and can handle administration, but less suitable for anyone who wants a provider to run the app for them.

Platforms

TREK's primary platform is the web, with Android, iOS, Linux, and self-hosted support. It is installable as a progressive web app and can be added to a device's home screen. Offline access and calendar sync are supported. The deployment options and AMD64 and ARM64 images broaden hardware choices, though mobile use still centers on the web app experience.

Who it's for

TREK is best for technically comfortable travelers, groups coordinating a shared itinerary, and people who want control over trip data and backups. Its budgets, packing assignments, reservation records, and group tools cover much of the organizational work of a trip. It is a weaker fit for people who do not want to install, host, or maintain software, or who prefer a conventional hosted travel app.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Broad group-planning toolkit: live collaborative editing, chat, polls, attendance, and read-only sharing support different stages of trip coordination.
• Useful trip records in one place: reservations, multi-currency budgets, assigned packing lists, and itineraries reduce the need to keep planning details in separate tools.
• Operator control: self-hosting, SQLite storage, and scheduled snapshots give operators control over where trip data resides and how backups are retained.
• Flexible deployment: documented support spans containers, Kubernetes, home-server platforms, Raspberry Pi, and Apple Silicon, with both AMD64 and ARM64 images.

Cons

• Self-hosting requires ownership of operations: deployment and upkeep fall to the operator, making TREK a poor match for travelers who want a ready-run hosted service.
• Some capabilities are optional addons: Atlas, Vacay, Journey, and MCP integration are not part of the core feature set by default.
• Navigation is handed off: TREK can optimize routes and send a day to Google Maps, but turn-by-turn directions happen in Google Maps.

Alternatives

Stippl is worth choosing instead if you want an Android, iOS, or web planner with a free plan that includes unlimited trips, destinations, activities, co-planners, expenses, and journal entries, plus AI generation, PDF export, and calendar sync.

Pilot is a free Android, iOS, and web alternative with itinerary building, route and map tools, file and reservation import, and real-time collaboration; choose it if you prefer those platforms without running a self-hosted service.

TripBuddy is another free option for Android, iOS, and web, with every trip, every day, and any crew size included.

Navly offers a free plan for iOS and macOS with an AI travel-planning assistant, map and location context, and itinerary building.

NxVoy Trips has a free plan for Android, iOS, and web that includes 5 chats and 50 messages per session; its premium plan is custom pricing.

Travelifly is an iOS alternative whose free plan covers two full single-city trips with checklists, transit, bilingual names, and hotel picks.

Travee is a free beta option for web, iOS, and Android with unlimited destinations.

iTinyri is a web and iOS alternative with a free plan offering 10 daily AI chats, two solo trips, two group trips, and two travel documents.

Verdict

Choose TREK if you want a free, capable shared travel planner and are willing to run it on hardware you control. Its strongest case is the combination of group coordination, practical trip records, and operator control. Look elsewhere if self-hosting and ongoing maintenance are deal-breakers.