Starting your trip
How to arm return-by monitoring from the Start tab, what happens when you tap Go, and what to do when you return.
All trip lifecycle actions — start, check in, adjust return, finish, and cancel — live on the Start tab. Trip Planner is for building your itinerary, editing dates, and viewing completed archives. It no longer has Start or Finish buttons.
Screenshot coming soon
Start tab idle card with Quick start and Planned trip modes, and the Go button.
Two ways to start
Quick start
For short outings without a pre-built itinerary. On the Start tab, leave Quick start selected, pick a return time (chips or Custom), name the trip, and tap Go.
See Quick start for the full walkthrough.
Planned trip
For trips you built in Trip Planner (days, waypoints, GPX, gear).
- Set start and end dates in Trip Planner or on the Start tab (trip calendar under Planned trip).
- Build your day rows. The + Day (n/N) button shows how many itinerary days you have versus your calendar span (Day 1 is created automatically with every new trip).
- Open the Start tab, choose Planned trip, select your trip, fix dates if needed, and tap Go.
You can only start when departure is today. If departure is in the past or in the future, Go stays disabled — update your trip dates on the Start tab or in Trip Planner (set start to today). Future departures show a Departure countdown until that day.
You can only have one active trip at a time. Finish your current trip before starting a new one.
Before you tap Go
End date is required. The return date drives return-by monitoring — calendar-based overdue alerts if you miss your promised return. Set or update it on the Start tab (planned-trip calendar) or in Trip Planner.
For a planned trip, set start to today before you tap Go if your stored departure is in the past. Quick start sets both dates automatically from your duration chips.
If dates are missing or stale, the Start tab shows Trip dates setup copy and an inline calendar — pick your range there, then tap Go.
What happens when you tap Go
When you start the trip, Trailkeep:
- Requests your GPS location to record trailhead coordinates. If GPS is unavailable or you decline, the trip still starts.
- Ensures a shared link exists for your trip — required for the QR code and safety features. If a link already exists, this is a no-op.
- Arms return-by monitoring — your promised return date and time are now live. If the Check-in Timer is enabled, its rolling countdown also starts from your configured window.
- Adds empty check-in days if needed — if your itinerary has fewer day rows than your calendar span, Trailkeep appends skeletal days so daily check-ins align. Extra day rows beyond your calendar span are not removed automatically; the + Day (n/N) counter in Trip Planner shows when they differ.
There is no need to tap Go more than once.
While the trip is active
Open the Start tab for everything on trail:
- Check in now — daily check-in; Check-in Timer reset when Trailkeep confirms (when enabled); GPS breadcrumb
- Adjust return — change your expected return date and time (requires signal)
- Finish trip — end monitoring when you are safely back (requires signal)
- Cancel trip — delete a trip you started by mistake (requires signal)
See Active trip on Start and Checking in.
Trip Planner remains open for itinerary editing on planner-origin trips (waypoints, day names). Check-in buttons no longer appear on Planner day rows.
Home quick-start trips show a Quick start trip card in Trip Planner instead of the day editor — manage those trips entirely from the Start tab.
The QR code — an access gate
The Safety QR acts as an access gate. In normal state, anyone who scans it sees only a status check: "Trip Active — Everything is going according to plan." No itinerary, no personal details.
If your safety alert fires and you are overdue, the gate opens — the QR redirects to your full shared trip page so emergency contacts or responders get everything they need.
The shared trip link is different. Anyone with the direct /trip/… URL can always see your full itinerary, route, and dates. Emergency contacts and personal details (name, medical notes) remain hidden on that page until an alert is active.
Finishing your trip
Tap Finish trip on the Start tab when you are safely off the trail. This:
- Records your end time
- Stops return-by monitoring, the Check-in Timer, and all other alerts
- Cleans up Trail Companion subscriptions
If there is an active safety alert or your trip is showing as overdue, Finish trip is disabled. Resolve the alert first, then finish.
After completion
Completed trips are read-only archives in Trip Planner — you can review the itinerary but not reset it to planning. To run the same route again, duplicate the trip from the trip menu and start the copy from the Start tab on departure day. Duplicate keeps your route plan and any linked gear list; dates and check-in state reset on the copy.