Google's new Trips app helps you discover noteworthy sights during trips and maps them out in itineraries. The app also imports travel confirmations from Gmail, but that feature is still rough around the edges. Credit: Thinkstock Google Trips, a new trip-planning and travel-guide app for Android and iOS, isn’t the TripIt killer it could be. The free app is, however, a worthy download for business and leisure travelers, particularly those who like to map out sightseeing itineraries for their destinations. Google Trips and TripIt (for Android, iOS, Windows, BlackBerry and web browsers) both automatically import email confirmations for hotels, airlines, rental cars, restaurants, and more. And they build trip itineraries based on those messages. TripIt automatically imports travel email from Gmail, Outlook.com and Yahoo Mail. You can also manually forward travel confirmation emails to TripIt at plans@tripit.com. Google Trips is limited to Gmail, and you must be logged into your Google account to use the app. Google TripIt bests Google Trips in email import In my experience, TripIt does a better job importing confirmation emails from my Gmail account. For an upcoming trip in October, TripIt imported my airline, hotel, and rental car emails, and built a new itinerary around them. Google Trips imported my airline and rental car emails into one itinerary, but it built a second itinerary around my hotel email confirmation. And I couldn’t find a way to merge the two. You also cannot manually add reservations to your Google Trips itineraries, but you can with the TripIt app. On the plus side, Google Trips makes it easy to access original email confirmations directly in the app. Google Trips bests TripIt in exploration Google Trips really shines by helping you plan what to do at your destinations, before you arrive or while you’re there. Trips suggests places to see and restaurants at your destinations. You can browse sights based on criteria such as “Top Spots,” “Now” (for sights that are open when you browse), “Nearby,” and “Local Favorites.” The options available vary by destination. The app lets you map desired sights in half- or full-day itineraries, or by day of the week, and it displays the points of interest on a map, which is handy. You can also download all your confirmations and plans for a trip to your smartphone, which might be useful if you travel internationally and want to limit your cellular connectivity to save money. Google I like Google Trips and plan to use it to map out future trips— but I’ll also still use TripIt (especially the Pro plan) to organize my travel plans. Related content opinion 3 top travel apps worth revisiting TripAdvisor, Kayak, and TripIt have been around for years. But they keep getting more powerful and more useful with new features. By James A. Martin May 09, 2017 4 mins Mobile Apps Consumer Electronics opinion Amazon Echo Dot gets more portable and better sound from Vaux A new speaker/dock called Vaux gives Echo Dot two things Amazon left out. But does that make Echo Dot and Vaux a better buy than Amazon Tap? By James A. Martin Apr 29, 2017 2 mins Amazon.com Gadgets Mobile Apps opinion Who's smartest — Alexa, Siri, Cortana, or Google Assistant? You won't be shocked to learn that Apple's Siri virtual assistant has the best sense of humor. But you might be surprised to learn which virtual assistant is the smartestu2014and which one is no. 2 with a bullet. By James A. Martin Apr 27, 2017 4 mins Gadgets Mobile Apps Artificial Intelligence opinion Does the world need a Windows smartwatch? The answer is, 'yes,' if you like the idea of a commercial-grade wearable for retail, hospitality, healthcare and manufacturing. But the track record of squeezing Windows into a small device isn't good. By James A. Martin Apr 26, 2017 4 mins Wearables Mobile Apps Consumer Electronics Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe