Plan your first trip in TRIPS

Use this article when you want the shortest path from "I have a route idea" to "I have a workable first-pass itinerary."

The first-trip workflow

1. Sign in and access TRIPS beta.
2. Choose and prepare a GPX.
3. Upload the GPX.
4. Split the route into days.
5. Review route and day outputs.
6. Save the plan once it becomes worth keeping.

Step 1: Sign in and confirm access

Start by making sure you can open the planner and use trip features normally.

Read next:

• Sign in and access TRIPS beta for access setup and first-run entry

Use that article if:

• you are unsure how access works
• the planner opens but trip features are limited
• you think your account may not have access yet

Step 2: Choose and prepare a GPX

TRIPS works best when the route file is clean and intentional.

Before upload, decide:

• whether the GPX represents the route you actually want to evaluate
• whether the file includes the full route rather than only one segment
• whether the route should be cleaned up in another GPX tool first

Read next:

• Choose and prepare a GPX for TRIPS if you are unsure whether the file is ready

Step 3: Upload the route

Once the route loads, TRIPS can calculate route-level and day-level planning outputs.

Read next:

• Upload a GPX for the exact upload steps

Step 4: Split the route into days

This is where the plan starts to become useful.

Add campsites or split points, then move them until the hard work lands in better places.

Read next:

• Split a route into days for the practical workflow
• Understand route and day outputs once the itinerary exists

Step 5: Review what the plan is telling you

Do not look only at the total route summary.

Check both:

• route-level outputs to understand the whole trip
• day-level outputs to find badly balanced days

If one day looks wrong, adjust campsite placement before assuming the whole route is impossible.

Read next:

• Understand route and day outputs to interpret what TRIPS is telling you
• Why route segmentation matters so much if campsite moves seem to change the plan more than expected

Step 6: Save the plan when it becomes valuable

Keep using a scratch draft while exploring.

Save the trip when:

• you have a first-pass itinerary worth keeping
• you want to compare a conservative and aggressive version
• you want to come back later without rebuilding the work

Read next:

• Save and manage trips when the plan becomes worth keeping
• Restore a saved trip if you are returning to work you saved earlier

When to think about calibration

Calibration is not part of the core first-trip workflow.

Do your first planning passes without it unless you already know you want personalized behavior from your own FIT history.

If you do want that later, start with Calibrate TRIPS with FIT files.

Related articles

• How to use planner inputs if you want the full panel-by-panel walkthrough
• How should I choose effort intent? if the route looks plausible but your pacing assumption does not