How to use the Trip Manager

The Trip Manager is the control center for saved trips.

Use it when you want to understand what your current workspace is, save it, switch to another trip, or clean up older versions.

The main question this modal answers is:

Am I working in a scratch draft or a saved trip, and what will happen if I save, load, duplicate, rename, or delete something?

What this modal is for

Use My Trips to:

• start a new trip
• save the current workspace
• search your saved trips
• load another saved trip into the workspace
• rename a trip
• duplicate a trip into a new branch
• delete a trip you no longer need

It also explains where trips are stored and what does or does not survive in this browser.

Step 1: Read the header status first

Before touching any buttons, read the status line in the header.

It tells you:

• which user/session is active
• whether the current workspace is saved or unsaved
• whether the workspace matches the active trip

Those signals matter because they tell you whether the next save action will update an existing saved trip or create something new.

Step 2: Use the top action buttons deliberately

The top-left toolbar gives you the two main actions:

• New Trip
• Save to Active Trip or Save as New Trip

This is the main Trip Manager surface. The top buttons control the current workspace, the center panels explain what is saved and where, and each saved trip row gives you direct actions like Load, Rename, Duplicate, and Delete.

Button: New Trip

Use New Trip when you want to leave the current trip behind and start fresh.

This is the right move when:

• you want a clean planning workspace
• you are branching into a totally different route or concept
• you do not want to overwrite the current saved trip

If the current workspace has unsaved changes, the Trip Manager may ask whether you want to save before continuing.

Button: Save to Active Trip

If the current workspace is already backed by a saved active trip, you will see Save to Active Trip.

Use it when:

• you want to update the current saved trip with your latest workspace changes
• you are continuing the same plan rather than making a new branch

This updates the active saved trip instead of creating another one.

Button: Save as New Trip

If the current workspace is only a scratch draft, the save button becomes Save as New Trip.

Use it when:

• you want to turn the scratch draft into a saved trip
• you want to preserve the current workspace before loading something else

This creates a new saved trip rather than overwriting an existing one.

Step 3: Use search when the list gets crowded

The search field on the right filters trips by name.

Use it when:

• you have many saved versions
• you remember part of the trip name
• you want to narrow the list before loading, renaming, or deleting

If the search returns nothing, the modal will show No matching trips rather than hiding the fact that other saved trips still exist.

Step 4: Pay attention to the workspace status panel

The panel under the toolbar tells you whether the current workspace is:

• Saved trip
• Scratch draft

That distinction matters because it changes what saving and loading mean.

Use it as the answer to:

• am I editing a saved trip right now?
• or am I still just working in an unsaved scratch draft?

If the panel says Saved trip, saving usually updates or preserves a real saved record.

If it says Scratch draft, you should assume the current work is temporary until you explicitly save it as a trip.

Step 5: Read the Storage help box

The Storage help section is one of the most important warning areas in the modal.

It explains:

• Saved here: trips, planner inputs, and route files stay in this browser on this device
• What survives: refreshing or closing the app keeps your workspace and saved trips available here
• What does not: trips do not sync across browsers, profiles, or devices in v1
• Risk to avoid: clearing this site’s browser data or using private browsing can remove saved access

The practical meaning is simple:

• browser-local saved access is durable enough for normal use on this device
• but it is not cloud sync
• and browser-data clearing is risky

Step 6: Use the trip row actions carefully

Each saved trip row shows:

• trip name
• short trip ID tag
• active badge when relevant
• last updated time
• action buttons

The main row actions are:

• Load
• Rename
• Duplicate
• Delete

Button: Load

Use Load when you want to replace the current workspace with that saved trip.

Important warning:

• loading a trip replaces the current workspace

That means if the current workspace contains changes you care about, save them first.

Load is the right action when:

• you want to continue working on that exact saved trip
• you want to compare another saved version
• you are returning to prior work

Button: Rename

Use Rename when the trip itself is still the same plan, but the current name is no longer clear or useful.

Good times to rename:

• after a route concept becomes more specific
• when multiple versions are starting to look too similar
• when you want clearer comparison labels

Rename changes the label, not the underlying trip content.

Button: Duplicate

Use Duplicate when you want to branch into a new version without overwriting the original.

This is one of the safest and most useful Trip Manager actions.

Use it when:

• you want to try a different campsite layout
• you want to compare conservative and aggressive versions
• you want to test alternate planner inputs without losing the original

Duplicate is usually better than overwriting when you are still comparing options.

Button: Delete

Use Delete only when you are sure the trip is no longer needed.

The delete confirmation explicitly warns:

• Delete trip
• This cannot be undone

So treat delete as cleanup, not as a casual version-management tool.

Step 7: Understand the unsaved-changes warning

If you try to leave the current workspace by loading another trip or starting a new one while unsaved changes exist, the Trip Manager may stop and ask what you want to do.

The modal gives you three choices:

• Save to Active Trip or Save as New Trip
• Continue Without Saving
• Cancel

Use them like this:

• choose the save option if you want to preserve the current workspace first
• choose Continue Without Saving only when you are comfortable discarding the current unsaved state
• choose Cancel if you want to stop and think before switching contexts

This warning is there to prevent accidental loss of work.

Step 8: Understand the delete confirmation

If you choose Delete, the modal shows a dedicated confirmation panel before removing the trip.

That is your last chance to back out.

Use it as a pause to confirm:

• this is the correct trip
• you do not need it for comparison later
• you are not deleting the only saved version you still care about

A safe order of operations

For most users, the safest Trip Manager workflow is:

1. Read whether the current workspace is a saved trip or a scratch draft.
2. Save the current workspace before switching away if the changes matter.
3. Use Load to reopen prior work.
4. Use Duplicate before making major experimental changes.
5. Use Rename to keep versions understandable.
6. Use Delete only for cleanup after you are sure a version is no longer needed.

Common mistakes this modal helps avoid

Watch out for these:

• loading another trip before saving the current scratch draft
• overwriting the active trip when you really meant to branch with Duplicate
• assuming saved trips sync across browsers or devices
• using private browsing or clearing browser data and expecting saved trips to survive
• deleting a trip that you still needed as a comparison point

What to do next

After you understand the Trip Manager, continue with:

• Save and manage trips
• Restore a saved trip
• Compare plan versions instead of chasing precision