This is the shortest path from a new account to a trip your chaperones and families can use. You can do every step on the website or in the phone app; a few are easier on a big screen.
1. Create your account
Sign up at thetripbinder.com or in the iPhone or Android app. When asked who you are, pick Teacher or staff. We email you a 6-digit code to confirm your address. If school email is slow to arrive, use Continue with Google or Continue with Microsoft instead — see The code or invite never arrived.
2. Create the trip
- Website: on your trips page, click New trip.
- Phone: on the Trips tab, tap New, then New trip.
Give it a name, a destination, your dates and your school. Running several day trips with the same group, like a competition season? Turn on This trip has several travel days (Several travel days on the phone).
New trips start as a Draft, so families cannot see anything yet. You can build the whole trip on the free plan. Same-day trips are free to publish; overnight and multi-day trips need Pro to publish. See Plans and pricing.
3. Add your travelers
Open the trip and go to Roster, then Import roster. Upload a CSV or Excel file (or a Google Sheet on the website), check how the columns line up, and import. Details are in Import and manage your roster.
4. Invite your chaperones
Open Staff & permissions and use Invite chaperones & co-organizers. Paste one or more email addresses, pick Chaperone or Co-organizer, and send. Chaperones never pay for anything. See Invite trip members.
5. Bring in travelers and families
Go to Roster, then Invite travelers. You will find the trip's join code there and a printable how-to-join handout. Travelers choose I'm the traveler; parents choose I'm a parent or guardian. You can also email a parent directly from a traveler's page with Invite to the app. See Join a trip.
6. Build the schedule
Open Schedule and use Add event, or Import to bring in a PDF, Word, text or CSV schedule.
7. Publish
When everything looks right, open Trip settings, set Status to Active and save. On an overnight trip, this is when you are asked to upgrade.
Want to look around first? Try the demo trip. Running the same trip next year? Duplicate it.