Understanding Trip Phases

For organizers and everyone following the trip

In plain terms

Trip phases are the board’s way of changing emphasis as a trip moves forward. The trip itself does not reset, and your information does not disappear. Instead, the board shifts its spotlight so the most useful details rise to the top at the right time.

DreamingFormerly called Shaping. Best for gathering preferences, reactions, and early ideas.
DoingFormerly called Planning. Best for locking bookings, logistics, and open decisions.
GoingFormerly called On trip. Best for live coordination while the trip is happening.

Why This Exists

TravelSync uses trip phases to keep one shared trip board useful from the earliest conversations all the way through the live trip itself. Organizers can shift the saved phase as the group moves from discussing options, to making decisions, to actually traveling.

For everyone else, phases are mainly a signal. If the board looks different than it did last week, that usually means the trip has moved into a new stage and the board is now prioritizing a different kind of work.

How Each Phase Behaves

Dreaming (Shaping)

This is the early alignment phase. The board puts preferences, reactions, notes, and suggestions front and center so the group can answer questions like: What sounds good? Which stops are exciting? Who still needs to weigh in?

Organizers will see participation progress and who is still missing preferences. Stop details focus more on reactions and notes than on finalized logistics.

Doing (Planning)

This is the decision-making phase. The board highlights the stops that still need hotels, bookings, day plans, or traveler confirmation so organizers can quickly spot what remains open.

The trip ideas inbox also becomes more operational here, helping accepted suggestions move into actual stops or bookings.

Going (On Trip)

This is the live coordination phase. The board shifts toward what matters right now: the current stop, the next stop, today’s agenda, transport, confirmations, and fast access to trip-day details.

The map also becomes more day-aware in this phase, and stop details can include live actions like navigation.

What Members Usually Do In Each Phase

Dreaming

Members usually share preferences, react to stops, leave notes, and suggest ideas. Trip admins keep an eye on who still needs to weigh in.

Doing

Members usually review the plan, comment on decisions, and help confirm what still feels open. Trip admins turn accepted ideas into real stops, bookings, and logistics.

Going

Members usually use the board for day-of coordination: checking the current stop, today's plan, confirmations, and transport details. Trip admins can still update logistics, but the board is mainly helping everyone follow the trip in real time.

What Actually Changes On The Board

Changing the phase does not delete information. It changes what the board emphasizes first.

The board’s top summary section changes to match the current stage of the trip.
Stop cards surface different details depending on the phase.
The map keeps the trip geography, but the most relevant context changes with the phase.
During Going, the map can filter by trip day so the group can focus on what is happening now.

FAQ For Users

Who can change the trip phase?: Trip organizers and other trip admins can change the saved phase for the trip. Other members can still use the board and understand the current stage, but they do not control the shared phase setting.
Does changing the phase remove anything from the trip?: No. Your stops, ideas, bookings, notes, and preferences stay with the trip. The phase only changes what the board puts front and center.
Do we have to use the phases in order?: No. Phases are meant to reflect what your group needs right now, not force a rigid process. Organizers can switch whenever a different board view would help.
Does TravelSync change phases automatically?: Not exactly. TravelSync can suggest a better phase when the trip seems to have moved forward, but an organizer still decides whether to save that change for the trip.
When will TravelSync suggest Doing (Planning)?: If most travelers have already submitted their preferences, the app may suggest moving from Dreaming to Doing so the board can focus more on decisions and logistics.
When will TravelSync suggest Going (On Trip)?: If the current date falls inside the trip’s saved date range, the app may suggest moving into Going so live trip coordination becomes easier to reach.
Why did the board open in Going on my phone if the trip phase says something else?: On mobile, an active trip can temporarily open in the Going view so live details are easier to reach quickly. That temporary mobile view does not always mean the saved phase has been changed for everyone.
Why does the board look different now than it did before?: That usually means the organizer changed the saved phase, or the app is temporarily showing a more useful phase for the device and timing. The trip data is the same; the board is just emphasizing different information.
What is the simplest way to think about the three phases?: Dreaming asks, “What do we want?” Doing asks, “What still needs to get locked in?” Going asks, “What matters right now?”