Calculating Distances

In earlier versions of Tripline, we had a simple mechanism to calculate total distance for a trip. Basically it measured geodesic distance (straight line across a sphere) between all the points and added it all up. That works fine for trips that only have straight lines, but it was inaccurate for trips that followed driving, bicycling, walking and custom routes. So, in our latest release (April 19, 2025) we rebuilt the mechanism to measure true distance for each segment. It’s much more accurate, and we also display travel distance and estimated duration for each segment as well.

How it looks now

Here’s how we display distances on trips. It’s similar in the mobile app.

And here’s how it looks in the editor where you can choose travel mode

How it works

When you add places to a trip, we have an algorithm that automatically chooses the likely travel mode between two points based on distance. If it’s a short distance (under 1km), the system chooses WALKING. If it’s under 500km, the system chooses DRIVING. Otherwise it sets a geodesic path (straight line across a sphere) which is like a flight path. You can then click the line to select the travel mode you want for any line. If our directions service can’t find a route between the points, we reset to a geodesic path (for example if you choose DRIVING for a line between New York and London).

The method used to calculate distance and duration differs by travel mode.

Travel ModeDistanceDurationNotes
FLYING
(Default)
Geodesic distance between pointsNoneWe thought about estimating duration, but there’s no accurate way to do it.
DRIVINGDetailed route distance provided by directions serviceEstimated typical duration provided by directions service
TRANSITDetailed route distance provided by directions serviceEstimated typical duration provided by directions service
BICYCLINGDetailed route distance provided by directions serviceEstimated typical duration provided by directions service
WALKINGDetailed route distance provided by directions serviceEstimated typical duration provided by directions service
CUSTOM PATHSum of geodesic distance between each pointNone

We then add up all of the segment distances to calculate the total trip distance. Also, you’ll notice that we display distances in both Miles and Kilometers. We know that many of you are on the metric system, but we felt that it’s better to always have both.

Can you add/edit duration manually?

Durations cannot be added or edited manually at the moment.

What about past trips?

If you have a trip that was created before April 19, 2025, the distance was calculated using the old method, and is likely inaccurate if you have driving/walking/custom paths. If you’d like to update it to have more accurate distances, here’s what you can do:

  1. Go to the trip page
  2. Click [ Edit Map ] to open the editor
  3. Click each line and select the appropriate travel mode (even if it’s already selected). This will recalculate the distance for that segment.
  4. After you’re done, click [ Save & Exit ]
  5. You’ll now see distances for each segment and a more accurate total distance

We know this is a manual process that could take some time, so we apologize for that. We didn’t feel comfortable running a script to automatically edit people’s maps in the background. We don’t like doing that sort of thing because we want everything you create on Tripline to be under your control as much as possible, and as much as automated processes can help speed things up, there’s always the risk that something goes wrong.

If you have any further questions, please contact support@tripline.net

Verification FAQ

We’ve recently launched a new feature to handle email address verification, password resets and invitations. If you’re having trouble, here are the answers to some frequently asked questions:

Q: Do I have to verify my email address to use Tripline?

A: Yes, you do. In the past this wasn’t required, but it’s necessary to prevent inappropriate use of the platform. It should only take a second for you to verify. Just click on the link in the verification email.

Q: I’ve been using Tripline for years. Why do I have to verify my email address now?

A: We hear you. It’s an important requirement for the integrity of the platform. We’ve tried to make it as smooth and easy as possible. You’ll be done in seconds.

Q: What if I can’t find an email from Tripline in my inbox?

A: Check your spam/junk folder. You’ll probably find it there. If you still don’t see it, send an email to support@tripline.net and we’ll help you out. (When you contact support, make sure you send from the same email address that you’re using on your Tripline account. That makes the process much easier.)

Q: I clicked the link in the email, but it’s saying that it expired. What’s going on?

A: Links expire after 24 hours (48 hours for invitations) for security reasons. You’ll need to generate another link. If it’s an invitation link that expired, the person who sent the invitation will need to invite you again.

Q: If someone invites me to a trip by email address, do I have to use the same email address to create a Tripline account?

A: No. If you already have a Tripline account, you can just click the link in the invitation email and sign in to accept. If you don’t have a Tripline account, click the link in the invitation email and create a Tripline account using whatever email address you want. You’ll then be able to accept the inviation from your new account.

If you have any other questions, please email support@tripline.net

Can I reorder my photos?

Yes, this feature was fixed in our April 19, 2025 release. You can easily drag and drop images within a waypoint or between waypoints in your trip. Once you’ve uploaded your pictures to a waypoint simply drag and drop any photo to a new position.

Watch the video below to see it in action.

Updates are saved instantly. Note that you drag images and drop to the left of an existing image. That means if you want to change the first image, drag and drop a different image to the left of the first image.

How do I import my Facebook posts?

Importing from Facebook is easy, here’s what to do:

First, connect your Tripline account to Facebook

  1. Go to https://www.tripline.net/myaccount
  2. On the right side of the page, click Facebook [ Connect ]
  3. Authorize the Tripline app (you’ll be redirected back to the Tripline site)

Then import your checkins into a new Trip

  1. Click on [ + New Trip ] in the header
  2. On the Create page, choose Facebook [ Import Posts ]
  3. We’ll display your 10 most recent posts
  4. You can click the [ Load More ] link at the bottom of the list to get to your earlier items
  5. Choose the individual posts that you want to import and click [ Create Trip ]
  6. We’ll create a Trip from the posts you selected and open the Tripline editor. You can modify places, set travel modes by clicking on lines or just click [ Save & Exit ] to go to the Trip page.
  7. If you want to add/edit more places manually, click [ Edit Map ] on the Trip page

If you’re having problems, please email support@tripline.net