Tripstxt

Tripstxt is a plain-text file format used to store travel itineraries and trip-related information in a simple, human- and machine-readable way. It emphasizes readability and lightweight parsing, avoiding complex schemas in favor of straightforward key-value lines. A tripstxt file can contain one or more trips, with each trip represented by a set of fields such as id, name, start_date, end_date, destinations, activities, and notes. Values are typically written as a colon-delimited pair on a single line, with lists encoded as comma- or semicolon-separated values. Blank lines separate distinct trips. Optional fields may include participants, origin, mode, or transport_dates.

Format and syntax: Each line that contains a colon defines a field. Whitespace around the value is usually trimmed by parsers. Lists are written as a single line with separators; multi-line blocks are possible in extended variants but not required. There is no formal official specification; implementations vary in minor details, but most parsers rely on the same core rule: key: value pairs, with blank lines marking new trips.

Example:

id: 001

name: Coastal Escape

start_date: 2024-07-03

end_date: 2024-07-10

destinations: Seattle, Portland, Cannon Beach

activities: hiking; lighthouse tour; seafood crawl

notes: Check tide times

This example can be extended with additional trips by inserting a blank line after each trip block.

Usage: Tripstxt is suited for lightweight data interchange, backups, or quick editing in text editors. It is not a formal standard, and adoption varies by project; many applications instead export to or import from JSON or YAML.

See also: travel itinerary formats, JSON, YAML, iCal, plain text data interop.