Overview

Group Chat is a built-in, real-time messaging space that connects confirmed travelers and trip organizers before, during, and after a trip. It supports polls, reactions, pinned messages, file sharing, milestone automations, and daily digest emails to keep your entire group engaged without needing external apps.

Group Chat window showing messages with reactions, a pinned message banner, and the chat input bar with poll icon

How to Enable Group Chat

Open your trip in the Trip Builder
Navigate to the Basics page
Scroll down to Group Chat
Toggle "Enable Group Chat" ON
Configure your Welcome Message and Automated Milestone Messages
Click Save Changes

A success banner confirms when Group Chat is enabled.

Write Your Welcome Message

The welcome message is the first thing travelers see when they enter the chat. You can use the default message or write a custom one that sets the tone for your group.

Default example: "Welcome to the crew! This is your space to connect before we take off. Say hi, share what you're looking forward to, and get ready for an amazing trip together!"

Automated Milestone Messages

Set up automated messages that trigger at key moments in the trip lifecycle:

Milestone	When It Triggers
First Booking	When the first traveler books
60 Days Out	60 days before trip start
30 Days Out	30 days before trip start
7 Days Out	7 days before trip start
Day After Trip	The day after the trip ends

You can keep the default messages or customize each one. Custom messages display as "Custom Message" in the settings.

How to Access Chat

For Organizers:

Go to your Dashboard
Find the trip card and click the Group Chat button
The chat window opens on the left side of your dashboard
You can also use fullscreen chat mode for a larger view

For Travelers:

Navigate to your Trip Details page
Click Group Chat (visible only after booking confirmation)

What You Can Do Inside the Chat

Everyone (Organizers + Travelers)

Send messages (multi-line text input, like Slack)
Share photos, videos, and files
Use emojis
React to messages with thumbs up, heart, laugh, fire, or check mark
Create and vote in polls (organizers can restrict poll creation to organizers only)
See who is online
Reply in real time with auto-reconnection if you go offline

Organizer-Only Features

Pin important messages to the top of the chat
Delete any message from any participant
Restrict poll creation to organizers only (travelers can create polls by default)
View Best Practices guide from the chat header
Manage automated milestone messages
View message filter and search

Polls

Organizers can create polls to engage the group and gather input:

Click the "Create Poll" button in the chat input area
Enter your poll question and options
Choose the voting type
Publish the poll to the chat

Travelers can vote directly in the chat. Poll results are visible to everyone.

Pinned Messages

Organizers can pin important messages (trip updates, logistics info, etc.) so they stay visible at the top of the chat. Pinned messages are also highlighted in the daily digest email.

Message Reactions

Everyone can react to any message with one of 5 quick reactions:

Thumbs Up
Heart
Laugh
Fire
Check Mark

Reactions appear below the message with a count of how many people reacted.

Daily Digest Email

Travelers receive a daily email digest summarizing chat activity, including:

New messages since the last digest
Poll results and updates
Pinned messages from the organizer

This keeps travelers engaged even if they don't check the chat daily.

Notification Preferences

Travelers can manage their Group Chat notification settings from the Settings > Notifications page. Options include controlling how and when they receive chat notifications and digest emails.

Best Practices for Organizers

Click the "Best Practices" button in the chat header to access tips on:

How to engage your group
When to post milestone messages
How to use polls effectively
Managing chat etiquette

Summary

Group Chat builds community, reduces support inquiries, and keeps travelers excited. Enable it once, write a welcome message, and the chat becomes automatically accessible to all confirmed travelers.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Solution
Chat not appearing on the trip page	Verify Group Chat is toggled ON in the Trip Builder under Basics. Save changes and refresh the trip page. Chat only appears for confirmed travelers.
Messages not sending or loading	Check your internet connection and refresh the page. Group Chat auto-reconnects after brief disconnections, but a full page refresh resolves most issues.
Traveler says they cannot see the chat	Only confirmed (paid) travelers can access Group Chat. Waitlisted or unpaid travelers do not see the chat option. Verify the traveler's booking status in Trip Data.
Daily digest emails are not arriving	The traveler should check their spam/junk folder and verify notification preferences under Settings > Notifications. Digest emails are sent once daily and only when there is new activity.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can travelers see the chat before they complete their booking? A: No. Group Chat is only visible to confirmed travelers who have completed their booking. Waitlisted travelers and visitors browsing the trip page cannot access the chat. This ensures the chat remains a private space for your confirmed group.

Q: How do I remove an inappropriate message from the chat? A: As the organizer, hover over or tap the message you want to remove and click the delete option. Organizers can delete any message at any time. Travelers can also delete their own messages within 15 minutes of sending. Deleted messages are permanently removed and cannot be recovered by anyone in the group.

Q: Do travelers get notified about new chat messages if they are not online? A: Yes. Travelers receive a daily digest email summarizing all new messages, poll updates, and pinned messages from the previous day. They can also adjust their notification preferences from the Settings > Notifications page to control how they receive alerts.

Q: Can I create a poll with more than two options? A: Yes. Polls support up to 10 options and three voting types: single choice, multiple choice, and ranked. You need at least 2 options to create a poll. Use polls for restaurant votes, activity preferences, travel date surveys, and more.

Q: What happens to the chat after the trip ends? A: The chat remains accessible after the trip ends so travelers can share photos, memories, and stay connected. If you configured a "Day After Trip" milestone message, it posts automatically. The organizer can continue using the chat for post-trip communication as long as the trip exists.