Leave Word

The most important step

Leave word before you go

Tell someone you trust where you’re going, when you’ll be back, and when to raise the alarm. We email them the plan, a map of your route, and a calendar reminder they can add with one tap.

Why sign in? This sends email on your behalf, so we confirm your address once — purely to stop spammers abusing it. No password: we email you a one-tap link, and that link is your free account.

We hate spammers too, and will never send you email without your permission!

Your contact will know 0 of 6 things worth knowing. Still to add: when you leave and return, where you are going, who is going, what you are driving, what you are carrying, who to call.

Your name Your email Trusted contact’s email Start worrying by

Where are you going? Leaving Back by

Your route Where you’ll start, camp and come out. This is what searchers actually use. Optional

Map data comes from third-party sources and may be incomplete or out of date, so carry a current official map (terms).

What is it? Name (optional)

Coordinates are decimal degrees (WGS84). Your route goes to your contact and to a private link only — it is never added to the shareable plan page.

Who is going Who is in the group, and roughly how old they are. Optional

Medical issues, allergies and anything else a rescuer should know go in the free-text box further down — that one is never saved.

Vehicle and timing A vehicle at a trailhead is often the first thing anyone finds. Optional

Vehicle make, colour, plate Where it will be parked Departure time on your leaving date

What you’re carrying Colours are what spotters look for. A satellite number is what dispatch will ask for. Optional

Shelter type and colour Jacket / pack colour Days of food Satellite device and its number

Who to call, and anything else they should know The local detachment, ranger district or land manager. Optional

Who should your contact call? Anything else your contact should know medical issues, allergies, medications, and anything a rescuer would want

This note is never saved. It goes into the email to your contact and is then discarded — it is not kept on your account, and it does not appear on the private link we send them. Write it fresh each trip.

Email me new wilderness guides and gear reviews — one email a month, no spam. (optional)

Tapping the link we email you sends the plan to your contact, once, with a calendar reminder and your route attached, and copies you. Not a rescue service — carry a PLB or satellite messenger for real emergencies.

What your contact actually receives One email, once. See it before you send it.

Subject: Sam Whitfield - trip plan, worry by Aug 14, 9:00 PM

Sam Whitfield is heading out and has asked you to be
their safety contact.

WHO IS GOING
  Sam Whitfield   Adult
  Jo Whitfield    Adult
  Ella Whitfield  Preteen

WHERE
  1.  Trailhead                 37.20070, -112.98710
  2.  Camp night 1              37.25120, -112.94330
  3.  Turnaround                37.28900, -112.91020
  4.  Exit                      37.20070, -112.98710
  Area: Zion National Park

WHEN
  Leaving:   Wednesday, August 12, 2026, 6:30 AM
  Returning: Friday, August 14, 2026

>>> START WORRYING BY: Friday, August 14 at 9:00 PM <<<

VEHICLE
  Silver 2019 Tacoma, plate ABC 123
  Parked: Grotto trailhead lot

WHAT THEY ARE CARRYING
  Shelter:   Orange 2-person tent
  Food:      4 days
  Satellite: inReach, +1 555 0177

WHO TO CALL
  Who to call: Contact park rangers; life-threatening
    emergencies: 911
  Cell coverage: Little to no cell service in the canyons

ALSO WORTH KNOWING
  Jo is asthmatic and carries an inhaler. Permit #4471.

Plus a map of the route, a calendar reminder (.ics) set to the worry-by time, the route as a GPX file, and a private printable link. We copy you on it too.

New to this? Read how to plan a trip and leave word properly.