@tiwane - I am just responding here as the other thread has been locked. Whille true that the trips function does exist, unless there is something I am missing in looking at it, it seems to lack a very significant function which is data access for other users. It may be good as a personal journal, but is the data really available for any other user on the site or who wishes to access it ?
EDIT - since it was moved to this thread from where I put it, for context this was written in response to closing the request to add a way to note presence/absence data on the site stating that the trips function already existed to do that.