There once was a time, boys and girls, when people actually had to plan their travels without the aid of the Internet.

In those ancient days, people often took months to write for brochures and visit travel agents.

There were long distance phone calls and postage involved, not to mention a lot of waiting. They might have even gone to the library. Hard to imagine all that now since everything we need is available at the click of a mouse and the stroke of an e-mail.

Still, things can get complicated. People travel more than ever, and cell phones, faxes and the Internet have cranked up life’s pace.

And air travel — well, don’t get me started. Couldn’t we all use a secretary/organizer/travel agent?

Enter www.TripIt.com, an online service that simplifies and organizes itineraries.

Using it is like throwing all your reservations — airline, car, hotels, restaurants, theater and tours — into a box, saying the magic word and voila! Out comes a lovely, organized itinerary at an online site. (You can make a printout, too.).

“TripIt pulls all your information together,” said site co-founder Gregg Brockway from his San Francisco office. “The service is meant to replace the big manila folder we carry around with us.”

Other TripIt tricks include customizing itineraries with daily weather, local maps, driving directions, city guides; automatically synchronizing itineraries with business calendars; and including embedded links to destination sites.

You can even have several people contributing to an itinerary — say for a family reunion — and the site will organize the whole shindig.

And oh yes, TripIt is free.

“We plan to make money on advertising,” Brockway said.

When it comes to paying for those plane tickets and hotel stays, check out www.currentcodes.com.

This site, founded by Barry Boone of Tulsa, Okla., lets us in on the secret discount codes that retailers, service providers and various travel businesses offer to preferred shoppers or for promotions.

“It’s a site for people who know what they’re going to buy and who they’re likely to buy it from,” Boone said. “Or you can search product categories for the latest discounts, then choose the retailer with the best offer.”

Each time a visitor clicks on a specific store or deal, the store’s Web site opens in a separate window. Currently, there are about 1,700 stores and services listed.

Aren’t the merchants angry that Boone is giving out their secret discount codes?

“When we first started doing this, we got a lot of cease-and-desist letters,” he said. “Then a month later, merchants wanted to put their coupons back on the site.”

Using CurrentCodes.com is free. Some stores pay Boone a commission when visitors buy from the stores’ sites.

FYI: Monday is CurrentCodes.com’s highest traffic time.

“Everyone gets on the Internet when they go back to work,” Boone explained. “Activity drops off around lunchtime, then picks up after lunch. It drops off during drive time, then goes back up after dinner.”