Systems and methods are disclosed for tracking the progress of a trip where a person or persons wish to have a third party automatically informed of a delayed return. For long duration trips and/or trips to distant destinations, people typically make provision for having their pets and/or children watched over. However for short trips, they typically do not, especially with respect to their pets. The disclosed methods provide monitoring of a trip's progress such that if a traveler doesn't return home by a certain time, a third party is notified, thus avoiding a prolonged period of time wherein the pets and/or children are unattended, especially in the event of a catastrophic accident. The third party may be notified if an arrival time is predicted to be delayed, and when an actual arrival occurs. Provision is also included for adjusting the trip duration to delay or advance a designated arrival time.