Automations and Workflows both save you from repeating manual steps on every trip or contact, but they solve different problems. An automation runs one trigger-and-action sequence. A workflow bundles several task templates and automation templates together so you can apply all of them to a trip or contact in a single action.
The short version
Automation = one trigger plus one or more actions, such as sending an email or creating a task.
Workflow = a reusable package of several task templates and automation templates, applied together as a unit.
What is an automation?
An automation runs a sequence of actions automatically when a chosen event occurs, for example emailing a client when a trip is created, or creating a task before a passport expires. Every automation is built from:
A trigger: the event that starts it, such as Trip Created, Trip Status Changed, or Client Created.
One or more actions: what happens next, such as sending an email or creating a task. Actions run in order.
You build and manage automations from Templates > Automations. See Create an Automation.
What is a workflow?
A workflow bundles task templates and automation templates into one reusable package. You configure them once inside the workflow, then apply the whole thing together: manually to one record, in bulk to many, or automatically whenever a chosen trigger fires.
A workflow doesn't replace automations, it wraps them. Every automation inside a workflow still runs exactly as it would on its own. The workflow is the container that groups it with other automations and tasks so they travel together.
You build and manage workflows from Templates > Workflows. See Create and Manage Workflows.
When to use each one
Just need one thing to happen automatically? Create an automation directly. If a single trigger and a small set of actions is all you need, for example "email the client when their trip is booked," there's no reason to wrap it in a workflow.
Need several tasks and automations applied together, as a standard bundle? Build a workflow. They're useful when a whole set should always travel together, for example a "New Booking Checklist" that creates three onboarding tasks and links two automations in one action, rather than adding each of the five every time.
A useful test: if you find yourself adding the same handful of automations and tasks to trip after trip, that's a sign they belong in a workflow.
One more difference: what your edits affect
This catches people out, because the two behave in opposite ways.
An automation applied directly to a record becomes an independent copy. Later edits to the template never reach it.
An automation or task inside a workflow is referenced live. Edit the template and the next application of that workflow uses the updated version.
So if you want a change to reach future trips automatically, putting the template inside a workflow is the way to do it. See Automation Warnings and Edge Cases.