A model for a Regge trajectory compatible with the threshold behavior required by unitarity and asymptotics in agreement with Mandelstam analyticity is analyzed and confronted with the experimental data on the spectrum of the $rho$ trajectory as well as those on the $pi^- pto pi^0 n$ charge-exchange reaction. The fitted trajectory deviates considerably from a linear one both in the space-like and time-like regions, matching nicely between the two.