Sidetrip lets you share any trip with other iCloud users, giving them a live copy of the itinerary that updates whenever you make changes. This guide covers sharing trips, managing participants, and understanding how shared trips work.
Requirements
- Sidetrip Pro (sharing requires a Pro subscription)
- Both you and the person you're sharing with must have an iCloud account
- An active internet connection to create and accept shares
Sharing a Trip
Step 1: Open the Trip
Tap the trip you want to share from the trips list to open it.
Step 2: Open Sharing
In the trip overview, tap the Share button in the toolbar. On Mac, you can also find this in the trip's contextual menu.
Step 3: Invite People
The sharing sheet lets you invite people by their iCloud email address. You can:
- Type an iCloud email address and send an invitation
- Copy the share link and send it manually via Messages, Mail, or any other app
Step 4: Recipient Accepts the Share
The invited person receives a link. When they tap it, Sidetrip opens and prompts them to accept. The trip then appears in their Shared with Me section on the trips list.
How Shared Trips Work
Live Sync
Shared trips are powered by iCloud CloudKit. Any change the owner makes — updating stops, adding notes to the itinerary, changing titles — propagates to all recipients' devices automatically. Changes appear within a few minutes when all devices are online.
Shared with Me Section
Trips shared with you appear in a separate Shared with Me section in your trips list, clearly distinct from your own trips.
View-Only for Recipients
Recipients can view the full itinerary, including all stops, accommodations, transportation, and maps. They can also track their own visit status and add personal notes to stops. However, recipients cannot edit the trip's core content (titles, stop details, structure) — only the trip owner can make those changes.
Managing Participants
Viewing Who Has Access
From the trip overview, tap Share to see the list of participants who currently have access to the trip, along with their status (accepted, pending, etc.).
Removing a Participant
To revoke someone's access:
- Open the trip and tap Share
- Find the participant you want to remove
- Tap their name and select Remove Participant
They will no longer see the trip in their Shared with Me list and will lose access to updates.
Leaving a Shared Trip
If someone has shared a trip with you and you no longer want access to it:
- iPhone/iPad: Swipe left on the trip in the Shared with Me section and tap Remove
- Mac: Right-click the trip and select Remove
This removes the trip from your library only. The owner's copy is not affected, and other participants are not affected.
Trip Limit and Sharing
The free tier of Sidetrip allows a maximum of one trip total (your own trips plus shared trips combined). If you're on the free tier and already have one trip, you cannot accept a new shared trip until you upgrade to Sidetrip Pro or remove your existing trip.
Sidetrip will notify you if a share acceptance is blocked by the trip limit and offer the option to upgrade.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can recipients edit the trip?
No. Only the trip owner can edit the core itinerary content. Recipients have a view-only copy, though they can update their own stop visit statuses and personal notes locally.
Do shared trips count against the free tier limit?
Yes. The free tier allows one trip in total, which includes both your own trips and trips shared with you. Sidetrip Pro removes this limit.
What happens to a shared trip if the owner deletes it?
If the owner deletes a trip, all recipients lose access and the trip is removed from their Shared with Me list.
Can I share a trip that was shared with me?
No. Only the original owner of a trip can share it. If you want to give someone access to a trip that was shared with you, ask the original owner to invite them directly.
Does sharing work offline?
You need an internet connection to create a share, accept a share, or sync changes. Once a trip is synced to your device, you can view it offline. Updates will sync the next time you go online.