Once a trip is in your library, this guide walks you through every layer of the itinerary — from navigating parts and days to tracking stops as you travel.
The Trip Detail View
Tap any trip in your list to open it. The trip detail view uses a sidebar and detail panel layout:
- Sidebar (left/top): Shows the trip's Parts and, nested under each part, its individual Days. Tap any day to load it in the detail panel.
- Detail panel (right/bottom): Shows the selected content — the trip overview, or a specific day's stops, map, accommodation, and tips.
On iPhone, the sidebar and detail panel stack vertically as a navigation stack.
Trip Overview
Select Overview at the top of the sidebar to see the trip-level information:
- Title, tagline, origin, and destination
- Start and end dates, and total duration
- All Accommodations — tap any accommodation to open its detail sheet with address, check-in/check-out, confirmation number, notes, and a map link
- All Transportation segments — tap any segment to open its detail sheet with carrier, flight/train number, departure and arrival times, and notes
- Sharing controls (if Pro)
Exporting Trips
You can export any trip as a JSON file to create a backup, share it with someone, or transfer it to a different device or iCloud account. The export menu is located in the trip overview toolbar — tap the ⋯ (ellipsis) button to reveal it.
Export Options
- Save as File: Exports the trip as a
.jsonfile using the system file exporter dialog. You can save the file to Files, iCloud Drive, or any other location accessible on your device. - Copy to Clipboard: Copies the full trip JSON to the system clipboard. A confirmation toast appears when the copy is complete. You can then paste the JSON into a message, email, or any text field.
The exported JSON uses the same Sidetrip JSON schema (v2.0) as imports — meaning the file can be imported directly into Sidetrip on another device or by another user.
Common Use Cases
- Backup: Save a copy of your trip before making major changes
- Sharing without iCloud: Send the file to someone who doesn't use iCloud sharing — they can import it into their own Sidetrip library
- Transferring between accounts: Export from one iCloud account and import on a device signed into a different account
- Editing externally: Export the JSON, modify it in a text editor or with an AI assistant, and re-import the updated version
Parts
A trip is divided into Parts — named segments that group a set of consecutive days. For example, a two-week Europe trip might have parts named "London", "Paris", and "Barcelona".
Parts appear as collapsible sections in the sidebar. Tap a part's header to expand or collapse it and reveal its days. Parts are ordered by their index (1-based), matching the order they appear in the itinerary.
Days
Each part contains one or more Days. Tap a day in the sidebar to open it. The day detail view shows:
- The day's title, date, and summary
- An overall day status indicator (see below)
- The list of stops for that day, in chronological order
- The day's linked accommodation (if any), shown as a card you can tap for full details
- A Tips section with practical advice for the day (e.g., "Book tickets in advance", "Wear comfortable shoes")
- A Map showing all stop locations for that day
Day Status
The day status is derived automatically from the visit statuses of its stops:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Not Started | All stops are still marked as Not Visited |
| In Progress | At least one stop has been touched (visited, in progress, or skipped) but not all are done |
| Complete | All stops are marked as Visited or Skipped |
Stops
Stops are the individual activities and places within each day. Each stop has:
- Name and time (e.g., "Colosseum – 9:00 AM")
- Category (Attraction, Food, Transport, or Scenic) with a color-coded icon
- Description — context about the stop
- Duration — how long to budget for this stop
- Address and map pin — tap the address or map to open in Apple Maps
- Website — tap to open in Safari
- Opening hours (opens/closes times)
- Cost information
- Phone number
- Transit information — how to get to this stop from the previous one, and how long it takes
- Tags — descriptive labels added by the itinerary
- Notes — your own personal notes (editable)
- Visit status badge
Stop Categories
| Category | Typical Use |
|---|---|
| Attraction | Sights, museums, landmarks, tours |
| Food | Restaurants, cafes, markets, street food |
| Scenic | Viewpoints, parks, gardens, nature walks |
| Transport | Airports, stations, transit connections |
Visit Status
Visit status lets you track your real-time progress through the day as you travel. Tap the status badge on any stop to cycle through the four states:
| Status | When to Use |
|---|---|
| Not Visited | Default — you haven't been here yet |
| In Progress | You're at this stop right now |
| Visited | You've completed this stop |
| Skipped | You decided not to visit this stop |
Status updates are saved immediately and sync via iCloud. If you later update your trip from a new import, any stop whose ID exists in both the old and new data retains its visit status.
Personal Notes
Every stop has a Notes field for your own use. Open a stop's detail view and tap the Notes area to add or edit text. Use notes to record:
- Your impressions ("Absolutely worth the early start")
- Practical reminders ("Book skip-the-line tickets online beforehand")
- Changes you made on the fly ("We had lunch here instead — excellent pasta")
Notes are personal to your copy of the trip and are not visible to people you share the trip with.
Accommodations
The trip overview and individual day views show accommodation information. Tap any accommodation card to open the full detail sheet, which includes:
- Name and accommodation type (hotel, hostel, Airbnb, apartment, camping, resort, guesthouse)
- Address and map pin — tap to open in Apple Maps
- Check-in and check-out dates, number of nights
- Confirmation number
- Website link
- Your personal notes
Transportation
The trip overview lists all transportation segments. Tap any segment to open its detail sheet, which includes:
- Transport type (flight, train, bus, ferry, car rental)
- Leg (outbound, connecting, return)
- Date, departure and arrival times
- Origin and destination
- Carrier, service/flight number, vehicle details
- Duration
- Your personal notes
Day Map
Each day view includes a map showing pins for all stops that have location data. Tap any pin to see the stop name. Tap the map to open it full-screen, where you can zoom and pan. Tapping a stop pin's callout opens the stop detail view.
Navigating on iPhone vs iPad/Mac
iPhone
The trip uses a stacked navigation style. Tap a day in the parts list to push the day detail view onto the stack. Use the back button to return to the parts list.
iPad and Mac
The trip uses a split view with the sidebar always visible on the left. Select any day in the sidebar to load it in the detail panel on the right. On Mac, you can resize the sidebar by dragging the divider.