Share your travel adventures with friends and family by creating a shareable link. You choose whether the link requires viewers to sign in or lets anyone open it. Either way, shared trips are read-only — viewers can see your photos, locations, and journal entries but can't edit anything.
Two Kinds of Share Links
When you create a share link, you pick one of two access modes:
Private link (default)
- Viewers must have a TravelTracker account and be signed in to open the link.
- Best when you want to share with specific friends or family who already use TravelTracker.
- People without an account will be prompted to sign up before they can view the trip.
Public link
- Anyone with the link can open it without signing in.
- Best when you want to share broadly — post on social media, include in a group chat, or send to someone who doesn't want to create an account.
- Viewers still get read-only access. They cannot edit, download, or contribute to the trip.
You control which mode applies when you create the link via the Make trip public toggle in the Share modal.
Creating a Share Link
- Open the trip you want to share.
- Click the Share button in the trip header.
- (Optional) Turn on Make trip public if you want anyone with the link to view without signing in.
- (Optional) Set a link expiration date.
- Click Generate Share Link.
- Copy the link and send it to whomever you choose.
Share Link Format
Share links look like:
https://traveltracker.me/shared/abc123xyz
The same URL format is used for both private and public links — the difference is what happens when someone opens it.
What Viewers Can See
When someone views your shared trip, they can see:
- Trip details - Name, dates, description, travel mode
- Visited locations - All places you visited with notes
- Photos - All photos from locations and lodging
- Journal entries - Your travel journal with linked photos
- Lodging - Where you stayed during the trip
- Trip map - Interactive map showing your locations
Read-Only Access
Viewers cannot:
- Edit trip details
- Add or remove locations
- Upload photos
- Modify journal entries
- Delete any content
This applies to both private and public links. Editing always requires signing in as an authorized owner or co-owner of the trip.
Setting an Expiration Date
You can make share links expire automatically:
- Open the Share modal
- Click Set next to Link expiration
- Choose when the link should expire
- Generate or update the link
After the expiration date, the link stops working and viewers can no longer access the trip. Expiration applies to both private and public links.
Revoking a Share Link
To stop sharing a trip immediately:
- Open the trip
- Click the Share button
- Click Stop Sharing
- Confirm the action
Once revoked:
- The trip page stops loading for anyone with the link — whether the link was private or public.
- Cached photo previews at intermediaries may linger for up to an hour, but the trip itself is unreachable immediately.
- You can generate a new link anytime to share again.
Managing Shared Trips
Checking if a Trip is Shared
On your trips list, shared trips show a share indicator. On the trip detail page, you'll see the share status in the header.
Updating Shared Content
Any changes you make to a shared trip are visible to viewers immediately:
- Adding new locations
- Uploading photos
- Writing journal entries
- Editing trip details
Viewers see the latest version of your trip.
Privacy Considerations
Before sharing, consider:
- Location details - Viewers see all visited locations
- Photos - All trip photos are visible
- Journal entries - Your personal writing is shared
- Dates - Trip dates are visible
Only share trips you're comfortable making visible to others.
Extra care with public links
A public link is openable by anyone who has the URL — no account required. Treat it like a public webpage:
- Anyone can forward the URL, so assume it may spread beyond the people you sent it to.
- If you need tighter control, use a private link or set a short expiration date.
- You can switch a public link off at any time by stopping sharing.
Shared Trip Features for Viewers
When viewing a shared trip, users can:
- Browse photos in a lightbox viewer
- View locations on an interactive map
- Read journal entries chronologically
- See lodging details
- Navigate between trip sections