User Guide

Getting Started

Welcome to VayKay Planner, the ultimate family vacation planning app! When you first open the app, you'll be greeted with an interactive onboarding guide that walks you through the app's key features.

First Launch Options

After completing the onboarding, you have two options:

• Explore Sample Trip – Load a pre-built sample trip to Portland with activities, family members, and votes already set up. This is a great way to explore all features before creating your own trip.
• Create My Trip – Jump straight into planning your own vacation.

Creating Your First Trip

To create a new trip, tap the + button from the main trip list screen.

Trip Details

1. Trip Name – Give your trip a memorable name (e.g., "Summer 2026 Hawaii Adventure")
2. Destination – Enter your destination city or region
3. Start Date – Select when your trip begins
4. End Date – Select when your trip ends (auto-calculated based on start date)

Once created, your trip automatically syncs to iCloud, making it accessible on all your Apple devices.

The Three Trip Phases

Every trip in VayKay Planner flows through three distinct phases, each designed to help you at different stages of your vacation planning journey.

You can switch between phases at any time using the tabs at the bottom of the trip detail screen.

Planning Phase

The Planning phase is where the fun begins! This is your brainstorming space where you collect all the places you might want to visit.

What You Can Do

• Search for and add activities, restaurants, and attractions
• Browse curated "City Picks" for top recommendations
• Add family members to participate in planning
• Vote on activities as a family
• Filter activities by category
• View activities grouped by city

Adding Activities

Tap the menu button (three dots) and choose from three options:

• Search for Places – Use the built-in map search to find restaurants, attractions, and more
• City Picks – Browse curated recommendations for popular destinations
• Add Custom Activity – Create an activity manually with all details

Activity Categories

Scheduling Phase

Once you've gathered your activities, it's time to build your day-by-day itinerary.

Building Your Schedule

1. Select a Date – Tap on a day from the calendar strip at the top
2. Add Activities – Choose from your saved activities to add to that day
3. Set Times – Assign start and end times for each activity
4. Reorder – Drag and drop activities to arrange your day
5. Add Notes – Include any special notes or reminders

Additional Items

Beyond activities, you can also add:

• Transportation – Flights, trains, and rental cars
• Hotels – Accommodation with check-in/check-out times

Active Phase (On Your Trip)

When your vacation begins, switch to the Active phase for a real-time guide to your day.

Daily View Features

Navigation

• Swipe between days using the date selector at the top
• Tap the map button to see all of today's activities on a map
• Check off activities as you complete them

Proximity Notifications

VayKay Planner can notify you when you're approaching a scheduled activity location. This feature uses your device's location services in the background.

Managing Activities

Activities are the heart of your trip planning. Here's everything you can do with them.

Activity Details

Each activity can include:

• Title & Description – Name and overview of the activity
• Category – Type of activity (restaurant, attraction, etc.)
• Duration – Estimated time (30 minutes to full day)
• Cost – Estimated or actual cost
• Address – Full address (used for map display and city grouping)
• Contact Info – Phone number and website
• Photos – Add multiple images from your photo library
• Notes – Personal notes or tips

AI-Powered Insights

On iOS 18+, VayKay Planner can generate smart insights for your activities, including:

• Overview information pulled from various sources
• Helpful tips based on the activity category
• Practical suggestions for your visit

Family Members & Voting

Planning a family vacation? VayKay Planner makes it easy to involve everyone in the decision-making process.

Adding Family Members

1. In the Planning phase, tap on the family member circles
2. Tap Add Member
3. Enter their name
4. Choose a color for their avatar

Voting on Activities

Each family member can vote on activities they'd like to do:

• Tap the heart icon on any activity to vote
• Vote counts are displayed on each activity
• Activities with more votes appear higher in the list
• This helps you prioritize the most popular activities when scheduling

Transportation

Keep all your travel details organized in one place.

Transportation Types

Adding Transportation

From the Scheduling phase, tap the menu button and select Add Transportation. Fill in the details for your flight, train, or rental car.

Transportation items appear in your daily schedule and are included in PDF exports.

Hotels & Lodging

Track all your accommodation details throughout your trip.

Hotel Information

For each hotel stay, you can record:

• Hotel name and brand
• Address
• Reservation/confirmation number
• Phone number and website
• Check-in and check-out dates and times

Map Integration

Hotels are automatically displayed on your trip map, making it easy to see how close activities are to your accommodation.

Maps & Navigation

VayKay Planner includes built-in mapping to help you visualize and navigate your trip.

Map Features

• Activity Markers – All activities with addresses appear as pins
• Hotel Locations – Your accommodations are shown with bed icons
• Route Lines – See suggested routes between activities
• Auto-Zoom – Map automatically fits all locations in view

Accessing Maps

In the Active phase, tap the map button to see all of today's activities laid out geographically. This helps you plan efficient routes between locations.

Sharing & Collaboration

VayKay Planner supports real-time collaboration through iCloud sharing.

Inviting Collaborators

1. Open your trip and tap the menu button
2. Select Share Trip
3. Tap Invite People
4. Choose how to send the invitation (Messages, Mail, AirDrop, etc.)
5. Recipients tap the link to join your trip

Collaboration Permissions

• Trip Owner – Full access to add, edit, and delete everything
• Collaborators – Can add activities, vote, and view all details, but cannot delete items

All changes sync automatically in real-time through iCloud.

PDF Itinerary Export

Create a beautifully formatted PDF of your complete itinerary to print or share.

What's Included

Your PDF itinerary includes:

• Day-by-day schedule with times
• Activity names, addresses, and phone numbers
• Transportation details with confirmation numbers
• Hotel information with reservations
• Any notes you've added to activities

Exporting

1. Go to the Scheduling phase
2. Tap the menu button
3. Select Export PDF
4. On iOS: Share the PDF via Messages, Mail, AirDrop, or save to Files
5. On Mac: Choose where to save the file

Home Screen Widget

Add the VayKay Planner widget to your home screen or lock screen for quick access to your next activity.

Widget Sizes

• Small – Shows your next activity title and time
• Medium – Shows activity category icon, title, time, and address

Adding the Widget

1. Long-press on your home screen
2. Tap the + button to add a widget
3. Search for "VayKay Planner"
4. Choose your preferred size
5. Tap Add Widget

Tapping the widget takes you directly to the activity detail view in the app.

Settings & Themes

Customize VayKay Planner to match your style.

Accessing Settings

Tap the gear icon in the top-right corner of the trip list screen.

Theme Options

Choose from 7 beautiful preset themes:

• Ocean – Teal and blue tones
• Sunset – Warm orange hues
• Forest – Natural green palette
• Midnight – Dark purple theme
• Sand – Soft tan colors
• Lavender – Light purple accents
• Cherry Blossom – Delicate pink theme

Typography

Choose your preferred font style:

• System (default)
• Rounded
• Serif
• Monospaced

Custom Colors

Fine-tune individual colors including accent color, font color, and background color.

Subscription

VayKay Planner offers a free trial to explore all features.

Free Trial

• Duration: 5 days of full access
• Includes: All features with no restrictions
• No credit card required to start the trial

After Trial

Once your trial ends, you can still:

• View existing trips and activities
• Explore the sample trip
• Browse your saved data

To continue editing and creating new content, subscribe for $19.99/year.

Subscription Benefits

• Create unlimited trips
• Add and edit activities
• Full scheduling capabilities
• PDF export
• Family collaboration
• All future updates included

Restore Purchases

If you've previously subscribed, tap Restore Purchases on the subscription screen to restore your access.

Need Help?

If you have questions or encounter any issues, please reach out to our support team. We're here to help make your vacation planning experience smooth and enjoyable!