---
url: https://vacationist.app/about/
title: About Vacationist - Who Builds It and How It Works
description: Vacationist is a free group trip planner built by Gary Lude in Switzerland, from 30+ real couple and friend trips. Why we built it and where your data lives.
lang: en
published: 2026-09-20
updated: 2026-09-24
---

# About Vacationist

Vacationist is a free group trip planner for iOS, Android and the web, built by Gary Lude, an independent developer based in Switzerland. It launched in 2026.

## What Vacationist is

A group trip planner: vote on activities, split expenses with receipts attached, share packing and shopping lists, manage flights, rental cars and public transport, and keep everyone in sync - from the first idea to the last flight home. Anyone can join a trip with a single link, without creating an account. The [full feature list](/features/) has the detail, and the [pricing page](/pricing/) explains what it costs (nothing).

## Why we built it

I built Vacationist together with my wife. Over the last three years we've organized more than 30 trips - as a couple and with friends - and we were the ones running every one of them: searching for places, booking stays and flights, finding and planning activities.

Before Vacationist, that meant chaotic WhatsApp chats, documents on a local PC, tickets scattered across our phones, and to-do lists in Todoist. Everything that mattered was in a different place.

So we collected everything we had learned about organizing trips and put it into an app. Then we kept improving it: on our last several trips we used Vacationist ourselves, together with our friends, and new ideas and features came straight out of those real trips. Today it all lives in one place.

- Gary Lude

## Who builds it

Vacationist is built by **Gary Lude**, an independent developer based in Switzerland. The [imprint](/impressum.html) has the operator's details. You can reach Gary directly at [meetdeep.de@gmail.com](mailto:meetdeep.de@gmail.com) - for questions, bug reports or feedback.

## Where your data lives - and what protects it

Vacationist is built in Switzerland, and hosted there too:

- **Trip data** is stored on Supabase infrastructure in Switzerland (Zurich), governed by Swiss data protection law.
- **Travel documents** - passport and ID details - are encrypted at rest with AES-256 and protected by biometric unlock. Organizer access is temporary and can be revoked at any time. The [travel document safety guide](/blog/travel-document-safety-guide/) explains how that works.
- **The mobile apps** contain no ads and no third-party analytics SDKs. The website loads analytics only after you accept its cookie banner.

The [privacy policy](/privacy-policy.html) has the complete, authoritative account.



## Frequently asked questions

### Who makes Vacationist?

Vacationist is built by Gary Lude, an independent developer based in Switzerland, together with Gary's wife.

### Why was Vacationist built?

It grew out of more than 30 couple and friend trips organized over three years. Those trips ran on WhatsApp chats, documents on a local PC and tickets scattered across phones; Vacationist puts all of it in one place, and its features came from using it on real trips.

### Where is my trip data stored?

On Supabase infrastructure in Switzerland (Zurich), the same country Vacationist is developed in. Passport and ID details are additionally encrypted at rest with AES-256.

### How do I contact Vacationist?

By email at meetdeep.de@gmail.com. The [imprint](/impressum.html) lists the operator's full details.

### Is Vacationist free?

Yes - free, with no ads and no paid tier. See the [pricing page](/pricing/).