Shared lists that update on every phone. Instantly.

Eight people, one supermarket run, three bags of pasta and no salt. Group trips run on lists — packing lists, shopping lists, gear lists — and lists shared as chat messages die the moment someone screenshots an outdated version. Vacationist keeps one live list for the whole group.

One list, everyone's phone, real time

Add an item on your phone and it appears on everyone else's — instantly. Check something off in the store and the friend in the next aisle sees it. No duplicate purchases, no "wait, who was getting the charcoal?"

• Real-time sync across the whole group, including guests who joined by link.
• Check-off that everyone sees — the list reflects reality, not the version from this morning.
• Works offline — critical in supermarkets with no signal and campsites off the grid; changes sync when you're back online.
• Per-trip lists — the Barcelona packing list doesn't haunt your Alps gear list.

From recipe to shopping list in one tap

Vacationist has a feature no other travel app has: recipes that sync into shopping lists. Planning to cook for the group in the cabin? Add the recipe, and its ingredients land on the shared shopping list — scaled for your group. Cooking for ten stops being a spreadsheet exercise.

This is the killer combination for:

• Group camping and hut trips — meal plans become shopping lists become fair expense splits, all in one flow.
• Vacation rentals and villas — the big arrival-day supermarket run, organized before anyone leaves home.
• Festival crews — camp food for fifteen people without a single group-chat poll.

Packing lists that prevent the classic fails

Use shared lists for group gear too: who brings the tent, the speaker, the first-aid kit, the power strips. Because the list is shared and live, "I thought you were bringing it" stops happening — the assignment is right there on everyone's phone.

Frequently asked questions

Can people without the app use the shared list?

Yes. Friends who join the trip via invite link can view and edit lists in the web app as guests — no account or install required.

Do the lists work without an internet connection?

Yes. Vacationist is offline-first: you can add and check off items with no signal, and everything syncs automatically once you're back online. Competing apps typically break exactly when you're in a supermarket basement or at a remote campsite.

Can we split the cost of the shopping afterwards?

That's the point of having it all in one app: whoever paid at the register logs the total as a shared expense, splits it across the group, and the balance updates for everyone. List, purchase, and settlement stay connected. See expense splitting.

How does the recipe feature work?

Add a recipe to the trip with its ingredients. Vacationist syncs those ingredients to the shared shopping list, so the group buys exactly what the planned meals need — nothing missing, nothing doubled.