1.1 Creating Your Account

Your journey with Schengen Pal begins by creating a secure account. This is essential to save and manage your travel data, ensuring your information is private and accessible only to you.

• Navigate to the Sign Up page.
• Fill in your first name, last name, a valid email address, and choose a secure password (at least 6 characters).
• After signing up, you will receive a verification email. Click the link inside to activate your account. This is a mandatory step to ensure the security of your account and data.

1.2 Your First Login

Upon your first successful login, you'll be greeted by the main dashboard. It will appear empty initially because the Schengen calculator needs your data to work its magic. The most crucial first step is to accurately add your past trips to the Schengen Area. The more complete your history, the more precise your compliance status will be.

1.3 Managing Your Profile

Your profile page, accessible by clicking your user icon in the top-right corner, is the central hub for all account-related settings. It gives you full control over your personal information and subscription.

• Personal Information: Update your first and last name. This name will be used on your generated travel reports.
• Subscription Management: If you're a Pro user, you can manage your billing details, view invoices, or cancel your subscription through our secure Stripe customer portal. If you're on the free plan, you'll see an option to Upgrade to Pro.
• Account Security: Here you can change your password at any time.
• Danger Zone: This section contains critical, irreversible actions. Please use it with caution.
  • Delete All Trip Data: This erases your entire travel history but keeps your account active. Useful if you want to start fresh without creating a new account.
  • Delete Account: This permanently deletes your account and all associated data, including trips and subscription information. For your security, you will be required to re-enter your password to confirm this action.

2.1 Adding Your Trips

Go to the Planner page and find the "Travel History" table. Click the "Add Trip" button to open the form. When you save a trip, the app automatically determines its status based on its dates:

• Past Trips: If the trip's exit date is in the past, it is immediately saved as `COMPLETED`.
• Future Trips: If the trip's entry date is in the future, it is saved as `PLANNED`.
• Active Trips: You can create a trip that is immediately `ACTIVE` by using the "Start your trip" button on the main dashboard. This is perfect for spontaneous travel.

2.2 Editing & Deleting Trips

In the "Travel History" table on the Planner page, each trip has a three-dots menu on the right. Use this menu to "Edit Details" or "Delete" a specific trip.

3.1 The Status Summary Card

This is the main tile at the top of your dashboard. It changes based on whether you are currently traveling.

• Days Used / Days Remaining: This shows your stay count within the 180-day rolling window that ends today. This is your most immediate compliance check.
• When Traveling - "Recommended Leave Date": When you have an active trip, this is the calculator's most critical output. It shows the absolute last day you can legally remain in the Schengen Area. This date dynamically updates every day as your 180-day window shifts.
• When Not Traveling - "Next Possible Entry": This shows the soonest date you can start a new trip without violating the rule. The "Max Stay" number below it tells you the longest possible trip you could take if you entered on that specific date.
• "Start your trip" button: When you are not traveling, this button allows you to quickly log a new, spontaneous trip that starts immediately.
• "Mark Exit" button: When you are on an active trip, this button lets you easily mark your trip as complete. You can select today, yesterday, or a specific date from the calendar to confirm your exit.

3.2 The 'My Trips' Card

Located on the dashboard, this card provides a compact, chronological list of your trips, categorized into Current, Upcoming, and Past. It's a quick way to see your entire travel timeline without going to the full planner.

• Trip Status Colors: A colored bar on the left of each trip shows its status at a glance:
  • Blue: Current/Active Trip
  • Green: Upcoming/Planned Trip
  • Light Blue: Past/Completed Trip
  • Amber Border: Needs Replanning. This indicates a future trip's itinerary is out of sync because another trip's dates have changed.
• Quick Actions: Hover over any non-completed trip to reveal a pencil icon, allowing you to quickly edit its details.
• Selecting a Trip: Clicking on a trip in this list will automatically open its day-by-day agenda in the adjacent "Trip Agenda" card.

3.3 Automatic Trip Confirmations

To maintain perfect accuracy, Schengen Pal requires you to confirm when your travel plans become reality. The app never assumes you traveled as planned, preventing dangerous miscalculations.

• Starting a Trip: When a `PLANNED` trip's start date arrives, a dialog box will appear on login, prompting you to mark the trip as `ACTIVE`.
• Ending a Trip: Similarly, when an `ACTIVE` trip's planned end date has passed, a dialog will ask you to confirm your exit. This action officially marks the trip as `COMPLETED`.

4.1 The Calendar View: Your Visual Guide

The calendar uses a clear color-coding system to give you an at-a-glance status for every single day:

• ■ Past Trips: Days from your completed trips.
• ■ Current/Planned Trip: Your active trip or a new trip you are currently selecting.
• ■ Future Trips: Confirmed, planned trips for the future.
• ■ Overstay/Cooldown: Days where you would be in overstay, or days you must spend outside the Schengen Area to "cool down" your stay count.
• ■ Safe Stay Window: A green highlighted range showing the maximum allowed trip duration from a selected start date.
• ■ Suggested Trip: A compliant trip window found by the Smart Planner.

Decoding the Daily Number: The small number on each day shows your total days used within the 180-day window ending on that specific day. This is the core of the rolling calculation, made visible for you.

4.2 How to Plan a New Trip Manually

1. Step 1: Select a Start Date. Click any valid, empty date on the calendar. Invalid dates (e.g., those within an existing trip or those that would cause an immediate overstay) are disabled.
2. Step 2: See Your Safe Stay Window. The calendar will instantly highlight a "Safe Stay Window" in green. This shows the maximum possible trip length you can take from your chosen start date without violating the 90/180 day rule.
3. Step 3: Set an End Date. Click any date within the green window to set your end date. A dialog will appear, allowing you to add a trip name and other details before saving.
4. Editing or Deleting from the Calendar: To edit or delete a trip, simply click on any of its dates on the calendar. This will open the Trip Form, where you can modify details or use the delete button.

4.3 Using the Smart Planner

Instead of manually searching for dates, let our intelligent Schengen trip planner do the work. Click the "Smart Planner" button, enter your desired trip duration (e.g., 30 days), an optional date to start searching after, and even a preferred day of the week to start your trip (e.g., a Friday). The tool will find the next available, fully compliant travel window and highlight it on the calendar for you to review and accept.

4.4 The 180-Day Summary Table

Located on the Planner page, this table provides a detailed, month-by-month breakdown of your travel history within the 180-day window ending on your selected "calculation date". It's the perfect tool for auditing your past travel or understanding exactly why your "days used" count is what it is. You can change the calculation date to see how the rolling window affects your status on any given day.

5.1 Itinerary & Agenda Management

On the Dashboard, select any trip from the "My Trips" list to open its detailed agenda view. This is where you can plan your trip in greater detail.

• Multi-Country Itinerary: If your trip spans multiple Schengen countries, click "Edit Plan" to define the exact entry and exit dates for each country. This is crucial for accurate record-keeping. If you later change the parent trip's dates, the app will warn you that your itinerary is out of sync and needs updating.
• Day-by-Day Agenda: Bring your trip to life by adding events. Click the "Add Event" button within a specific day to plan activities, log confirmation numbers, or add notes. You can categorize each event (e.g., Dining, Lodging, Sightseeing, Family/Friends) for better organization.

5.2 The Travel Compliance Report

The Report page provides a printable, formal summary of your Schengen stay status for any point in time—perfect for personal audits or sharing with travel agents.

• Generate a Report: Use the toggle to generate a report "By Date" or "By Trip". The report provides a clear verdict (Compliant, Overstay, etc.), a summary of your days used, and a timeline of the trips that fall within the 180-day window for that date.
• Include Itinerary Log: Check the "Show Itinerary Log" box to include a detailed, day-by-day log of your country visits in the report. This is useful for more granular record-keeping, especially for multi-country trips.
• Print or Save as PDF: Use the "Print Report" button to open your browser's print dialog. From there, you can easily print a physical copy or save the report as a PDF for your digital records.