In short: set your departure date in Kounts and watch the days, hours, minutes and seconds tick down on a full-screen photo card. Add an end date and the countdown carries you through the whole holiday, not just the flight. Keep a packing list and a "places to visit" list on the trip itself, pin the destination on a map, share it with whoever's coming, and add a widget to your Home Screen, Lock Screen and Apple Watch. It's free, with no ads.
Made for the build-up to the trip
A countdown to take-off
Add your departure date and Kounts counts down the days, hours, minutes and seconds on a beautiful full-screen card, so the holiday feels closer every time you open it.
Packing & to-do lists on the trip
Keep as many to-do lists as you need right on the countdown: a packing list, a "places to visit" list, things to book, each with its own progress bar to tick off before you go.
The destination on a map
Attach the destination through Apple Maps and the countdown shows a little map preview. Tap it to open directions, save it, or just enjoy seeing where you're headed.
Photos you can share
Dress the trip in your own photo or a gradient, add per-trip pictures as you go, and export the card as a high-resolution image for stories and group chats. A nice "two weeks to go!"
Widgets on every screen
Add a Home or Lock Screen widget to keep "days until the trip" in view all day. On travel day, a self-ticking Live Activity and Dynamic Island countdown count down the final hours before you leave.
Share with your travel companions
Share the countdown with up to five people, whoever's coming along. Everyone follows the same live count and adds photos to one shared album. Live with them? A Shared Space keeps every trip in one library you all edit.
The whole trip, not just take-off
Add an end date and the countdown runs to departure, then holds a live "Happening now · ends Sunday" state for the whole holiday, with a "Day 3 of 10" readout and widgets that roll over at midnight. It only reads as past once you're home.
It comes back around
A year on, the trip resurfaces at the top of Upcoming: "1 year ago · Bali trip", with its own photos. Open the memory, or start a fresh countdown from the same title and artwork in a single tap.
A full-screen countdown, the trip with photos and a packing checklist, and Home Screen widgets.
Set up your trip countdown in minutes
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1
Add the trip date
Download Kounts free, tap to create an event, and set your departure date. Drop it in the Personal category, or make a custom "Travel" one with its own colour.
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2
Attach the destination & a packing list
Pin the destination through Apple Maps for a map preview, add a favourite photo or a gradient, and start a packing checklist right on the trip.
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3
Share with whoever's going
Send a share link through Messages or Mail so everyone on the trip follows the same live countdown and adds to the same photo album.
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4
Add a widget & a reminder
Add a Home or Lock Screen widget and the Apple Watch complication, and turn on a reminder so the days-until is always in view.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a good vacation countdown app for iPhone?
Yes. Kounts is a free trip countdown app for iPhone, Mac and Apple Watch. Add your departure date and it counts down the days, hours, minutes and seconds on a full-screen card, a Home or Lock Screen widget, and a Live Activity on travel day. You can also keep a packing list on the trip, pin the destination on a map, and add photos.
Can I keep a packing list and the destination on the countdown?
Yes. Each Kounts event holds notes, multiple to-do checklists and an Apple Maps location with a map preview. Keep a packing list and a "places to visit" list right on the trip countdown, and attach the destination so you can tap straight through to directions.
Can I share the trip countdown with travel companions?
Yes. You can share a Kounts countdown with up to five people, whoever's coming on the trip. Everyone follows the same live countdown and can add photos to one shared album, so the build-up and the holiday itself stay in one place.
Can I count down to a trip that lasts several days?
Yes. Turn on End date in the Date & Time panel and pick the last day. Kounts counts down to your departure, then the trip holds a live "Happening now · ends Sun, Jul 12" state with a pulsing badge for the whole range, a "Day 3 of 10" readout on the event screen, and widgets that flip at midnight. It only reads as past once the last day is over. Multi-day events imported from Apple Calendar keep their full span.
Is the vacation countdown app free?
Yes. Kounts is free to download with no ads, and the countdown, packing checklists, location, photos, multi-day trips, widgets and the Apple Watch app are all part of the free experience, as is joining a countdown someone shares with you. An optional Kounts Premium unlocks extra card styles, fonts, starting shares of your own, and more, as a yearly subscription or a one-time lifetime purchase.
Will the trip countdown show on my Lock Screen and Apple Watch?
Yes. Add a Kounts widget to your Home or Lock Screen to keep the days-until your trip in view, and the dedicated Apple Watch app keeps the countdown on your wrist. On travel day itself, a self-ticking Live Activity and Dynamic Island countdown count down the final hours before you leave.
Start the countdown to your next getaway
A free, ad-free trip countdown with packing checklists, the destination on a map, widgets and an Apple Watch app.
See also: Wedding countdown · Concert countdown · iPhone countdown widget