To add a travel widget on iPhone, touch and hold an empty part of the Home Screen until the apps jiggle, tap the edit button at the top of the screen, then tap Add Widget, choose a widget and its size, and tap Add Widget again. The travel widgets worth the space are a world clock for where you're going or where family lives, the weather there, a countdown to your next trip, a photo from past trips, and a goal for the countries you want to see. Apple moves these menus between iOS versions, so the wording on your phone may differ slightly.
How to add, edit and stack widgets
From Apple's current iPhone guide:
- Go to the Home Screen page where you want the widget.
- Touch and hold the background until the apps begin to jiggle.
- Tap the edit button at the top, then tap Add Widget.
- Scroll or search for the widget, tap it, and swipe through the sizes and styles.
- Tap Add Widget, move it where you want while the apps are still jiggling, and tap Done.
To change what a widget shows, such as which city a weather widget follows, touch and hold it and tap Edit Widget.
Two more things worth knowing:
- Smart Stacks. A Smart Stack is a set of widgets in one spot, shown with dots beside it. iPhone shows the one most relevant at that moment, based on things like the time and your location, and you can swipe through the rest. Good for travel: one tile that can hold your clock, weather and countdown.
- App icons can become widgets. Touch and hold an app icon on the Home Screen and pick a widget size from the menu that appears.
Widgets also work on the Lock Screen and in StandBy. For the Lock Screen, Apple's guide to editing your Lock Screen has the steps.
Five travel widgets worth the space
1. A world clock
Add the Clock widget and set it to the city you're flying to, or where your family lives. Before a trip, it tells you when your hotel's front desk is awake. On the trip, set one clock to home so you don't call your mother at 3 a.m.
2. The weather where you're going
The Weather widget can follow a city you choose instead of where you are. Set it to your destination a week before you leave and you'll pack better than any forecast you looked up once.
3. A countdown to the trip
Put the trip in your calendar as an event, and the Calendar widget shows it among what's coming up. Having the date in view on your Home Screen is half the fun of a trip.
4. Photos from past trips
The Photos widget shows pictures from your library through the day. If your travel photos have locations saved, they're easy to find and relive later; see how to make your iPhone save where each photo was taken. What you can choose in the Photos widget depends on your iOS version: touch and hold it and tap Edit Widget to see.
5. A goal for the countries you want to see
A number you look at every day is a number you work toward. Pick a goal, say 50 countries or every country in Europe, and keep it in view. How much of the world have you seen helps you pick a goal that means something, and how many countries are there has the totals for each list.
Globestamp has widgets with a goal for your countries, and a Live Activity when you land somewhere new.
A travel Home Screen, set up in five minutes
- Top of the first page: a Smart Stack with the world clock, the destination's weather and your countdown.
- Below it: a medium Photos widget, so past trips turn up as you unlock your phone.
- Lock Screen: a small clock for home time while you're away.
- A second page: your countries goal, next to the folder with your airline and booking apps.
After the trip, swap the destination for the next one on your list. If you don't have a next one yet, how to make a travel bucket list you'll actually finish is a good place to start, and at the end of the year your widgets' numbers feed straight into your year in travel recap.