Profiles Switcher Profiles Switcher › Automations › Travel mode on landing
Switch your Mac to travel mode when you land
Create a Travel profile with a Time zone rule for your destination and add actions such as Open a URL for your itinerary, Set keyboard input source and Show a notification. With automatic time zone on, it switches on when your Mac adopts local time.
- When
- Time zone is Asia/Tokyo
- Then
- Open the itineraryJapanese inputNotification
Last updated
How to set it up
- Turn on automatic time zone. In System Settings > General > Date & Time, turn on setting the time zone automatically using your location.
- Create the Travel profile. Add a Time zone rule and select your destination. You can select several zones for a trip with stops.
- Add your travel actions. For example Open a URL with your itinerary, Set keyboard input source for the local language and Show a notification.
- Let Home take over again. Your normal profiles match again once your Mac is back in your home time zone.
Get Profiles Switcher on the Mac App Store, for macOS 13 or later
The time zone is a travel signal
A Mac with automatic time zone turned on changes zone when it reaches a new country, which makes the time zone a clean signal that you are traveling. No location permission is needed for this rule, and it works on hotel Wi-Fi as soon as the Mac picks up its new location.
What a travel profile can do
- Open a URL: your itinerary, the hotel booking or a local transit map, in the browser you choose.
- Set keyboard input source: a local input method, such as Japanese or Korean, for messages and searches.
- Show a notification: a welcome note with the local Wi-Fi password you saved in advance.
- Set desktop wallpaper: a photo of the city, so you notice the travel profile is on.
- Run a Shortcut: set a Focus mode or send a “landed” message to family.
Travel and the rest of your profiles
Time zones also affect your other profiles: Day of the week and Time of day rules use the Mac’s current time zone, so a “weekdays 9 to 17” office profile follows local time abroad. Give the Travel profile the highest priority so it wins over your home setup while you are away.
Frequently asked questions
Does it switch on the moment I land?
It switches on when macOS changes the time zone, which happens automatically when you connect to a network at your destination if automatic time zone is on.
Do day-of-week rules follow the new time zone too?
Yes. Day of the week and Time of day use the Mac’s current time zone, so they follow you.
Can one profile cover several countries?
Yes. Select more than one time zone in the rule.
Related automations
Set it up in a few minutes
Profiles Switcher is a menu bar app for Mac (macOS 13 or later, Apple Silicon and Intel) that switches your Mac's setup automatically. You build profiles from 19 triggers, such as the Wi-Fi network you join, a place, headphones or a display, and 18 actions, including running any of your Shortcuts. Everything runs on your Mac; it is available on the Mac App Store.
Download on the Mac App Store