Frequently Asked Questions

What is MyBreadcrumbs?

MyBreadcrumbs is an interactive, local-first 3D Earth globe and expedition tracking platform. It allows you to plot, visualize, and analyze your global travels across flights, trains, road trips, and cruises. You can track cumulative mileage, calculate orbital Earth laps, collect sovereign passport stamps, generate vertical recap video reels, and sync across all your devices.

Is MyBreadcrumbs free to use?

Yes! The core 3D Earth visualization, journey logging, flight autocompletion, digital passport stamps, and statistics engine are completely free. You can use the app as a guest locally or create a free account to automatically sync your trips to the cloud.

Do I need to download an app from an app store?

No installation is mandatory! MyBreadcrumbs is a high-performance progressive web app (PWA) that runs instantly in any modern web browser (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge) on desktop, tablet, and mobile. On iOS (Safari ➔ Share ➔ Add to Home Screen) and Android (Chrome ➔ Install App), it runs with fullscreen native performance. We also maintain native iOS and Android packages.

How does email forwarding to trips@mybreadcrumbsapp.com work?

Whenever you book a flight, train, or cruise, simply forward your airline booking confirmation, e-ticket, or travel receipt directly to trips@mybreadcrumbsapp.com. Our serverless pipeline automatically identifies your account, uses Google Gemini AI to parse departure/arrival airports, dates, and flight numbers, and logs the trip to your 3D globe in seconds.

What email formats and attachments are supported?

We support confirmation emails from all major global airlines (such as United, Delta, American, Southwest, British Airways, Air France, Lufthansa, Emirates, and more) as well as booking platforms like Expedia, Booking.com, and Google Flights. You can forward plain text emails, HTML formatted booking receipts, or emails containing attached PDF e-tickets.

Can I forward itineraries from my work email or family members?

Yes! In Settings ➔ Account ➔ Linked Forwarding Emails, you can link secondary addresses (such as a work email or family member's address). To prevent unauthorized account linking, a 6-digit verification code is emailed to that address. Once verified, any itinerary forwarded from that email will automatically route into your travel log.

How does MyBreadcrumbs process forwarded emails and travel documents?

When you forward an itinerary or booking confirmation, our serverless pipeline uses the Google Gemini API to extract key details such as flight numbers, airports, dates, and times to create your travel log. This processing occurs transiently in serverless memory. Raw email bodies and temporary attachments are discarded immediately upon extraction, and we do not sell your personal itinerary data to third parties. For more information on third-party API data handling, please refer to Google's Privacy Policy and API Terms of Service.

What is the Travel Reel Studio?

The Travel Reel Studio lets you generate 9:16 vertical travel recap videos showcasing your journeys mapped across the 3D rotating globe. Videos feature dynamic orbital camera flyovers, customizable background soundtracks, real-time speedometers, flight badges, and country flags—perfect for sharing on Instagram Stories, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts.

How do I export a video?

Click the Travel Reel button in your dashboard or select "Generate Reel" on any trip card. Choose your recap scope (All Journeys, Specific Year, or Single Trip), select a soundtrack, preview the 60fps animation, and click "Export Video" to download a ready-to-post WebM video file.

How does MyBreadcrumbs calculate flight distances?

Distances are calculated using spherical trigonometry via the Haversine Great-Circle Geodesic Formula based on official IATA/ICAO airport coordinates. Unlike flat 2D projection maps that distort trans-polar routes, our calculation models the true curvature of the Earth in statute miles or kilometers.

What travel modes can I log?

MyBreadcrumbs supports four distinct transportation modes, each rendered with unique visual characteristics and altitude paths on the 3D globe:

• ✈️ Commercial Flights (Sky Blue): High-altitude great circle arcs with 10,000+ airport autocompletion.
• 🚢 Cruises & Ferries (Vibrant Purple): Ocean-level maritime navigation routes across ports and islands.
• 🚗 Road Trips (Warm Amber): Ground-level scenic highways and cross-country expeditions.
• 🚆 Passenger & High-Speed Rail (Emerald Green): Intercity rail corridors and bullet train routes.

How do digital passport stamps work?

Whenever you log a trip that visits or departs from a sovereign nation, the app cross-references international ISO boundaries and stamps your digital passport. Your passport profile displays collected country stamps, total nations visited, continent breakdowns, and flags.

Can I use MyBreadcrumbs offline on an airplane?

Yes. MyBreadcrumbs is built on a local-first architecture. Your journeys, passport stamps, airport database, and globe textures are cached directly in your device's offline storage. You can view your map, inspect stats, and log new trips while in airplane mode without internet connectivity.

Why must I confirm my email address when creating an account?

To prevent account impersonation, automated spam, and unauthorized database access, we enforce a strict email confirmation gate. When you sign up, an activation link is sent to your inbox. Once confirmed, your cloud account is unlocked and synchronized.

Why does the app ask for my Current Password when changing it in Settings?

For your security, whenever an active logged-in user changes their password inside Settings ➔ Account, the app strictly requires re-authenticating with your current password before accepting a new one. This prevents someone who temporarily picks up your unlocked device from hijacking your account credentials.

What happens if I forget my password?

If you cannot sign in, click "Forgot password?" on the Sign In screen. Enter your email to receive a recovery link. Clicking the recovery link in your email assumes you are not logged in and opens the "Set New Password" screen directly without requiring an old password. Once updated, you sign in freshly with your new credentials.

What does the "Secure My Account" button do in the security alert email?

Whenever your password is changed, an automated security notification is sent to your email. If you did not make the change, clicking "Secure My Account" opens the password reset form with your email pre-filled so you can immediately request a recovery link and set a new password to regain control of your account.

How do I backup or permanently delete my data?

You have full sovereignty over your travel history:

• 1-Click Backup: In Settings ➔ Data & Backups, click "Export JSON Backup" to download your complete journey history.
• Permanent Account Deletion: In Settings ➔ Account, click "Delete Account". All your trips, passport stamps, linked forwarding addresses, and profile data are immediately and permanently wiped from our cloud database.