Like many remote workers and digital nomads, I’ve struggled to keep track of how many days I spend in different countries. This became important for me when I realized that staying too long in certain places could trigger tax residency issues - particularly with the “183-day rule” that many countries use.
To solve my own problem, I built 183Tracker, a simple web app that helps me monitor where I’ve been and for how long. I thought it might be useful for others facing the same challenge, so I decided to share it as an open-source tool.
Why I Built 183Tracker
As someone who enjoys working from different locations, I found it increasingly difficult to manually track my stays. I wanted to:
- Have a clear view of my travel patterns
- Understand potential tax implications
- Ensure I wasn’t accidentally becoming tax resident somewhere unintended
After looking for existing solutions and finding nothing that fit my needs, I decided to build something for myself that was simple and privacy-focused.
What It Does
I kept the tool intentionally simple, focusing on the features I personally needed:
Privacy by Design
I didn’t want my travel data stored on some server, so everything runs client-side. Your data stays in your browser - no accounts, no tracking, no data collection. This approach seems particularly relevant in today’s privacy-conscious internet environment.
Basic Functionality
- Track stays by country with start and end dates
- Calculate days spent in each country
- Display a rolling 365-day calculation (the most common tax residency rule)
- Show a visual calendar of where you’ve been
Usability
- Import/export functionality to backup data
- Multi-language support (currently English, Spanish, and Chinese)
- Dark/light mode to match your preference
- Works offline once loaded
How I Built It
I kept the tech stack intentionally simple:
- Plain JavaScript with some Vue.js for reactivity
- Bootstrap for styling
- No backend, no database
- Deployed as a static site
This approach allowed me to focus on functionality rather than complex infrastructure, similar to my approach in other development projects.
How You Can Use It
If you’re also someone who moves around frequently, you might find 183tracker.guztia.com helpful. Simply add your stays with start and end dates, and the tool will calculate everything else.
The project is completely open-source, so if you have ideas for improvements or want to contribute, feel free to check out the GitHub repository.
I built this primarily for myself, but I hope others in the remote work and digital nomad communities find it useful too. Safe travels!
183Tracker is an open-source project. Want to contribute or report an issue? Check out the GitHub repository.