If you’re tired of managing your listing’s availability with different calendars for each platform, we can help. The Outdoorsy Calendar Sync tool allows you to import your rental calendar from other platforms and displays it alongside your Outdoorsy calendar.

How does the Calendar Sync work?

Think of the Calendar sync tool like a reliable copilot for your rental business—it makes sure all your different listing platforms are reading from the exact same map, so you never have to worry about overlapping trips.

What can Calendar Sync do?

You can also export your Outdoorsy calendar if you’d like to manage everything in iCal, Google Calendar, or another calendaring program. Using the Calendar Sync tool, you can:

• Import calendars: The tool allows you to import other calendars from supported platforms for you to keep track of multiple bookings over different platforms
• Export your Outdoorsy calendar: The tool allows exporting of your Outdoorsy calendar for you to sync it into other platform calendars.  

When your calendars are connected via Calendar sync, they automatically ‘refresh’ every two hours, giving you the most up-to-date availability information. Your calendars will stay connected until you ‘break’ the connection by clicking the little trash icon next to the imported calendar.

Are there any limitations to the Calendar sync?

We are constantly improving our sync tools, but there are two important limitations to keep in mind right now:

• Outdoorsy bookings only (Exports): When you export your Outdoorsy calendar to another platform, it will only show bookings that were made directly on Outdoorsy. If you have an Airbnb booking synced into Outdoorsy, that Airbnb booking will not get passed along to a third platform through our export link.

• Supported platforms only (Imports): We currently support two-way syncing with a specific list of platforms. If you use a platform not listed below, its calendar link may not connect properly.

• Calendar sync setup: Calendar sync setup can only be done on the Outdoorsy website, but your updated availability will reflect across all platforms (iOS, Android, and web).

NOTE: We can sync calendars with Airbnb, RVshare, RVezy, Hipcamp, Newbook, Vrbo, Turo, and Hostaway at this time. We will be adding other calendar sync options as they are requested.

How do importing and exporting calendars work?

Think of importing and exporting like a two-way highway for your listing, it allows reservation data to travel smoothly back and forth between Outdoorsy and your other booking platforms. When traffic flows both ways, your calendars stay perfectly aligned on autopilot—saving you from the headache of manual updates and protecting you from double-bookings.

Importing other calendars

You can import external calendars into Outdoorsy to keep your availability across different platforms up to date. Before you get started, keep two important things in mind:

• One listing at a time: The external calendar will only connect to the specific listing you are currently editing. If you have multiple listings, you will need to repeat this process for each one.

• Format support: Ensure the platform you are importing from  is supported and provides a standard iCal (.ics) URL.

To import a calendar:

1. Go to the Calendar tab in your Host dashboard.

2. Locate the Calendar sync section and click the Add calendar button.

   Note: If you have already imported a calendar in the past, you will need to click the Gear icon first to open your sync window and see the "Add calendar" option.

3. In the pop-up window, fill in the following details:

   • Calendar URL: Paste your external calendar's .ics link here.

   • Name: Give the imported calendar a clear name (e.g., "My Airbnb Calendar").

4. Click Add calendar to save and complete the sync.

Manually syncing your calendars

Once you have imported your external calendars, Outdoorsy automatically refreshes them every two hours. However, if you've just received a new booking on another platform and want to see it on Outdoorsy right away, you can trigger a manual sync.

How to manually sync/refresh your calendars:

1. Go to the Calendar tab in your Host dashboard.

2. Locate the Calendar sync section in the sidebar and the list of your imported calendars. 

3. Click the Refresh icon (the circular arrows) to update your imported calendars instantly.
   To determine if a manual sync is successful, look for a green check mark next to your synced calendars after performing the refresh

Exporting: Live Syncing vs Downloading your Outdoorsy calendar

While live syncing and downloading your Outdoorsy calendar might sound like the exact same thing, they actually serve two completely different purposes for your rental business.

Think of live syncing like setting up a live GPS feed — it creates a continuous, automated connection that updates your other listing platforms in real time. Downloading, on the other hand, is like taking a quick snapshot or a Polaroid picture of your calendar grid at this exact moment — perfect for printing out or doing your monthly accounting.

Option 1: Live syncing via an iCal link

When you copy your Outdoorsy calendar URL to subscribe or sync with platforms like Airbnb, Google Calendar, or Apple Calendar, you are setting up a live, digital connection. When a new booking comes in on Outdoorsy, your other calendars will automatically update.

• The Catch: Because it’s a live external feed, updates aren't always instant. Depending on how often the other platform refreshes, it can sometimes take a little while for new bookings to sync over.

• When to do it: Go with Syncing if you want a "set it and forget it" option that keeps your availability updated across platforms automatically over time

To export and sync your Outdoorsy calendar:

1. Go to the Calendar tab in your Host dashboard.

2. Locate the Calendar sync section and click Copy URL.

3. Open your other calendar application (like Google Calendar) and paste that link into its Subscribe or Add from URL settings.

Option 2: Downloading a static snapshot of your calendar

When you click Download, you are downloading a physical calendar file (.ics) that captures your schedule exactly as it looks right this second. When you import this file into another calendar, you completely own those entries—you can manually edit them, see every single detail, and treat them as your own permanent records.

• The Catch: It is completely static. If someone books your RV five minutes from now, your downloaded file won't know about it. You would have to download a brand-new file to see the updates.

• When to do it: Go with Downloading if you need full control over your current schedule details right now for offline viewing, printing, or accounting, and you don't mind doing manual updates later.

How to download your Outdoorsy calendar:

1. Go to the Calendar tab in your Host dashboard.

2. Locate the Calendar sync section and click the Download link.

3. Open your other calendar application, look for its Import settings, and upload the .ics file you just downloaded from your device.

Error Messages and Troubleshooting

Just like a bumpy detour on the open road, you might occasionally run into a quick hiccup when syncing your calendars. 

While this list doesn't cover every single error under the sun, it does break down the most common speed bumps you might encounter—and exactly how you can easily fix them yourself to get your listing back on track in no time.

Refer to the error messages below to learn exactly what they mean and how to troubleshoot them.

"We couldn't sync this calendar with [provider]"

If you see this message, it means the connection between Outdoorsy and your other listing platform (like Airbnb or RVezy) has dropped. 

This could mean that the other platform you synced with your Outdoorsy calendar (RVezy, Airbnb, etc.) either regenerated the link or returned an error.

How to fix it:

If you encounter the error, just replace the old calendar link with a brand-new one.

1. Get the new link: Log into your other platform’s dashboard (Airbnb, Vrbo, etc.), go to their calendar sync settings, and copy their current .ics URL.

2. Clear out the old link on Outdoorsy: Navigate to the Calendar tab in your Outdoorsy dashboard.

   1. Click the Gear icon in the Calendar Sync section to open your sync settings.

   2. Find the failing calendar on the list, click its Trash can icon to delete it, and save changes.

3. Paste the new link: In that same settings window, in the  Calendar URL field, paste the new URL you just copied, and click Add calendar.

Note for RVezy Users: RVezy recently updated its system. Look closely at the link you copied. Working links must contain .../api/v3/calendars/.... Older link versions containing .../api/calendars/... (missing the "v3") will no longer work.

Still not working?

If you used a brand-new link and it still fails, don't panic. The other platform's servers might just be having a temporary hiccup. Wait 5 to 10 minutes, then try adding it one more time.

"This calendar source is not yet supported"

If you see this error, it usually means the link you pasted is for a regular webpage rather than a calendar feed.

The Calendar sync tool can only read calendar links. If you copy the link from your browser's address bar while looking at your listing, the system won't understand it. It needs your other platform's specific calendar link meant for syncing.

How to fix it:

You need to go back to your other platform's dashboard and find their actual export link.

1. Log into your other platform’s host dashboard.

2. Look for sections or links labeled as "iCal export", "Calendar Sync", "Subscribe to Calendar", or similar.

3. Copy the calendar URL found inside those settings, then paste that one into the Calendar URL field found in the Calendar sync modal of your Calendar tab in Outdoorsy.

   For a full walkthrough of this process, you can refer to the Importing other calendars section above.

Example link distinction:  

• Incorrect link (Website URL): https://rvezy.com/listings/...

• Correct link (iCal Feed URL): https://api.rvezy.com/api/v3/calendars/<your-unique-token>

"My calendar sync is paused"

If you see this status, it means Outdoorsy has temporarily stopped trying to sync with your external calendar, due to repeated sync errors.

Think of it as something like a safety feature. When our system encounters repeated errors while trying to connect to your other platform (like Airbnb or Vrbo), it will automatically pause the sync, so it doesn’t slow things down.

How to fix it:

Unpausing your calendar is quick and easy. You just need to give it a manual nudge to wake the connection back up.

1. Open your settings: Go to the Calendar tab in your host dashboard, and click the Gear icon in the Calendar Sync section to open your sync settings.

2. Find the calendar: Locate the paused calendar from your list of synced calendars.

3. Trigger the sync: Click the Refresh icon (the circular arrows) right next to its name to manually wake up the connection.

Once the manual sync goes through successfully, your calendar will instantly unpause and go back to its normal, automatic routine!

Note: We know it can be frustrating when a temporary glitch pauses your calendar. Our team is currently tracking a system update to prevent the tool from auto-pausing on quick, temporary server hiccups.