Scenario / Question
I travel frequently. How can I show the right availability across different time zones in Calendly?
Overview
Calendly does not let you set different time zones for specific dates on a schedule. Instead, use Date-specific hours to adjust the hours shown during your travel dates to match your working hours in the destination’s time zone. You’ll need to convert times yourself before entering them; a third-party time zone converter can help.
Step-by-Step
- Decide your working hours for the destination: Determine the local working window you want to keep while traveling (for example: 9:00 AM–5:00 PM in New York).
- Convert those hours to your account’s current time zone: Use a time zone converter to translate the destination hours back to your Calendly schedule’s time zone (for example: convert 9:00 AM–5:00 PM Eastern to 6:00 AM–2:00 PM Pacific).
- Open your Availability: In Calendly, go to your Availability.
- Add Date-specific hours: Create Date-specific hours for the exact travel dates and enter the converted hours for each day in that period. Note: Date-specific hours cannot be set to a different time zone; they inherit your schedule’s time zone.
- Repeat for additional trips: If you have multiple travel segments with different offsets, create separate Date-specific hours for each date range using the appropriate converted hours.
Key Notes & Limitations
- You cannot assign a different time zone to Date-specific hours; you must convert times manually before entering them.
- Calendly will not automatically change your account time zone based on device location. Your schedule’s time zone remains what you set, even when you travel. Your personal external calendar may display the meeting in your device’s local time, so the same event may show different local times inside Calendly vs. on your external calendar.
- If you use Calendar Invitations, the invite is generated by the connected calendar and will display according to the recipient’s calendar/device time zone settings. If their calendar cannot determine a time zone, it may default to UTC and cause confusion. Switching to Email Confirmations can reduce this variability.
- Daylight Saving Time is handled automatically in Calendly, but make sure your conversions account for current DST status when you set Date-specific hours.
- The availability editor does not allow an end time earlier than the start time on the same day. For overnight windows across time zones, split hours across two days or adjust your approach.
Related Questions (FAQ)
Q: Can I lock a schedule to a future time zone for a specific date range?
A: No. Date-specific hours do not support a different time zone; convert times manually and enter them using your schedule’s time zone.
Q: Will Calendly switch my account time zone when I land in a new location?
A: No. Calendly won’t change your account settings based on device location. Your external calendar may display the local time automatically, which can differ from what you see in Calendly.
Q: My invitees are seeing UTC or a different time on their calendar. Why?
A: Calendar Invitations come from the connected calendar and use the recipient’s calendar/device time zone settings. If their calendar can’t determine a time zone, it may default to UTC. Consider using Email Confirmations to avoid this.
Q: Can I set overnight hours (for example, 5:00 PM to 2:00 AM) when traveling far across time zones?
A: Calendly’s availability editor does not allow an end time earlier than the start time on the same day. You may need to split hours across two days or adjust your approach.
Q: Is there a feature to apply a specific schedule to selected dates with a different time zone?
A: Not currently. Community members have requested it; for now, use Date-specific hours with manual conversions per trip segment.
