Hey guys, today I wanna talk about how I finally got my butt in gear and made a travel planning app. It was a bit of a wild ride, but I’m stoked to share the whole process with you. You know how it is, planning a trip can be a real headache, with a million things to keep track of. So, I thought, why not make an app to sort it all out?
First things first, I started by listing out all the stuff I wanted this app to do. I mean, we’re talking flights, hotels, places to visit, the whole shebang. I scribbled down ideas, crossed some out, and added new ones. It was a bit chaotic, but hey, that’s how creativity works, right?
Then, I did a bit of digging around to see what other travel apps were out there. There are tons, let me tell you! Some are pretty slick, others not so much. I checked out a few big names like TripIt and Wanderlog, just to get a feel for what’s up. It was cool to see how they organized stuff and made it user-friendly.
After that, I started sketching out what I wanted my app to look like. I’m no Picasso, but I managed to draw some rough screens. I wanted something clean and simple, nothing too fancy. The idea was to have all the important info right there, easy to find. Think color-coded maps, that’s what I imagined!
Once I had a basic idea of the design, I started playing around with the layout. I tried to put myself in the shoes of someone using the app. Where would they look for this or that? How can I make it super intuitive? It was a lot of trial and error, moving things around until it felt just right.
Now, here’s where it got interesting. I wanted the app to be able to pull in info from different websites. You know, like when you find a cool hotel or a must-see spot online. I imagined something like Freeform app’s endless whiteboard, but for travel. So, I started experimenting with ways to do that. It was tricky, but I managed to get it working, at least in a basic way.
- Flights
- Hotels
- Itinerary
- Map
- Notes
The next big thing was letting users plan their trips together. I thought it would be awesome if you could share your plans with friends and family and work on them together. Wanderlog does something like this, and it’s pretty neat. So, I started figuring out how to make that happen in my app. It involved a lot of tinkering, but I finally got it to a point where you can collaborate on a trip with others.
After countless hours of work, I had a working version of the app. It wasn’t perfect, but it was mine. I tested it out myself, planning a few imaginary trips. It felt great to see all those plans come together in one place. I could add flights, hotels, and activities, see them on a map, and even jot down notes.
Key features I got working:
- Itinerary Builder: It’s super easy to add all your reservations and plans in one spot.
- Map View: You can see your whole trip laid out on a colorful map. It made everything feel more real.
- Collaboration: You can invite friends to plan with you.
- Information Gathering: The app can pull info from other websites.
Of course, there’s still a ton I want to improve. But for now, I’m just happy I made it this far. It’s been a journey of learning and experimenting, and I’m excited to keep working on it. So, that’s my story of building a travel planning app. It was messy, challenging, but totally worth it. If you’re thinking about making an app, just go for it! It’s an amazing experience, trust me.
