DestinAI

an AI-powered travel planner

Tell us about the inspiration for your project.

As university students with a tight budget, we have been thinking of planning an overseas trip and were not sure about the places that we could afford to go within this tight budget. That’s how we came up with DestinAI, a website that uses AI to make a budget-prioritised travel plan for various countries.

Tell us about why your project is innovative/creative.

Our project is innovative because we leverage the gap in functionality found in TripAdvisor and other trip planning software, which lack the ability to create travel plans based on a budget. This feature is invaluable for budget-conscious travellers who want to explore different options before making a decision. It's also beneficial for frequent travellers looking to discover new and exciting travel plans.

Tell us about your development process.

The development process followed a structured problem-solving methodology. We began by analyzing the project requirements, leading to the creation of DestinAI and a clear definition of the software's scope. We drafted a rough design for each webpage, outlining its content and functionality.

During the development stage, both front-end and back-end work proceeded simultaneously.

We continuously tested and refined both aspects through the stage.

Presentation deck and video are recorded at the finalisation stage.

Tell us about the technical implementation of your project. Include discussion of stream specific technologies.

Flask was used as the web framework to create a dynamic, multi-page website that handles user input across different stages of the trip planning process. Flask allowed us to implement various routes to manage different pages, such as the homepage, budget, location, and summary pages, each collecting specific details from the user like departure dates, budget, and locations. The data was stored in session variables to maintain continuity as users navigated through the site. Additionally, we integrated the ChatGPT API to dynamically generate personalised travel itineraries based on the user inputs. Within the generate_itinerary function, specific parameters and prompts for the API were set up to generate detailed itineraries, including flight information, accommodation details, daily activities, and budget breakdowns. Intensive prompt engineering was done to help DestinAI provide the most accurate responses possible. The response from the API was then parsed and saved as a JSON file, which was displayed on the final itinerary page. This seamless integration of Flask and the ChatGPT API automated the travel planning process, enhancing user experience.

To further improve usability, we incorporated JavaScript with the Geolocation API to detect the user's current location and autofill the "From" field on the homepage. The geolocation data was stored in local storage, allowing us to automatically populate the input field with the nearest city, streamlining the booking process and adding a personalised touch to DestinAI.

Tell us about your team and the roles of the people within your team.

Our team consists of 3 members with the following roles:

Guramaan Singh - Back-End Developer
Nisul Madurasinghe - Front-End Developer
Allison Nguyen - Front-End Developer, Pitch Deck Creator

Tell us about anything you want to highlight in your project that we may miss during judging

One key aspect to highlight in our project is the seamless integration of the ChatGPT API with our Flask application, which enables us to dynamically generate highly personalized travel itineraries based on user input. This integration allows users to receive detailed and tailored recommendations, including flight options, accommodation details, daily activities, and budget breakdowns.

Additionally, our use of the Geolocation API to detect and autofill the user's current location significantly enhances usability by simplifying the booking process and adding a personalized touch.

Our focus on intensive prompt engineering for the ChatGPT API ensures that users receive the most accurate and relevant travel recommendations,

These features collectively ensure that DestinAI offers a unique and innovative solution for creating budget-conscious, personalised travel plans.