Inspiration
On a family trip meant to be our one real time to relax, I watched my dad spend hours juggling maps, bookings, and translation apps instead of actually enjoying the journey with us. It felt like we were losing time together. That’s when the idea hit: what if there was one companion that could do all of that instantly, so families could focus on being present?
What it does
ETA is the travel agent in your pocket. Point your camera at a landmark, sign, or dish and it explains the story, translates the text, or books what you need—rides, tickets, routes—without ever leaving the scene. It’s designed to give travelers back the time they’re supposed to spend together.
How we built it
Frontend: Expo (Android-first) for camera, GPS, and screen-space AR overlays. Backend: FastAPI gateway with LangChain for agent orchestration. Agents: Unified workflows that tap into Wikipedia for knowledge, Maps for routing, ride-hail/ticket APIs for logistics, and cloud translation. Architecture: A single orchestrator endpoint with caching and guardrails, delivering typed JSON back to the app.
Challenges we ran into
- Making the agent planner feel reliable and fast instead of unpredictable.
- Handling latency in low-connectivity areas without breaking immersion.
- Designing UX that keeps families in the moment instead of staring at menus and settings.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
- Created a camera-first app that actually gets things done--stories, routes, rides, tickets, translations--in one flow.
- Made a working demo that could reduce the burden on the “family trip planner” (like my dad). Proved that agentic orchestration can feel seamless in a real-world consumer setting.
What we learned
- Building for real-life human needs (time with family) keeps tech decisions sharp.
- Guardrails and fallback logic make agent systems usable, not just cool.
- Tourism tech isn’t just about information: it’s about preserving shared experiences.
What's next for ETA (Everything Tourism Agent)
- Expand to highlight authentic spots while avoiding tourist traps.
- Build pilots with hostels and tourism boards, targeting family travelers.
- Ultimately, make ETA the default camera companion that saves time, stress, and lets families be together.
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