journo

• 

  Friends Page

• 

  Saved Page

• 

  Treasure Page

• 

  Local Expert Page

• 

  For You Page

• 

  Home Page

Inspiration

I’ve always loved traveling — exploring new neighborhoods, finding hidden spots, and walking without a strict plan. But I often found myself juggling between Instagram, Google Maps, and screenshot folders just to keep track of saved places. It made the experience disjointed and frustrating.

That’s what inspired journo: an app that combines social recommendations with location mapping. I also realized that while I usually know where I want to go in a city, I rarely know how to walk through it in the most enjoyable way. That’s why saved and shareable walking routes became a key feature.

The Treasure Drop function was inspired by something personal — my family’s tradition of birthday treasure hunts. I wanted to bring that joy into travel, letting users create password-protected routes for friends, adding a playful layer to urban exploration.

What it does

Journo is a location-first social travel app where users can:

• Discover posts that include location-based recommendations
• Automatically save those places to an integrated map
• Create and share walking routes by connecting saved spots
• Access Treasure Drop routes via password for surprise experiences
• Add friends and explore their routes or saved pins Unlike traditional social media, Journo centers on places — not just photos or captions.

How we built it

We built Journo using Bolt’s platform, with initial ideas inserted as prompt:

• Maptiler as the base map system
• A custom postcard layout where each post features the location tag above the photo
• A map-first interface that acts as the app’s homepage
• Route-building logic that allows users to select multiple pins and visualize a walking path
• A Treasure Drop system with password-protected pins visible only to those with access

Then adjustments on color palette, font, icons, and button functionalities were added to create a more coherent user experience for the users.

Challenges we ran into

One of the biggest design challenges was differentiating the "For You" feed from Instagram. We didn’t want another like-driven photo feed. So we flipped the layout: location tags are emphasized above images, and the map is the central hub, not a secondary feature.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are very proud of creating a location-centered social feed that feels intuitive and unique, which brings personal experiences into the app so that users with similar struggles have a new platform to rely on. Building this app truly makes exploring cities more meaningful and less messy.

What we learned

We learned that imagining an app is exciting, but turning that idea into something that works requires compromise, creativity, and a lot of rethinking. Even features that sounded simple required iterative thinking and layout reworking in Bolt. We also discovered how critical information hierarchy is: placing the map and location first helped ground the app's identity. And most importantly, we learned how to turn personal travel habits into features that could help others connect, explore, and remember better.

What's next for journo

• Enhancing the route-building experience with AI-generated suggestions
• Adding dynamic folders for saved places: categorized by activity, mood, or time of day
• Partnering with local businesses for branded treasure drops or hidden promotions
• Expanding the social layer: allowing users share maps and collect spots together
• Supporting offline maps and routes for travelers on the go
• Work on ensuring user safety for the Treasure Drop feature

Built With

• bolt
• maptiler