Inspiration
As a group of avid travelers, one of the most important aspects of planning is that we need to make sure that everyone’s needs are met during the trip. Be it dietary restrictions, budget, types of activities, it is vital that everyone in the group is agreeable to avoid any conflict and to have a fun trip ahead. However, planning a trip to everyone’s liking is easier said than done. Suggestions for activities, places of interest, or food might not be feasible given that others might not be agreeable to your ideas. Furthermore, the lack of planning tools makes it even more difficult for everyone to coordinate and work on the itinerary together. This is where TripTogether comes to play. This interactive planning tool will help allow users to curate the best travelling experience alongside their friends, reducing the stress and conflicts that happen within the trip.
What it does
We have developed an innovative website that would help users plan their travels with friends. Our platform enables users to create travel groups and streamline the decision-making process. We have integrated a questionnaire that captures users' essential preferences, including budget range, dietary restrictions, and more. By collecting this information upfront, the group will have access to everyone’s needs and desires, which would better allow them to plan for the activities. Once users join a travel group, they gain access to a user-friendly interface where they can suggest activities and attractions. These suggestions are organized into interactive cards that are categorized across various tabs. Each card includes a detailed description, and the user matches them with the preferences expressed in the questionnaire. As a result, our software provides a visual representation of the group's consensus on each activity, highlighting the agreeability among the different users across the different preferences.
How we built it
To build the app, we used a combination of different technologies and tools. The frontend of the app was developed using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, while the backend was built using Python and Flask web framework. We also used SQLite3 as the database to store data related to the trips and users. To manage the codebase, we used Git version control system. By leveraging these technologies, we were able to create a functional and user-friendly app for group trip planning.
Challenges we ran into
One of the key challenges that we faced was during the initial brainstorming phase. We took a great amount of time contemplating the various prompts in search of an innovative solution to problems around us. Initially we found it difficult to come up with any ideas at all, given how technology has already permeated through much of our lives, and many tech solutions already exist in the market.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
As a first-time team with limited experience in programming, successfully participating in a hackathon and building a prototype web app within the given 2-3 days is a great accomplishment. Despite the challenge of having a team member who is very new to programming, our team was able to collaborate effectively and showcase the general idea of what we wanted to achieve through the app. This is a significant achievement that highlights our team's dedication, hard work, and ability to learn and apply new technologies quickly.
What we learned
The challenge we faced lead us to draw ideas from our own personal experiences, in search of solutions that we ourselves as consumers would like to see in the market. We have thus learnt that in order to generate unique and impactful ideas, it is important to tap into our own needs and desires as consumers. By reflecting on our everyday challenges and frustrations, we were able to identify gaps in the existing technology landscape and thus come up with a solution that could address these pain points effectively.
What's next for [Monday] TripTogether
We will look to refine the app to make it more user-friendly and feature-rich. This could include improving the UI/UX, adding more functionalities, and enhancing the backend. Once the app is polished and ready, we could focus on expanding the user base by promoting the app through various channels like social media, online communities, and travel-related websites.
Log in or sign up for Devpost to join the conversation.