Problem
In today's fast-paced world, many people struggle to keep track of the places they want to visit and those they have already explored. With numerous platforms available, users often find themselves overwhelmed, leading to lost recommendations and forgotten destinations. The existing solutions, such as Google Maps, lack the ability to efficiently manage personal lists of places, making it difficult for users to organize their travel aspirations and experiences.
Solution
To address this issue, I embarked on a challenge to build a complete Software as a Service (SaaS) product within 24 hours. The result is Been.place, a platform designed to help users track the places they want to visit and those they have already been to, all in one central location.
Key Features of Been.place
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List Management: Users can create multiple lists to categorize places they want to visit. Each list can contain an infinite number of locations, making it easy to organize travel plans.
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Social Integration: The platform incorporates a social media element, allowing users to share their experiences and recommendations with friends. When a user adds a place to their list, it can trigger a post on their home feed, fostering community engagement.
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Map Integration: Utilizing the Apple Maps API, Been.place provides a seamless map experience. Users can search for places using an autocomplete feature, view locations on a map, and get detailed information about each place.
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Caching for Efficiency: To enhance performance, the platform caches previously searched locations, reducing the need for repeated API calls and improving response times.
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User Profiles: Each user has a profile where they can manage their lists, view their activity, and connect with others in the community.
Development Process
The development process began with setting up the foundational elements of the application. I chose to use Next.js 14 for the front end and .NET 8 for the back end, ensuring a robust and scalable architecture. The integration of the Apple Maps API was a crucial step, allowing for efficient location searches and map rendering.
After several hours of coding, I successfully implemented the core functionalities, including user authentication, list creation, and map integration. The platform was designed to be responsive, ensuring a smooth user experience across devices.
Challenges Faced
Throughout the development process, I encountered several challenges, including:
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API Configuration: Setting up the Apple Maps API required careful attention to detail, particularly in generating the necessary tokens for authentication. Debugging these issues took significant time and effort.
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Deployment: Deploying the application to the cloud was another hurdle. I opted for Hetzner Cloud due to its affordability and performance. However, configuring the server and ensuring all environment variables were correctly set up took longer than anticipated.
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User Experience Design: Creating an intuitive user interface that effectively showcased the platform's features was essential. I spent time refining the design to ensure it was user-friendly and visually appealing.
Conclusion
After 24 hours of intense coding and problem-solving, Been.place was successfully launched. The platform aims to simplify the way users track their travel experiences, making it easier to manage their lists of places to visit and share recommendations with friends.
As I continue to develop and enhance Been.place, I look forward to gathering user feedback and iterating on the platform to better meet the needs of travelers everywhere. If you're interested in trying out Been.place, visit been.place and start organizing your travel adventures today!
Watch the entire process on YouTube here!
