HISTORY
So this is one of the newer ones. I had just got done doing my share of daily reading at around 2:30 in the night. Like all other 22 year old kids, before sleeping I was scrolling Reddit and came across a post which highlighted problems people face while travelling. I was recently on a trip with some friends and even we had faced some of the problems that the post mentioned. I felt how smoother the trip could have been if we had a friend, local to that area, who could recommend us places and maybe show us around. It felt even more important for solo travelling and felt kinda like cool way of making connections without a commercial aspect to it. Honestly what it reminded me of was the Peter Kavinsky movie where he used to offer date services??
IDEA
Ever wished for a travel app that could match you with the perfect local guide? Imagine having a local friend in every city you visit, ready to show you around and offer authentic experiences. And what better way of implementing this than the ‘Swipe’ feature.
BeMyGuide is a travel-focused app designed to connect travelers with locals who are willing to act as city guides, offering personalized and authentic experiences. Think of it as Bumble but for travelers: locals create profiles showcasing their knowledge of the city, favorite spots, and unique skills, while travelers can swipe through these profiles to find the perfect guide who matches their interests and vibe. It’s a fun and easy way to make the most of your travels by connecting with people who know the city inside and out.
Flow
Create a Profile: Both locals and travelers create profiles on the app. Locals can highlight their city expertise, list their favorite places, and share their interests.
Swipe Through Profiles: Travelers can browse through the profiles of locals, swiping right on those they’d like to explore with.
Mutual Match: When a traveler and a local both swipe right, it’s a match! They can then chat and plan their exploration together.
Plan Your Adventure: Once matched, travelers and locals can coordinate plans, set meeting times, and enjoy exploring the city together.
Problem
Traditional travel guides and generic travel apps often fall short when it comes to providing the personalized experiences that today’s travelers crave. Standard city tours can feel impersonal and rigid, missing the mark on delivering the true essence of a place. Moreover, there's often a disconnect between the typical tourist experience and what locals actually enjoy.
System Design
Architecture Overview:
Cloud Storage: We can use services like AWS S3 or Google Cloud Storage for storing profile data and chat histories.
Database: A NoSQL database like MongoDB or Firebase Firestore handles user data, matches, and interactions.
Backend Framework: The backend can be built on frameworks like Node.js or Django, which manage API requests and authentication.
Real-Time Communication: Real-time features like instant messaging which can implemented using WebSockets or Firebase Realtime Database.
Key Components:
Matchmaking and Messaging:
An interest based algorithm to recommend travelers some compatible locals. Once matched, they can chat and plan their adventure in real-time.
On right swiping by both the ends messaging will be enabled
Adding Personality to Profiles with Fun Questions
For Locals:
“What’s your favorite hidden gem in the city?”
“If you had to pick one dish to represent your city, what would it be?”
“Describe your perfect day in your city in three words.”
For Travelers:
“What kind of traveler are you – adventurer, foodie, or history buff?”
“What’s your dream city to explore?”
“What’s your go-to travel snack?”
Engaging with local bussiness and themes
A brief history of the city, with important historic events and key monuments\
List of all top voted local cuisines, cafes and bars.
Brief culture of the city
(This list is endless)
Safety and Trust:
To ensure a safe and trustworthy experience, add features for profile verification, user reviews, sos and other safety features to protect both locals and travelers.
Challenges
Scaling the Platform:
One of the main challenges is balancing the number of locals and travelers in each city to ensure a vibrant community. Reaching a critical mass of users is key to success.
Monetization:
A freemium approach with basic services for free and premium features for paid users. Other options include running sponsored ads for cafes/restaurants,gyms, hotels, etc on the app itself for different cities.
Marketing Strategy:
To capture the GenZ and Millennial market, leveraging social media marketing, influencer partnerships, and word-of-mouth promotion to build a community of engaged users is the best way to go forward.
Partner with travel agencies to advertise about the app.
Competitors
While there are no direct competitors offering the same model, several apps occupy the travel space, including traditional city guides, Airbnb Experiences, and Meetup.
Conclusion
BeMyGuide has the potential to transform the way people explore cities, offering a unique blend of social networking and travel guidance. By connecting travelers with locals who share their interests, it provides personalized, memorable experiences that go beyond the standard tourist fare. Get ready to explore cities like never before.
Favourite idea yet!
Finally an app where people will be upfront about their baggage. Very well thought out and equally well put into words 👏👏👏