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Those screenshots were on my list to update so thank you for the reminder!

UGC: Our first phase definitely looks closer to what you're describing than the long term goal. We're seeding the major US cities ourselves, then bringing on influencers in those same cities to create routes from their own lifestyle/brand and cross-post on socials — the seeded routes give them a baseline for the format we're going for. UGC from regular users is the longer-term bet, not what we were expecting within our first week of launch.

Your "generate the routes based on their travel blogs, link back" idea is one I hadn't considered, but it's something to think about. Appreciate your input!

Hey man, congrats on the project! And to answer your question, the app is geared towards exploration in your city as well as others. So whether you're planning on going into downtown to explore new places or planning a trip to Tennessee, you're covered both ways! Thanks for the info on the sponsorships, that's my first time hearing about it. The more you know lol.

We are planning on launching an android version in the near future, just don't have a specific timeline yet. Looking to see how the response is from the iOS users. On the business side: influencer-created itineraries is something we're already leaning into as mentioned above (number 3). As for the other angle for monetization, we've gone back and forth on it. The thing that makes us hesitant is incentive alignment i.e once route creators earn commission on bookings, there's pressure to route people toward bookable places (hotels, paid attractions, restaurants on partner platforms) rather than the local hidden-gem stuff that's the actual value of the app. Not ruling it out—there are versions of it (transparent disclosure, opt-in by creator, separate trips vs routes surface) that might work. Just want to make sure it's done right. Appreciate your input!

Alex, appreciate the warmhearted comment. Especially from someone who's been in a similar spot, means a lot. Curious what stuck with you from that project, good or bad, if you're willing to share (contact info in profile if you want to talk privately).

On distribution: agreed. Stickiness is the hard part for sure. Our angle is that the app should also work as a way for users to discover their own city through other people's POVs — not just for travel. We also built in a collaboration feature and private routes, so it doubles as a planning platform whether you're going solo or with a group.

We're hoping the creation side carries the retention we're looking for. Following a route is one side of the coin. Making the route, collaborating with friends, planning places you want to visit over weeks — that's where we're estimating (hoping lol) most of our retention will come from. Can't say for sure yet, not enough data. Thanks again for the comment!

Just a FYI, the website is up and running if you still wanted to check it out!

You're right, just confirmed it on our end. Getting on that now, should be fixed shortly. Appreciate you for taking the time to report it.

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Thanks! Yeah that's the idea. Biggest problem we are encountering in the initial stages is just the UGC with users or lack thereof but it hasn't even been 48 hours since launch lol. Seeding major cities at the moment and as the user base grows, the hope is UGC grows as well.

At the moment, it's manual creation. You build the route by placing waypoints and adding notes, tips, and a cover photo (if you prefer). So you can create the route whenever you'd like. Live recording is something we considered but planned to do later down the line. Hope this answered your question!

Thanks! Just out of curiosity, what country do you reside in? We're iOS only for now (planning to come to android in the near future) and the App Store availability is set up market-by-market, so it'd be useful for us to know where the demand is.

Yes, we are only available in the U.S as of the moment. Planning on expanding into other markets in the future. Stay tuned!