Building a travel tech app wasn't just a coding challenge for me (i barely know how to code); it was a way to process grief.
Eight years ago, I wrote down a business canvas for an app that would kill the traditional "guided tour". I hated rigid schedules, and I hated arriving at a beautiful natural trail only to find a faded tourist sign from 1998. I wanted a pocket guide. But life got in the way, and the idea stayed in a drawer.
Recently, I lost my mother. She was the person who instilled in me a deep curiosity for the history that surrounds us. Grieving is a strange process. For me, it meant finally sitting down, opening my IDE, and turning that 8-year-old idea into reality as a tribute to her.
I built YouGuide: a mobile app that uses background geolocation to trigger audio stories. You put your headphones on, lock your phone, and walk. When you reach a historical monument or a trail, the app tells you its story.
As a solo dev from Argentina, the challenges were huge:
