10 Things I Learned Building a Travel App
I spent 6 months building ViajApp, a Japan travel platform. Here's what I wish I knew before starting.
1. Data is King, Not Code
The hardest part wasn't coding - it was collecting accurate data about Japan travel. Prices change, restaurants close, trains get rerouted.
Solution: I built a data pipeline that updates automatically.
2. Users Don't Care About Your Stack
Nobody asks if you use React or Vue. They care if the app works and looks good.
3. API Design is Everything
A well-designed API saves you months of refactoring later.
GET /v1/food/restaurants?city=tokyo&cuisine=ramen
GET /v1/transport/route?from=tokyo&to=kyoto
GET /v1/currency/convert?from=JPY&to=EUR&amount=1000
4. Automation Pays for Itself
I automated:
- Blog post generation (1 article/week)
- Currency rate updates (daily)
- Weather data sync (hourly)
- Event calendar updates (weekly)
Time saved: ~10 hours/week
5. SEO is Not Optional
Each page has:
- Meta titles and descriptions
- Open Graph tags
- Structured data
- XML sitemap
- Robots.txt
6. Mobile-First, Always
60% of travel app users are on mobile. If your app doesn't work on phones, you've lost them.
7. Error Handling Saves Lives
When someone is in Japan and your app crashes, they're lost. I added:
- Offline mode
- Fallback data
- Error boundaries
- Graceful degradation
8. Testing is Cheaper Than Bugs
33 tests covering API endpoints, currency calculations, and data validation.
9. Documentation is a Feature
The API has OpenAPI docs at /docs. Users love it.
10. Ship Fast, Iterate Faster
Version 1 was ugly but functional. Version 2 is beautiful. Users don't wait for perfect.
Built ViajApp: viajapp.app
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