Wildroutes

The Problem

Traditional travel platforms:

• Focus on popular tourist destinations
• Overlook local hidden gems
• Contribute to overtourism
• Don’t support local communities effectively

The Solution

Wildroutes provides:

• Curated local adventure discoveries
• Community-driven recommendations
• Interactive route planning
• Local business partnerships
• Sustainable tourism promotion

Technical Stack

• Next.js frontend with ShadcnUI components
• Google Maps API integration
• Node.js backend
• MongoDB for data storage

The story behind Wildroutes

I first read a book called “Slow Adventures” and was enamoured by how many things there are to do for free outdoors. In my second year at University, I was placed into a group project module. So, I convinced everyone that Wildroutes would be an ideal project to pursue. We ended up working really hard on that project throughout the Easter vacation of 2023.

At the same time, the University of Liverpool was hosting a startup pitching competition with funding from Santander and a grand prize of £4000. I figured it was worth a shot and delivered the inital pitch (shown above) and made it to the next round which was a live pitching event in front of around 100 people (Shark Tank Style with some judges).

Wildroutes ended up winning first place in the Design Your Future Awards 2023! We’ve got photos to prove it.