What is TravelMate?
TravelMate is a mobile travel companion that solves two problems simultaneously: organising your itinerary and discovering experiences you wouldn't find on a typical tourist list. The app suggests hidden gems based on the destinations a user is already planning to visit — making unexpected discovery a natural part of the planning process rather than a separate research task.
The client had a clear product concept and handled the initial UX direction. My role was to translate that vision into a high-quality mobile UI — one that felt as exciting as travel itself while remaining functional and easy to navigate. When the client later paused the project, they gave permission for the work to remain in my portfolio.
Making discovery feel natural, not like a feature
The core UX tension: travel planning apps are organised and structured, but travel discovery is serendipitous and emotional. The UI needed to hold both qualities without feeling split — a planning tool that still sparked excitement.
Two modes, one flow
Itinerary management (structured, task-based) and destination discovery (visual, emotional) needed to coexist in a single coherent navigation structure.
Mobile-first content density
Travel content is inherently rich — images, locations, schedules, maps. Showing enough to be useful without overwhelming a small screen required careful hierarchy decisions.
Hidden gems UX
The suggestions needed to feel like personal recommendations, not an algorithm. Visual presentation of destinations had to feel curated and trustworthy.
Schedule + calendar integration
The itinerary management screen needed to connect to Google Calendar — requiring a clear, simple UI for what is typically a complex integration.
Visual-first, structure underneath
The design language leads with bold destination photography — travel is visceral and the UI should feel that way. Structure (schedules, lists, forms) sits underneath the visual layer, accessible when needed but never dominating the experience.
Discovery feed as the home screen anchor
The home screen leads with the Discover feed — a visually rich grid of destinations categorised by All, Destinations, Schedule, and Experiences. Users feel inspired before they start planning.
Integrated schedule management
Below the discovery content, the home screen surfaces the user's current schedule — upcoming trips, editable entries, and a Google Calendar connect prompt — so planning is always one scroll away.
Destination detail with photography-led layout
Individual destination screens use full-bleed imagery with location tags, making each destination feel like a curated recommendation rather than a database entry.
Web landing page for app discovery
Designed a marketing landing page where users learn about TravelMate and download the app — consistent visual language with the mobile app but adapted for a wider screen format.
Selected screens
Home — discover feed + schedule
Destination discovery screen
