🌍 TravelBuddy — Your AI-Powered Travel Companion ✈️

🔗Live Link

https://travel-buddy-mu-eight.vercel.app/

Plan smarter. Explore deeper. Capture memories.
TravelBuddy is an AI-powered web app that helps travelers create personalized itineraries, visualize destinations, upload trip memories, and communicate in real time — all in one seamless platform.

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✨ Overview

TravelBuddy combines the intelligence of Gemini AI, the interactivity of Leaflet maps, and the power of real-time communication to simplify trip planning.
It’s not just an itinerary generator — it’s a full travel experience.

Whether you're exploring cities, planning adventures, or capturing moments, TravelBuddy makes it effortless to:

• ✈️ Plan your trip with AI-generated itineraries
• 🗺️ Explore destinations through interactive maps
• ☁️ Upload and relive travel memories
• 💬 Stay connected with real-time updates and chat

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🚀 Features

Feature	Description
🤖 AI Trip Planner (Gemini)	Generates custom day-by-day itineraries, must-visit spots, and estimated budgets.
🔐 Google OAuth	One-click login and registration using Google accounts.
☁️ Cloudinary Uploads	Upload and manage photos or trip memories securely in the cloud.
🖼️ Unsplash API Integration	Fetches beautiful destination images dynamically.
🗺️ Interactive Maps (Leaflet)	View landmarks and routes with smooth map interactions.
💬 Real-Time Communication (Socket.io)	Enables instant messaging and travel updates.
🧭 Modern UI	Built with React + Tailwind CSS for a smooth, mobile-responsive experience.

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🧠 Tech Stack

Layer	Technologies
Frontend	React, Tailwind CSS, Axios, Leaflet
Backend	Node.js, Express.js
Database	MongoDB + Mongoose
AI Engine	Google Gemini API
Authentication	Google OAuth 2.0
Real-Time	Socket.io
Cloud Storage	Cloudinary
Image Source	Unsplash API
Deployment	Vercel (Frontend) • Render/Railway (Backend)

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🗂️ Project Structure

TravelBuddy/ ├── backend/ │ ├── controllers/ │ ├── models/ │ ├── routes/ │ ├── utils/ │ ├── middlewares/ │ ├── socket/ │ ├── server.js │ └── .env │ ├── frontend/ │ ├── src/ │ │ ├── components/ │ │ ├── pages/ │ │ ├── hooks/ │ │ ├── services/ │ │ ├── utils/ │ │ └── App.jsx │ ├── public/ │ └── package.json │ └── README.md

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⚙️ Installation & Setup

1️⃣ Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/anand-144/TravelBuddy.git
cd TravelBuddy
cd backend
npm install

Create a .env file in /backend

PORT=5000
MONGO_URI=your_mongodb_connection_string
JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret
GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID=your_google_client_id
GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET=your_google_client_secret
GEMINI_API_KEY=your_gemini_api_key
CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME=your_cloudinary_name
CLOUDINARY_API_KEY=your_cloudinary_key
CLOUDINARY_API_SECRET=your_cloudinary_secret
UNSPLASH_ACCESS_KEY=your_unsplash_access_key

Start the backend:

npm run dev

3️⃣ Setup the Frontend

cd ../frontend
npm install
npm start

🧭 How It Works

1. Login using Google OAuth.
2. Enter trip details like destination, duration, and interests.
3. Gemini AI creates a detailed itinerary for you.
4. View locations interactively on the Leaflet map.
5. Upload memories (images/videos) to Cloudinary.
6. Enjoy live updates and chat through Socket.io.

Method	Endpoint	Description
POST	/api/auth/google	Login/Register via Google OAuth
POST	/api/ai/plan	Generate AI-based travel plan
POST	/api/memories/upload	Upload media to Cloudinary
GET	/api/trips	Retrieve saved trips
WS	/socket.io	Real-time event communication

🌐 Preview

🔮 Future Enhancements 🧳 Multi-destination route planning 🌦️ Weather-based itinerary suggestions 🧠 Smart packing checklist generator 📍 Travel community section for sharing trips 🔔 Notifications for price drops and updates

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! If you’d like to improve TravelBuddy: Fork this repo Create a feature branch (feature/your-feature) Commit and push your changes Submit a pull request 🚀

📜 License

Licensed under the MIT License — see the LICENSE file for detail

👨‍💻 Author

Anand Singh

⭐ If you like this project, give it a star on GitHub — it helps support further development!