How Forgetting My Guidebook in Vietnam Inspired Me to Build Wayfarer

I never thought forgetting a Lonely Planet guidebook could change how I see travel, but that’s exactly what happened on my last trip to Vietnam.

Without my usual guidebook, I quickly realized how messy modern travel planning can be.
 One moment I was browsing Tripadvisor, the next Googling “best hidden spots in Hoi An,” then digging through random blogs for restaurant tips.
 I even started using ChatGPT to get quick answers about history, culture, and activities. It worked surprisingly well — but it wasn’t built for travel. The conversations got buried, the insights scattered, and nothing connected into a meaningful journey.

It made me realize: there’s no real “personal guidebook” anymore.

What if you had a single, intelligent travel companion — not just to answer your questions, but to help you plan, capture memories, and live your trip with everything organized around you?

That’s how My Wayfarer was born.

Wayfarer is a personal travel companion app that combines planning, journaling, smart recommendations, and customizable trip management — all in one place.

🧭 Smart Itinerary Planner
 Build your trip step-by-step with an AI that tailors recommendations based on your budget, interests, and travel style. No more spreadsheets or scattered notes.

📓 Personal Travel Diary
 Capture your memories along the way — photos, thoughts, special moments — in a private journal built for travelers, not for likes.

📚 Custom Sections for Your Interests
 Organize your trip with categories you care about: History, Food, Culture, Adventure… or create your own.

🤖 AI Travel Companion
 Ask anything, anytime — from local history to hidden gems — and save the insights you want into your journey.

🎥 (Coming Soon) VR Travel Preview
 Preview destinations and experiences in immersive 360° videos before you even book — making decisions more vivid and personal.

The beauty of Wayfarer is that by the end of your trip, you don’t just have a bunch of scattered memories.

You’ve built your own custom guidebook — your own Lonely Planet, written by you, for you.

Every traveler deserves a trip that feels personal, not generic.
 Every adventure should be captured in a way that’s authentic, not commercial.

That’s what Wayfarer is for.

Wayfarer is live for early testers, and I’m excited (and nervous) to share it with the world.
 I’m looking for feedback from travelers who want to shape the future of the app.

If you believe that travel is about living your own story, I’d love for you to try it and tell me what you think.

👉 MyWayfarer

Thanks for reading — and here’s to your next great journey. ✈️🌍

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of my current or former employers. The framework, technologies, and methodologies discussed are based on the author’s personal insights and experiences. This article is intended for informational purposes only and does not represent my employer’s proprietary solutions or corporate strategies.

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