
Show HN: Trip Planner – A tool for planning a trip itinerary using Google Maps - adl1995
https://github.com/adl1995/trip-planner
======
phsource
I have to say, being able to add all the places to a list accessible from
Google Maps is really key since it's one of my main tools while on a trip. I'm
curious though -- what got you to choose exporting to Google My Maps vs. a
Google Maps saved places place list?

For Wanderlog ([https://wanderlog.com](https://wanderlog.com)), we ended up
exporting to Saved Places instead of Google My Maps. My Maps lets you do
advanced things like create regions and polygons, but when using it on the
Google Maps app, it seems strictly worse:

1\. You have to explicitly turn on the My Maps layer, rather than the pins
always showing, for it to show up on the app, and

2\. When you tap on one of the My Maps pins, it doesn't show the underlying
place's associated details (e.g., rating, etc.) which makes it a bit harder to
go back to the source of the info.

It's definitely nicer to build on top of Saved Places, which also seems more
actively maintained by Google. Did you have any reason in mind to use My Maps
rather than the Saved Places?

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adl1995
I do use Saved Places but only for storing bus terminals, Airbnbs addresses,
etc. Google My Maps has the advantage of grouping places by a column (e.g.
rating, reviews) and modifying icons based on the place type (which I
frequently use). It also doesn't clutter the maps with landmarks (they only
show up when the map is selected).

1\. For me all layers are enabled by default when I load a map on the Maps
application

2\. I agree that this is quite annoying. The workaround I found was to add the
missing information in the CSV file which then shows up in My Maps

Having said that, there are still tons of features missing from My Maps, e.g.
each layer can have a limited number of places and there's no API to import
the CSV file programmatically. There's a pretty hectic list of feature
requests here:
[https://issuetracker.google.com/issues?q=google%20my%20maps%...](https://issuetracker.google.com/issues?q=google%20my%20maps%20type:feature_request)

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pintxo
The first paragraph from the readme is a better description:

> This tool filters Google Maps places based on an input query and exports
> them to a CSV file.

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lxe
Why a CLI tool instead of a GUI? This sort of thing seems like a poor use-case
for a CLI experience.

~~~
orisho
Probably because the author wrote this for themselves and did not need a UI,
but then thought that sharing it would be cool.

~~~
bordercases
Why _wouldn 't_ you need a UI? What makes a UI too bloated?

~~~
sachdevap
A UI is more work, and a CLI can be piped into all sorts of personal
projects/workflows. I sure would like this.

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spking
[https://wanderlog.com](https://wanderlog.com) (formerly TravelChime - YC W19)
is pretty great too. I used it over the summer to plan a family visit and it
was very useful.

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mikeokner
Neat project! If anyone's interested in more of a full-featured web app for
travel planning, I've been working on developing
[https://www.naverator.com/](https://www.naverator.com/)

~~~
adl1995
Thanks! Maybe it would be useful if your app allows importing itinerary from
CSV files (I'm guessing each item is added manually for now).

~~~
mikeokner
You're right, it is all manual for now. I do like the idea of some sort of
import, but it's intended for a more general audience. I'm not sure my mom
would figure out how to create and then import a CSV.

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s1mpl3
Nice! Traveling can be overwhelming. This is another great tool folks can use
to help prep for their trip [since it's a CLI your market will naturally be
developer focused]. I built [https://trrip.co](https://trrip.co) \- much less
about search and google maps, and much more about sorting itinerary in a
chronological way. Both can coexist!

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gomangogo
I got this error when running it :

File "fetch.py", line 25 place_raw =
requests.get(f'[https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/place/details/json?plac...](https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/place/details/json?placeid={place_id}&key={API_KEY}'))
^ SyntaxError: invalid syntax

~~~
Eldt
What version of python are you using?

~~~
gomangogo
I use now python 3.6 but got this error :

ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'wikipedia'

(I installed requirements)

~~~
adl1995
That's odd. What output do you get from 'pip install wikipedia'?

~~~
diminoten
You do you, but if you're giving python support in HN comments, you might be
here for a while!

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hkai
I remember the time where you could plan your route on Google Maps and save it
to your maps. Obviously they removed that feature circa 2012 because it was
too useful.

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nthitz
It'd be cool if the tool could also figure out the shortest path between the
attractions returned to optimize the trip!

~~~
adl1995
Definitely! I'm now thinking of adding a 'radius' parameter which only returns
places within a certain region.

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tekknolagi
I really enjoy this. I've also been interested in a tool that allows full
itinerary planning on the command line.

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kweks
I'd built out a similar tool that pulled in the Google Photos / Panoramio
photos along a route / path, within a certain distance to find interesting
things along your way.

It got nuked when Panoramio died - would be interested in Open-Sourcing it if
anyone wanted to pick up the project..

~~~
adl1995
Sounds like a neat idea! I would be very interested in checking it out.

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ym705
Nice tool! Could also be used for data science ;)

[https://dokomaps.com](https://dokomaps.com) is a more human and user friendly
alternative were locals create their own map, add comment and categories and
share them.

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tathagatadg
Very cool! love the simplicity ... A UI based tool that I have found very
useful [https://maps.sygic.com/](https://maps.sygic.com/)

~~~
mburst
Sygic is awesome! Used it to plan a trip to Japan and South Korea and it
highlighted a bunch of cool attractions that I would have never known about
otherwise

