Route Chat Connect: Empowering Collaborative Travel Planning and Social Connection

This paper presents a novel Python application, developed using the Streamlit framework, designed to enhance collaborative trip planning among friends. Departing from traditional planning methods, the application offers an integrated suite of functionalities to address the challenges of disjointed planning. Its core feature enables users to create multi-route itineraries, specifying details for each route such as friend names, pictures, and origin/destination addresses. Real-time route information, including distance, duration, and maneuver details, is retrieved via the TrueWay Directions API, empowering users to make informed decisions. Additionally, the application provides interactive trip maps enriched with friend avatars, addresses, and travel statistics, facilitating collaborative planning and alignment among participants. Real-time communication is facilitated through designated chat rooms, fostering seamless coordination and information sharing. Furthermore, a "Find a Friend" feature allows users to submit trip requests, enabling collaboration with others whose travel plans align. Accepted trips are displayed with contact details and dedicated chat room IDs, facilitating connection within the newly formed travel group. Overall, this Streamlit application aims to transform trip planning into an engaging and efficient collaborative experience, integrating trip visualization, real-time communication, and friend-finding functionalities.