WeekendOut
Where to spend a weekend in and around Bengaluru, picked for you in seconds instead of ten Instagram lists. Answer a few quick questions and get 7 to 10 places, each with a one-line reason it fits.
The Problem
Picking a weekend plan in Bengaluru means scrolling Instagram lists, blogs and a thread a friend forwarded last month. None of them know who's coming, what mood you're in, how much time you have or what you want to spend.
What It Does
- Seven quick questions: how long, who's going, the vibe, the crowd you can take, the climate, whether you need a stay, and a ₹ budget range.
- 7 to 10 picks from cafes and brewpubs, viewpoints, parks and treks, and weekend stays in Coorg, Chikmagalur, Sakleshpur, Mysuru, Ooty and Yelagiri, each with a one-line "why this fits you".
- Place pages with photos, address, rating and directions in Maps.
- Anonymous by default. Optional Google sign-in backs up saved places and a profile that prefills the planner next time.
By the Numbers
7Questions to a plan
7–10Picks per plan, each with a reason
5Releases since May 2026
₹0Monthly infrastructure cost
How It's Built
- An Android app in Kotlin and Jetpack Compose (Material 3), with Hilt and an MVVM structure.
- A Cloudflare Worker holds the API key, scores candidate places against your answers, and asks Gemini 2.5 Flash to rank the shortlist and write the reasons.
- Firebase for anonymous and Google sign-in, Firestore for places and saves, and App Check, Crashlytics and Analytics for safety and quality.
- Everything runs on free tiers, so there is nothing to pay for each month.
Shipping It
- v0.1.0, May 2026: first production release on Google Play.
- v0.2.0: brand redesign, a welcome screen with Google sign-in, crash reporting, and a real ₹ budget slider.
- v0.3.0: profiles with a home city and favourite vibes that prefill the planner.
- v0.3.1, August 2026: moved to Android 16 (API 36) ahead of Google Play's deadline.
- v0.3.2, October 2026: fixes for crashes when offline or opening Maps, in-app account deletion, and a toolchain upgrade.
Key Decisions
- Reasons, not lists: every pick says why it fits you, so there is no listicle to read.
- No sign-up wall: you can plan without an account. Sign-in exists only to keep your saves.
- Private by default: the app doesn't read your location, contacts or photos.
- Free to run: built on free tiers so the app can stay free.
Tech Stack
Kotlin
Jetpack Compose
Hilt
Retrofit
Cloudflare Workers
TypeScript
Gemini 2.5 Flash
Firebase Auth
Firestore
App Check
Crashlytics