almost 8 years ago
Travel APIs
At a Hackathon, using the right APIs can make or break your project. Since a single weekend is such a short amount of time to write an entire application, hackers often turn to APIs as a way of powering their apps. Using existing APIs and frameworks helps us solve common problems like storing data or sending messages without having to write all of that code ourselves. They can also provide access to specialized datasets like hotel availability or allow us to take advantage of existing algorithms for things like image recognition. When I browse through API lists, I can’t help but be inspired to think about things I want to build with them.
Here are some of the APIs that I like to use for travel themed applications. You shouldn’t work on your project before the hackathon, but it can be a good idea to make sure you have access to any APIs you might want to use ahead of time. This list isn’t meant to be exhaustive (and you aren’t required to use any of these APIs), but it can be a great place to get started. We can’t wait to see what awesome ideas you come up with!
Expedia Group
Docs: https://hackathon.expedia.com/docs/
Access: A key will be provided during the Hackathon
When building a travel app, there’s no better place to start than Expedia Group. With access to flights, cars, and hotels, these APIs can build a strong foundation for planning and booking a trip. Expedia is mentioned in Programmable Web’s Top 10 Travel APIs and the Expedia Affiliate Network has opened up whole new areas of business by embracing the power of APIs. I used Expedia APIs in my first hackathon and was amazed at how much content I was able to access with a single integration. We will be providing an access key for the Expedia Group API during the hackathon.
Google Maps
Docs: https://cloud.google.com/maps-platform/
Access: If you would like to use this API, please sign up to obtain your own key.
Almost every hackathon, no matter the theme, can benefit from the Google Maps Platform. I find it especially useful when designing for travel because vacations are all about the destination AND the journey. You can plan routes, discover new places, or show images with street view. The Google Maps Embed API can be a great place to get started, as it allows you to create a fully functional and interactive Google Map that you can embed directly into an iframe. While you’re looking around at the google suite of APIs, you might want to try out the Google Translation API as well.
Hiking Project
Docs: https://www.hikingproject.com/data
Access: If you would like to use this API, please sign up to obtain your own key.
I’m definitely a hiking nerd and I love to plan my vacations around great trails. You can use REI’s Hiking Project APIs to find trails, check conditions, and search for things to do. I can’t help but get inspired when I see pictures of some of these locations. If a full integration is more than you have time for, you can look at their embedded widgets.
Other Great API Resources
Programmable Web - Is the place to get the latest news on everything API. You can search the API listings with filters like “travel” or take a look at articles like “Most Popular APIs Used at Hackathons” . Just be warned, some of the APIs you find through search are no longer active.
Yelp - Reviews for all the things.
Spotify - The soundtrack for your next trip (and probably this hackathon too, let’s be real).
Lookr - Easily embed webcams from all over the world.
IBM Watson - Great for chatbots, sentiment analysis, and other NLP and machine learning tasks.
Have any other favorite APIs that you like to use during hackathons? Are there specific platforms that help you get your code up and running quickly? Share with your fellow hackers in the discussion forum.