Documentation - Vestigia

Introduction

Vestigia is a comprehensive travel planning web application designed to help users discover cultural landmarks and plan their journeys, helping them through as many steps as possible. Whether you're a history enthusiast, an adventure seeker, or simply looking to explore new destinations, Vestigia provides the tools you need to make your travels memorable and well-organized.

This page serves as a guide to help you make the most out of Vestigia's features. We hope that with Vestigia, you can transform your travel dreams into reality.

Getting Started

Creating an Account

To get started with Vestigia, you'll need to create an account. Click on the "Sign Up" button in the navigation bar and fill in your details.

Navigating the Platform

Once logged in, you'll have access to all features through the main navigation menu. The map, trips, memories, and itinerary sections are avaliable without an account, but the full experience (including saving your progress and work) is available with an account.

Mobile Access

Vestigia is fully responsive and works seamlessly on mobile devices. You can add the web app to your home screen for a native app-like experience. A mobile-exclusive version will be available in the future.

Features

• Interactive Map: Explore cultural landmarks worldwide with our interactive map interface.
• Trips: Organize your travel plans into trips, share with friends, and track your progress.
• Itinerary Planning: Create and manage detailed travel itineraries with customizable activities and timelines.
• Memories: Upload and organize photos from your travels to create lasting memories.
• Friends: Connect with friends, share trips, and discover travel companions.
• Achievements: Earn badges and track your travel milestones.
• Profile: Customize your personal profile and view your travel statistics.

Map

The interactive map is the heart of Vestigia. Here's how to make the most of it:

Navigating the Map

Use zoom controls or mouse wheel to zoom in/out. Click and drag to pan around the map.

Finding Landmarks

Search for specific landmarks using the search bar, or browse the map. The more places of interest (POIs) are in an area, the more dense the heatmap will be. POIs are cultural landmarks and historical sites, ranging from the most popular tourist attractions to hidden gems for your own personal discovery.

Custom Markers

You can add your own custom markers for personal points of interest during your trip planning. Simply press or click anywhere on the map and choose "Add to My Map" to add a custom marker.

Adding to Trips

Upon saving markers, you can choose to either add the location to a trip or not.

Saved Places List

You can view all your saved markers, whether they be POIs or custom, on the list below the map. The options button next to each marker allows you to view it on the map, add it to a trip or itinerary, or delete it.

Other Features

• Use the directions finder to plan your route between any two points, with links to that exact route to major navigations services.
• The map has a satellite view option for better landmark identification. Simply click or press the layers button in the top right corner and select "Satellite."
• If you have a suggestion for a potential POI, dont hesitate to submit it through the "Suggest a Place of Interest" button at the bottom of the page.

Trips

The Trips section is your central hub for managing all your travel adventures and past journeys.

Viewing Your Trips

See all your planned and completed trips in one organized view. On the main screen, you can view and share your trips to other users, as well as creating new ones.

Trip Details

Click on any trip's "View Details" button to view detailed information including destinations, dates, companions, and associated events.

Managing Trips

Edit trip details, add companions,or delete trips you no longer need, all at the bottom of the details view. Please note that deleting a trip will not delete all associated events and markers.

Memories

The Memories section allows you to preserve and organize your travel experiences through photos and stories.

Getting Started

Memories are centered around countries. To start, select a country you've visited from the dropdown menu and click "Add Country." You can then add a photo from that country to your memories. After a country is added, it is lit up green on the memories map and you can add POIs of those countries to your memories.

Adding POIs

To add a POI to memories, click the place from its parent country's list. Add a photo, and it will appear on the memories map as a pulsing green dot.

Uploading Photos

Uploading photos are essential to verify a user's visit to a POI. The chosen photo's metadata is used to verify the location, so only a photo taken with location services enabled will work. The verification photo is never stored and is immediately deleted after verification. This does not bar a user from using the same photo anywhere else on the website, where it may be saved with user consent.

Viewing Memories

The memory map displays visited countries in green and visited POIs as pulsing green dots.

Checking In

Users have the option to "Check In" to a POI without uploading a photo. This is useful for when a user is not able to take a photo at a POI, or when they are already at the POI and do not want to take a photo. To check in, simply click the "Check In" button on the POI's card in the memories section. This while prompt the user for their geolocation, and if they are within the appropriate distance of the POI, they will be checked in. The Check In feature is also available on the Map page. Only can be used for POIs, not countries.

Itinerary Planning

Creating a New Event

Navigate through the calendar to your desired date and click the date on the calendar to select it. The only requirement for an event is a title and a date. Dont worry, you can always come back and add more details later. Users can also create events from the "Add Event" button on the map page and the "My Saved Places" list on the itinerary page.

Adding Events to Trips

You can add events to trips from the event creation menu. Simply select the trip you want to add the event to from the dropdown menu. You can also add events to trips from the trip details page.

Editing Events

To edit an event, simply click the event on the calendar to open the event details menu. From there, you can edit the event's details, move it to a different date, or delete it. You can also edit it from the events list view, by clicking the options button next to the event and selecting "Edit."

Sync Across Devices

Your itineraries automatically sync across all your devices for seamless planning on the go.

Friends

Connect with fellow travelers and build your travel community on Vestigia.

Finding Friends

Search for friends by username or email, or discover travelers with similar interests and destinations.

Sending Friend Requests

Send friend requests to connect with other users. Accept or decline incoming requests.

Interacting with Friends

View friends' trips, share your itineraries, comment on memories, and plan group adventures together.

Friend Activity

Stay updated with your friends' travel activities, new trips, and achievements through the activity feed.

Achievements

Earn badges and unlock achievements as you explore the world with Vestigia.

Earning Badges

Complete various challenges like visiting your first landmark, planning your first trip, or exploring different continents.

Achievement Types

Badges include exploration milestones, social achievements, planning accomplishments, and special seasonal challenges.

Viewing Progress

Check your achievement progress in your profile. See which badges you've earned and what's next to unlock.

Profile

Your profile is your personal space on Vestigia where you can showcase your travel personality and track your journey.

Profile Customization

Upload a profile picture, write a bio, and add your favorite destinations or travel interests.

Privacy Controls

Manage who can see your profile information, trips, and memories through privacy settings.

Profile Badges

Display your earned achievements and badges on your profile to share your travel accomplishments.

Support

Need help with Vestigia? We're here to assist!

Contact Us

Use the contact form on our website or email us at vestigia@yahoo.com for any questions or concerns.

Feedback

We value your feedback. Use the feedback modal accessible from the main navigation to share your thoughts and suggestions.

FAQ

Check our frequently asked questions section for quick answers to common queries.