QuirlQuest | Devpost

Inspiration

Saving money for travel is difficult because small, everyday purchases make progress feel invisible. Subscriptions, takeout, and impulse spending add up, but users rarely see how those choices affect their ability to travel. Most budgeting apps track expenses without motivating change or tying savings to a concrete goal. We wanted to build a solution that makes saving intentional and motivating. QuirlQuest helps users connect daily spending decisions to real travel outcomes through gamification and personalized challenges.

What it does

QuirlQuest is a gamified, goal-based savings app designed specifically for travel. It uses real spending data and AI to turn saving money into an interactive experience.

1. Personalized Savings Quests:

Generates custom savings challenges based on actual spending behavior.
Examples include brewing at home, skipping takeout, or avoiding impulse purchases.

2. AI Travel Itinerary:

Generates day-by-day itineraries based on interests, budget, and travel pace.
Includes estimated costs for all activities to keep the plan within budget.

3. Quirl AI Assistant:

Conversational chatbot for optimizing itineraries and reducing costs.
Users can request cheaper alternatives, add activities, or swap plans.

4. Savings Progress Tracking:

Displays a visual progress bar showing saved amount versus trip target.
Encourages intentional saving rather than passive budgeting.

5. Flight Price Tracking:

Tracks real-time flight prices for the user's destination.
Provides estimates and trends when live data is unavailable.
Helps users determine the best time to book.

6. Social & Group Features:

Leaderboards to motivate users through competition.
Group trips allow friends to save toward the same goal.
Shared progress increases accountability and engagement.

How we built it

Frontend: Built with React and TypeScript, styled using Tailwind CSS, and enhanced with Framer Motion for smooth animations. Hosted on Vercel
Backend: Implemented using FastAPI in Python to power API endpoints, with Supabase (PostgreSQL) handling authentication and persistent data storage. Hosted on Render
AI: Integrated Google Gemini to generate personalized savings quests, financial insights, and chatbot responses.
APIs & Data: Connected Plaid for secure bank access and transaction data, and leveraged the Amadeus Flight and POI APIs for real-time pricing, destinations, and itinerary locations.

Challenges we ran into

Accurate savings representation: Designing a progress system that reflects real saved money rather than inferred spending
AI consistency: Ensuring AI-generated quests matched progress counters and rewards
Reward normalization: Standardizing in-app currency values to avoid confusion
External APIs: Handling missing or unreliable flight pricing data with fallbacks
Time constraints: Balancing full-stack development with AI integration during the hackathon

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We built QuirlQuest to make saving for travel tangible and fun. Over the hackathon, we created a full-stack app that tracks real spending, generates AI-powered quests, and turns progress into rewards. Seeing users plan trips, compete with friends, and watch their savings grow in real time made the late night worth it. We're proud to have built something that actually helps people reach their dream adventures.

What we learned

Gamification only works when numbers are precise and trustworthy, since even small inconsistencies in progress quickly reduce user motivation.
AI systems need strong structure and validation to stay useful, otherwise generated quests and insights become inconsistent and difficult to act on.
Real-time financial data requires careful error handling, as external APIs can return incomplete or delayed data that would otherwise break the user experience.

What's next for Quirl

We're excited to expand QuirlQuest beyond the web. In the short term, we'll launch native mobile apps, add more quest types, and introduce push notifications and budget alerts to keep users engaged. Medium-term, we plan to add a rewards marketplace, advanced spending analytics, trip booking integration, and multi-currency support. Long-term, we envision a full community experience with user-generated quests, a complete AI travel assistant, and support for saving toward any financial goal, making QuirlQuest the go-to platform for turning dreams into action.