Inspiration
The idea came directly from the brief. Finding people who share your lifestyle is incredibly hard when you're constantly moving. Traditional dating and social apps assume users stay in one place. We wanted to build something designed around movement.
What it does
Nomadic Bonds connects van lifers for dating, friendships, and practical help. Users swipe to match with other nomads and plan travel schedules up to 30 days ahead, getting matched based on overlapping routes. The Van Help feature lets experienced builders offer paid assistance through an in-app coin system. The app is invite-only to keep the community safe.
How we built it
We built the iOS app using Swift and SwiftUI. The backend is powered by Firebase for authentication and Firestore for schedules and matching. We used RevenueCat for Pro subscriptions and MapKit for location-based features.
Challenges we ran into
The biggest challenge was schedule-based matching. Calculating route overlaps between users with different travel plans required careful date and coordinate logic.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We are most proud of the schedule overlap matching. Users don't just match on interests — they match on where they'll actually be at the same time. The Van Help marketplace also solves a real pain point for builders needing expert advice on the road.
What we learned
We learned that building location-aware social features is significantly more complex than standard social apps. Handling time zones, coordinate distances, and real-time schedule changes required careful architecture decisions early on.
What's next for Nomadic Bonds
We plan to add group meetup events so nomads heading to the same area can organize gatherings, and verified profiles with ID checks to strengthen community trust.
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