About a month and a half ago, I was traveling in Medellin, Colombia with friends, and we were always walking around different neighborhoods trying to explore new places. Lots of times, we would wonder what something was (like a dish/building/mural/etc.), and we loved to explore the history behind it.

With that, the options were:

* Google Lens: Filled with shopping links, SEO spam, and links to annoying articles I don't really care much about. Also locked to Gemini.
* Take a photo, upload to ChatGPT/Claude mobile apps: This works, but feels really clunky and full of friction when you're standing on a street corner having to take the picture, type a detailed prompt, etc.
* Google Maps: works if it's a restaurant or building you're right next to, but doesn't work well if it's far away or it can't be "mapped" (like a person, sculpture, or something moving, etc.)

So I spent a bit of time building [Spotter](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/spotter-the-travel-companion/id6761238251), an information-first travel guide made for travelers! I have a few friends using it in Europe and Asia at the moment and they really seem to like it, so I figured I'd share this with the broader travel community!

Hope this helps :)

Google Lens Alternative