When a holiday inspires an idea : the birth of Chillingz(#1)

Normally, holidays are a time to switch off, relax and have some fun. In December 2024, I took a trip to Ghana to visit family and friends. With December and the Christmas season being a popular time to visit for tourists due to the numerous events and activities that take place, I was there to explore and enjoy. Little did I know it would be the beginning of building upon an idea.

The moment that brought the inspiration

I was with some friends at an event in Polo Beach Club in Accra (lit venue) and I think at a point in the event I must have zoned out. Whether I was tired from the numerous events I had already been to earlier in the trip which had now compounded or my social battery needing charging, I am not sure. At this moment, I began to think 2 thoughts:

1) What if someone wants to visit Ghana (or any place) but isn’t a big party person ?
2) Is everyone aware of what Ghana has to offer ontop of a vibrant nightlife ?”

With these thoughts, ‘Chillingz’ was born.

What’s Chillingz?

Chillingz is a discovery platform that helps people to find things to do based on both interests and location, and tailors activities to individual preferences.

Going to a new location for the first time can be very exciting. However, if you don’t know too much about the place or don’t know anyone who’s lived or been there before, you may not explore it to the fullest. Chillingz aims to make finding things to do easier in whatever location you’re in - from sightseeing, concerts and clubs, and relaxation and wellness centres, Chillingz has got you covered.

Validating the idea

As good as this idea was in my head, I had to go out and validate it. The way I did this was by putting together a 3-question survey with these questions:

1) When you travel, how do you find things to do?

2) What might stop you from fully exploring a new destination?

3) If there was a platform that tailored and suggested things to do in your current location or new destination  based on your interests or personality, would you consider using it ?

125 people took part in the survey. Here are the responses to each question below:

Almost half of the respondents said social media was the way they found things to do at a destination. Family/friend recommendation was the second most popular way of finding things to do, accounting for 28.8% of responses. Google Search/Google Maps was third at 12%.

Other responses include : ChatGPT, asking tour guides at the hotel and online travel platforms such as Booking.com.

The biggest barrier to fully exploring a new destination was money, cited by 23.2% of respondents. Safety concerns came next (19.2%). What stood out to me, though, was that 15% said they weren’t sure whether a destination would actually suit their interests or personality, alongside challenges like poor planning and finding recommendations they could trust. This insight suggested to me that it’s not actually the lack of things to do, but more so the confidence in ensuring that these activities were right for the individual in question.

The final question saw 83.2% of respondents open to using a platform that tailors things to do in their current or new location, based on their interests or personality. 16% of participants responded ‘maybe’ and 0.8% responded ‘no’. That ‘no’ is an opportunity to turn it into a ‘maybe’, and that ‘maybe’ into an ardent user of Chillingz overtime.

Based off this question alone, the idea of such a platform has had a positive reception. Now it’s time to workout how to execute this idea.

Stepping out of comfort zone

Doing this survey actually got me out of my comfort zone in a sense because previously, when I’ve started anything, I’ve never gone out to get external validation. I’d just get on with it and see how far it goes. Because of the nature of this idea and the existing platforms in place, I had to switch up my approach and find out what people are already doing. Having gotten this information, I’d be more knowledgeable and aware in what works and how I can adapt my idea to fit today’s market. Also, when you’re somebody like me that likes to do their thing in the background and not put anything out until its finalised, putting an idea whilst its still in the works can be a bit uncomfortable. Uncomfortable, but necessary for growth sometimes.

So stick with me on this journey as I document the details, concepts, and inevitable problems that come with building Chillingz.