Getting Started with Lighthouses
Lighthouses is a cross-platform app (iOS, Android, and Web) for lighthouse enthusiasts to discover, track, rate, and journal their visits worldwide — replacing the fragmented mix of spreadsheets, scattered websites, and generic travel apps that enthusiasts use today.
What Lighthouses Does
- Browse 500+ lighthouses in a searchable directory with photos, historical notes, construction year, light characteristics, visiting info, and more
- Interactive map with clustered markers — zoom in to find lighthouses near you or your destination, get directions with one tap
- Track your visits — mark lighthouses as visited with a date, see your total count and countries visited
- Bucket list — save lighthouses you want to visit, see them on the map, check distances
- Journal your visits — write notes, log photos, record weather conditions, add personal tags
- Rate lighthouses across 4 categories: Scenery, Accessibility, Historical Significance, Photo Opportunities
- Community ratings — see aggregate ratings from other visitors before planning a trip
- Advanced stats (subscribers) — visit heatmap, streak tracker, milestone badges
First Launch
Lighthouses uses an anonymous-first approach — you can start browsing immediately without creating an account.
- Open the app. An anonymous session is created silently in the background. No sign-up screen appears.
- You land on the Explore tab with a scrollable directory of lighthouses.
- Tooltip hints appear on your first visit to explain key features. Tap any tooltip to dismiss it.
You can create a real account later from the Profile tab by tapping Create Account and signing in with Google, Apple, or email. All your visits and bucket list items are preserved during this upgrade.
Key Screens
| Tab | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Explore | Scrollable lighthouse directory with thumbnails, names, regions, and community ratings |
| Map | Interactive map with all lighthouse markers — tap to preview, get directions |
| My Visits | Your logged visits with dates, journal entries, and stats header (total, countries, most recent) |
| Bucket List | Saved lighthouses with distances from your current location |
| Profile | Settings, collection stats, subscription management |
Browsing the Directory
The Explore tab is your starting point. Scroll to browse all 500+ lighthouses. Each row shows a thumbnail photo, lighthouse name, country/region, and the community's aggregate star rating.
Tap any lighthouse to open its full detail screen with:
- Swipeable photo gallery
- GPS coordinates and region
- Full description with historical notes
- Status (active or decommissioned), construction year, height
- Lighthouse type and light characteristics (flash pattern, color)
- Visiting information and nearby amenities
- Official website link (opens in external browser)
- "Mark as Visited" and "Add to Bucket List" buttons
Using the Map
Tap the Map tab to see all lighthouses on an interactive map. Markers cluster at low zoom levels and expand as you zoom in. Tap any marker for a preview showing the lighthouse name, a photo, its community rating, and distance from your location. Tap Get Directions on the preview to open your device's native maps app with the lighthouse as the destination.
Free vs. Premium
Lighthouses uses a 4-tier model:
| Tier | Name | Cost | What You Get |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Free | Free | Full directory, map, visits, bucket list, journal, ratings — ad-supported |
| B | Ad-free | One-time purchase | All Free features, no ads |
| C | Basic Subscription | Monthly/annual | All Ad-free features + cross-device sync + advanced stats dashboard (heatmap, streaks, milestones) + push notifications |
| D | Premium Subscription | Monthly/annual | All Tier C features + future premium capabilities |
All on-device features (directory, map, visit tracking, journaling, ratings) are available to all tiers. The Free tier is fully functional for discovering and logging lighthouse visits.
Ads appear on the Explore, Map, My Visits, and Bucket List tabs for Free users. Ads never interrupt lighthouse detail views, journal editing, or rating forms.
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