Why I’m building a human-led travel directory for India

This whole thing started with a trip to Pondicherry. I just wanted a simple list of the best spots and their Google Maps links. Instead, I spent a good hour just tryna bypass ads, scrolling through 2,000 words of filler content just to make a list of 10 places, and overall it was an overwhelming experience.

And then I decided to build a clean, simple travel directory: whereinindia.online. No ads, no fluff. Just the best places, a direct link to the Google Maps of each place, and a custom map of all the places which was easier to save and use.

Now yeah, I understand there's AI that can give you a list in a blink, but none of those lists are localized. It's all just another overrated list, so I wanted to make mine unique and authentic, so I decided to make it community-built. I spent two weeks on Reddit reaching out to locals in 5-6 different cities. The data we got was gold—authentic recommendations you won’t find in an AI-generated "Top 10" list.

I initially started with 4 big cities and, as it was nearing Christmas, I picked the cities that have great tourism during Christmas and then went live with it.

The goal was simple: organic growth without paid ads. The first method I picked was Reddit, and Reddit did amazingly well. It generated solid traffic over time.

The next goal right now is to make it engaging and increase stickiness. I'm looking for ways to increase stickiness without adding the 'clutter' I hate. If you’ve built a directory before, how did you keep people coming back?