A new digital platform for a global community of cyclists
Warmshowers is a non-profit network connecting touring cyclists with volunteer hosts in 160+ countries. RAZOR rebuilt its member platform, public website and API to carry the community forward.
- Our role_
- UX and interface design
- Custom application rebuild
- Public website
- API for the client’s mobile apps
- Data migration
- Ongoing support
- Stack_
- Laravel
- Vue.js
- Inertia
- Tailwind CSS
- REST API
- Five languages: EN, DE, ES, FR, IT
- 200k+
- Members
- 160+
- Countries
- 16 mo
- Concept to live
- 0
- P1 issues since go-live, Oct 2026
01 The Challenge_
The community had outgrown the technology behind it.
The existing system was getting harder to maintain and extend, and key parts of the experience no longer matched how people expect to search, communicate and organise travel online. What began as a technology redevelopment became the opportunity to rethink the whole digital experience, from first discovering Warmshowers to arranging a stay and staying in touch afterwards.
The brief we set ourselves:
- Modernise search, messaging and stay coordination
- Preserve decades of profiles, reviews and community history
- Work on the road, on mobile, in five languages
- Give the organisation a platform it can keep extending
02 Experience & Interface_
Making a large, complex platform feel natural to use.
We mapped the journeys at the heart of Warmshowers: joining, planning a tour, finding a host, communicating and managing a stay. Then we turned them into one consistent interface system across the website and member platform. Wireframes and interactive prototypes let us resolve the complex interactions before a line of code was written.
- Search for hosts anywhere. An interactive map and filters across 160+ countries.
- Message and confirm stays. Requests, arrival details and reviews in one place.
- Reviews and host profiles. Verified profiles with hosting preferences.
- Plan on the go. Save hosts and adjust plans mid-ride from a phone.
03 Technology & Continuity_
Before we wrote any code, we defined how the system would work.
A ground-up Laravel application with Vue.js and Inertia replaced a legacy system that had become difficult to maintain. Decades of member profiles, reviews and stay history were carried across intact. A new REST API gives the client’s existing iOS and Android apps the same source of truth as the web platform.
- Delivery
- 1,700 logged hours
- Tasks
- 984 tracked, 99.8% complete
- Languages
- EN, DE, ES, FR, IT
- Stability
- No P1 issues since go-live
From the community_
“I’m not traveling anymore, but it is a real pleasure hosting. We recently hosted cyclists who had been traveling the world, and it was an honor to share a meal, exchange stories, and laugh together. I just love the Warmshowers community.”
04 Outcome_
A platform built to carry the community forward.
Warmshowers now runs on a modern, maintainable platform that works for members wherever their tour takes them, and gives the organisation a foundation it can keep extending.
- Map search, calendars and messaging in one coherent flow
- Decades of profiles and reviews preserved
- Web and mobile apps share a single API
- Stable in real-world conditions since launch
