Atlas Obscura stands as the definitive digital guidebook to the world's most extraordinary places, phenomena, and hidden wonders. Since its founding in 2009, it has evolved into a global community of explorers, sharing unique destinations and remarkable stories that won't be found in traditional travel guides. The platform combines editorial content, user-generated submissions, and curated travel experiences to create a unique blend of discovery and adventure.

Atlas Obscura Map Interface Atlas Obscura's interactive map interface, showcasing thousands of unique locations worldwide

My Role and Impact

From May 2020 to September 2022, I served as a Remote Software Engineer at Atlas Obscura during a crucial period of technical evolution and growth. During my tenure, I contributed to several key initiatives that helped shape the platform's technical infrastructure and user experience.

Key Achievements

API and Infrastructure Improvements

  • Developed a robust error handler object for the API layer, significantly enhancing application reliability
  • Championed a test-driven development approach for the new Atlas Obscura API, laying groundwork for future mobile applications
  • Maintained critical integration with Peak15 booking service, facilitating smooth communication between booking representatives and integration support

Atlas Obscura Place Detail A detailed view of one of Atlas Obscura's user's visited places collection

Frontend Innovation

  • Participated in the platform's major re-architecture, implementing modern technologies including:
    • View Component design
    • Stimulus.js
    • Hotwire
    • Tailwind CSS
  • Created custom pages for brand partnerships, directly contributing to business growth
  • Ventured into iOS development, assisting with Swift UI feature implementation

Engineering Culture

  • Collaborated with the engineering manager to establish regular code reviews
  • Helped maintain team alignment during significant architectural changes
  • Fostered a documentation-first mindset in API development

Technical Evolution

My time at Atlas Obscura coincided with a significant technical transformation of the platform. We moved from a traditional Rails application to a more modern, component-based architecture while maintaining the platform's unique ability to showcase the world's hidden wonders. The implementation of Stimulus.js and Hotwire brought new levels of interactivity to the site, while Tailwind CSS enabled more consistent and maintainable styling.

Conclusion

Working at Atlas Obscura was more than just a technical role – it was an opportunity to contribute to a platform that inspires curiosity and adventure. The combination of technical challenges, from API development to frontend modernization, along with the unique content and mission of Atlas Obscura, made this an unforgettable chapter in my career journey.

The skills and experiences gained here, particularly in modern web technologies and API development, continue to influence my approach to software engineering and reinforce my belief in building robust, well-documented, and thoroughly tested systems.