Real-world Detours

Skip
the
plan.

One small thing to go and do today. Ride a ferry to nowhere, ask a shop owner for their favourite thing, eat lunch somewhere you've walked past a hundred times. Skip the Plan deals you a Detour. You go and do it.

iPhone and Android · Coming soon

Your Detour · Today

Ferry to nowhere

Take the next ferry to the Island. Don't plan the other side. Find one thing worth a photo and come back on the ferry after.

Time2 hrs
Cost$9
HowTransit
Community Detour · by @maya Done · Aug 31
Someone with long braids and a leather backpack walking down a busy city street, seen from behind.

How it works

Three steps.
No itinerary.

You tell it how much time and money you have. It hands you one thing. The rest happens outside.

  1. Get a Detour

    Tap GIVE ME A DETOUR. Not feeling it? Deal another, or keep one for later with NOT TODAY.

  2. Go do it

    Accept it and you've got until the deadline. One Detour at a time, so it actually happens.

  3. Keep the proof

    Snap a photo, write a line. It goes into your private Scrapbook. Share it as a Field Note if you want to.

Suggest a Detour

Found something good? Send a stranger there.

The best Detours come from people who found them first. Write one in a minute and it goes into the deck for others nearby.

  • Checked against the Community Guidelines before anyone sees it.
  • Sign it with your handle or keep it anonymous.
  • See how many people took it. Nothing else to manage.

Field Notes

Proof it happened.

A wall of real Detours, posted by the people who did them. See one you like? Tap I WANT TO DO THIS and it's yours.

FIELD PHOTO
Ferry to nowhere
Toronto · Aug 31
Found a heron. Missed the ferry back. Worth it.
FIELD PHOTO
Ask the owner
Toronto · Sep 4
She made me try the sour plum. I'm a convert.
FIELD PHOTO
Library roulette
Toronto · Sep 12
A 1974 guide to beekeeping. Read all of it.
FIELD PHOTO
Sunrise, wrong side
Toronto · Sep 20
East-facing bench, 6:41. Nobody else there.

Safety

Good Detours have rules.

Skip the Plan sends strangers into the world on someone's word, so every Detour and Field Note is checked before it goes live.

Every Detour is

  • Legal, safe, and doable on foot or by transit.
  • About public places only. Never a home or anywhere restricted.
  • Never about following or filming a specific person.
  • Honest about time and cost.

And you stay in control

  • Your Scrapbook is private unless you choose to post.
  • Location data is stripped from every photo.
  • Report anything. Block anyone. They're never told.
  • 18+ only.

Read the Community Guidelines →

Questions

Fair questions.

Where does it work?

The beta is in Toronto. Most Detours work anywhere, but place-based ones point at somewhere specific in your city. More cities come after the beta.

Who writes the Detours?

People who use the app, through Suggest a Detour. Until there are enough of those in your city, AI fills the gaps with Detours written to the same rules.

Does it cost anything?

The app is free during the beta. Some Detours cost a few dollars (a ferry ticket, a coffee). You set your budget, including free only.

What if I can't do the one I get?

Deal another. You can also keep one with NOT TODAY and it comes back later. If you accept one and it doesn't happen, it quietly expires. No streaks, no guilt.

Who can see my photos?

Only you, unless you post a memory as a Field Note. You can post anonymously, and you can take it down any time.

Toronto beta · 30 to 50 people

Go somewhere you didn't plan.

We're looking for a small group in Toronto to try Skip the Plan first. iPhone or Android, 18+.

Ask for an invite