Problem
Sometimes the right stack is no stack. A photo-heavy travel blog needs fast loads on hotel Wi-Fi and phones — not a JavaScript framework.
What I built
A hand-coded static site: semantic HTML, CSS, and vanilla JavaScript. Destinations render as a photo card grid linking to individual trip write-ups, designed mobile-first and optimized for performance across devices.
Outcome
The site loads instantly, works everywhere, and costs nothing to run — a reminder that knowing when not to reach for a framework is part of the engineering judgment clients are paying for.