- Updated: April 4, 2026
- 5 min read
Travel Hacking Toolkit: AI‑Driven Assistant Revolutionizes Trip Planning
**Travel‑Hacking‑Toolkit – Quick Summary**
| Aspect | What you need to know |
|——–|———————–|
| **Purpose** | An open‑source, AI‑driven “travel‑hacking” assistant that helps you find award‑flight availability, compare points‑vs‑cash, check loyalty balances, and discover hidden travel gems. It works with the **OpenCode** and **Claude Code** AI platforms via “skills” (API‑call recipes) and **MCP (Model‑Context‑Protocol) servers** that expose real‑time travel data. |
| **Core Question it solves** | *“Should I burn points or pay cash?”* – by pulling award‑seat data, cash‑price data, loyalty balances, and valuation metrics, then presenting the cheapest or highest‑value option. |
| **Key Components** | 1. **MCP Servers** – real‑time tools the AI can call directly (Skiplagged, Kiwi, Trivago, Ferryhopper, Airbnb, LiteAPI).
2. **Skills** – markdown files that teach the AI how to call travel APIs (Duffel, Seats‑aero, AwardWallet, SerpAPI, RapidAPI, Atlas‑Obscura, Scandinavia‑Transit, etc.).
3. **Data files** – static reference data (airline alliances, hotel chains, partner‑award mappings, points valuations, sweet‑spot redemptions, transfer‑partner ratios).
4. **Setup scripts** – `scripts/setup.sh` walks you through selecting a tool (OpenCode, Claude Code, or both), creating API‑key config files, installing dependencies, and optionally installing the skills globally. |
| **Supported AI Platforms** | • **OpenCode** – uses `opencode.json` for MCP config.
• **Claude Code** – uses `.mcp.json` and the `–strict-mcp-config` flag for reliable server loading. |
| **Free‑tier vs. Paid APIs** | • **Free MCP servers** (Skiplagged, Kiwi, Trivago, Ferryhopper, Airbnb) need **no API keys**.
• **Seats‑aero** (award‑flight search) – free tier, Pro version ~$8 / mo for higher limits.
• **SerpAPI** (Google‑Flights cash prices) – free tier gives 100 searches/mo; paid for unlimited.
• **LiteAPI** (live hotel rates) – requires an API key.
• Other skills (Duffel, AwardWallet, RapidAPI, etc.) need their own keys. |
| **Typical Workflow** | 1. **Search award seats** – Seats‑aero (25+ mileage programs).
2. **Search cash prices** – SerpAPI or Skiplagged.
3. **Estimate portal value** – use current “points‑per‑dollar” rates (e.g., Chase Points Boost 1.5‑2.0 cpp, Amex/Capital One ≈ 1.0 cpp).
4. **Compare** – lower cost (points or cash) wins.
5. **Check balances** – AwardWallet skill confirms you have enough miles/points.
6. **Book** – follow booking links from Seats‑aero or Duffel. |
| **Example Prompts you can give the AI** | • “Find me the cheapest business‑class award from SFO to Tokyo in August.”
• “Compare points vs cash for a round‑trip JFK‑London next March.”
• “What are my United miles and Chase UR balances?”
• “Find hidden gems near Lisbon.”
• “How do I get from Oslo to Bergen by train?” |
| **Project Layout (high‑level)** | – `README.md` – overview & quick‑start.
– `AGENTS.md` / `CLAUDE.md` – symlinked instructions for each AI.
– `opencode.json` / `.mcp.json` – MCP server configs.
– `data/` – static reference JSONs (alliances, hotel chains, points valuations, etc.).
– `skills/` – markdown skill definitions (one folder per API).
– `scripts/setup.sh` – interactive installer.
– `.env.example` / `.claude/settings.local.json.example` – template files for API keys. |
| **Licensing & Credits** | • **MIT License** – free to use, modify, and distribute.
• Built on many public APIs and open‑source projects: Seats‑aero, AwardWallet, Duffel, SerpAPI, RapidAPI, Atlas‑Obscura scraper, Skiplagged MCP, Kiwi MCP, Trivago MCP, Ferryhopper MCP, Airbnb MCP, LiteAPI MCP, Entur/ResRobot/Rejseplanen (Nordic transit). |
| **How to Get Started** | “`bash\n# Clone & enter repo\ngit clone https://github.com/borski/travel-hacking-toolkit.git\ncd travel-hacking-toolkit\n\n# Run interactive installer (choose OpenCode, Claude Code, or both)\n./scripts/setup.sh\n\n# Launch your AI\n# OpenCode\nopencode\n# Claude Code (strict config loads MCP servers from .mcp.json)\nclaude –strict-mcp-config –mcp-config .mcp.json\n“` |
| **Nuances / Things to Watch** | • The `–strict-mcp-config` flag for Claude Code is recommended because the auto‑discovery of MCP servers can be flaky.
• Free‑tier Seats‑aero limits may require upgrading to Pro for heavy usage.
• Portal point‑value rates change frequently (e.g., Chase “Points Boost” launched June 2025); always fetch the latest rate before comparing.
• Some skills (e.g., Atlas‑Obscura) include a small Node.js scraper – ensure you have Node installed if you plan to use them.
• Skills are stored in the `skills/` directory; the installer either symlinks them into the global skill folder (`~/.config/opencode/skills/` or `~/.claude/skills/`) **or** creates project‑level symlinks, so they load automatically when you work inside the repo. |
| **Current Repo Stats** | • **Stars:** 97
• **Forks:** 6
• **Primary languages:** JavaScript (≈ 64 %) & Shell (≈ 36 %).
• No releases yet – use the `main` branch directly. |
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### Bottom Line
The **Travel‑Hacking‑Toolkit** is a ready‑to‑run, AI‑augmented toolbox that lets you ask natural‑language questions about flights, hotels, and points, and have the AI call live travel APIs to return award‑seat availability, cash prices, loyalty balances, and even off‑the‑beaten‑path attractions. With a single `setup.sh` run you get all the necessary MCP servers and skill definitions wired up for either OpenCode or Claude Code, after which you can start prompting the AI with the example queries above. The project is MIT‑licensed, community‑driven, and designed to be extensible—add new skills or MCP servers as your travel‑hacking workflow evolves.