Content
# Travel Hacking Toolkit
AI-powered travel hacking with points, miles, and award flights. Drop-in skills and MCP servers for [OpenCode](https://opencode.ai) and [Claude Code](https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/claude-code).
Ask your AI to find you a 60,000-mile business class flight to Tokyo. It'll search award availability across 25+ programs, compare against cash prices, check your loyalty balances, and tell you the best play.
## Quick Start
```bash
git clone https://github.com/borski/travel-hacking-toolkit.git
cd travel-hacking-toolkit
./scripts/setup.sh
```
The setup script walks you through everything: picks your tool (OpenCode, Claude Code, or both), creates your API key config files, installs dependencies, and optionally installs skills system-wide.
The 5 free MCP servers (Skiplagged, Kiwi, Trivago, Ferryhopper, Airbnb) work immediately with zero API keys. For the full experience, add at minimum:
| Key | Why | Free Tier |
|-----|-----|-----------|
| `SEATS_AERO_API_KEY` | Award flight search. The main event. | No (Pro ~$8/mo) |
| `SERPAPI_API_KEY` | Cash price comparison for "points or cash?" decisions | Yes (100 searches/mo) |
Then launch your tool:
```bash
# OpenCode
opencode
# Claude Code
claude --strict-mcp-config --mcp-config .mcp.json
```
The `--strict-mcp-config` flag tells Claude Code to load MCP servers from the config file directly. This is more reliable than auto-discovery ([known issue](https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues/5037)).
## What's Included
### MCP Servers (real-time tools)
| Server | What It Does | API Key |
|--------|-------------|---------|
| [Skiplagged](https://skiplagged.com) | Flight search with hidden city fares | None (free) |
| [Kiwi.com](https://www.kiwi.com) | Flights with virtual interlining (creative cross-airline routing) | None (free) |
| [Trivago](https://mcp.trivago.com/docs) | Hotel metasearch across booking sites | None (free) |
| [Ferryhopper](https://ferryhopper.github.io/fh-mcp/) | Ferry routes across 33 countries, 190+ operators | None (free) |
| [Airbnb](https://github.com/openbnb-org/mcp-server-airbnb) | Search Airbnb listings, property details, pricing | None (free) |
| [LiteAPI](https://mcp.liteapi.travel) | Hotel search with live rates and booking | [LiteAPI](https://liteapi.travel) |
### Skills (API knowledge for your AI)
| Skill | What It Does | API Key |
|-------|-------------|---------|
| **duffel** | Real-time flight search across airlines via Duffel API | [Duffel](https://duffel.com) |
| **seats-aero** | Award flight availability across 25+ mileage programs | [Seats.aero](https://seats.aero) Pro/Partner |
| **awardwallet** | Loyalty program balances, elite status, history | [AwardWallet](https://business.awardwallet.com) Business |
| **serpapi** | Google Flights cash prices, hotels, destination discovery | [SerpAPI](https://serpapi.com) |
| **rapidapi** | Secondary prices via Google Flights Live + Booking.com | [RapidAPI](https://rapidapi.com) |
| **atlas-obscura** | Hidden gems near any destination | None (free) |
| **scandinavia-transit** | Trains, buses, ferries in Norway/Sweden/Denmark | [Entur](https://developer.entur.org) + [Trafiklab](https://www.trafiklab.se) |
## How It Works
### Skills
Skills are markdown files that teach your AI how to call travel APIs. They contain endpoint documentation, curl examples, useful jq filters, and workflow guidance. Both OpenCode and Claude Code support skills natively.
The `skills/` directory is the canonical source. The setup script either:
- Copies them to your tool's global skills directory (`~/.config/opencode/skills/` or `~/.claude/skills/`)
- Or creates project-level symlinks so they load when you work from this directory
### MCP Servers
MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers give your AI real-time tools it can call directly. The configs are in:
- `opencode.json` for OpenCode
- `.mcp.json` for Claude Code
Skiplagged, Kiwi.com, Trivago, Ferryhopper, and Airbnb need no setup at all. LiteAPI is also a remote server but needs an API key configured in your settings.
## The Travel Hacking Workflow
The core question: **"Should I burn points or pay cash?"**
1. **Search award availability** — Seats.aero across 25+ programs
2. **Search cash prices** — SerpAPI (Google Flights) or Skiplagged
3. **Estimate portal value** — Portal rates are dynamic now. Chase "Points Boost" (June 2025) offers 1.5 to 2.0cpp on select bookings, not a flat rate. Amex/Capital One ~1.0cpp. Check the actual portal for your specific booking.
4. **Compare** — Lower number wins
5. **Check balances** — AwardWallet confirms you have enough
6. **Book it** — Use booking links from Seats.aero or Duffel
### Example Prompts
```
"Find me the cheapest business class award from SFO to Tokyo in August"
"Compare points vs cash for a round trip JFK to 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 Structure
```
travel-hacking-toolkit/
├── AGENTS.md -> CLAUDE.md # OpenCode project instructions (symlink)
├── CLAUDE.md # Project instructions and workflow guidance
├── opencode.json # OpenCode MCP server config
├── .mcp.json # Claude Code MCP server config
├── .env.example # API key template (OpenCode)
├── .claude/
│ ├── settings.local.json.example # API key template (Claude Code)
│ └── skills -> ../skills # Symlink to skills
├── .opencode/
│ └── skills -> ../skills # Symlink to skills
├── data/
│ ├── alliances.json # Airline alliance membership + booking relationships
│ ├── hotel-chains.json # Hotel chains, sub-brands, loyalty programs, reverse lookup
│ ├── partner-awards.json # Which programs book which airlines (alliance + bilateral)
│ ├── points-valuations.json # Points/miles valuations from 4 sources (floor/ceiling)
│ ├── sweet-spots.json # High-value award redemptions + booking windows
│ └── transfer-partners.json # Credit card transfer partners + ratios
├── skills/
│ ├── duffel/SKILL.md # Real-time flight search
│ ├── seats-aero/SKILL.md # Award flight search
│ ├── awardwallet/SKILL.md # Loyalty balances
│ ├── serpapi/SKILL.md # Cash prices + hotels
│ ├── rapidapi/SKILL.md # Secondary price source
│ ├── atlas-obscura/ # Hidden gems (+ Node.js scraper)
│ │ ├── SKILL.md
│ │ ├── ao.mjs
│ │ └── package.json
│ └── scandinavia-transit/ # Nordic trains/buses/ferries
│ └── SKILL.md
├── scripts/
│ └── setup.sh # Interactive installer
└── LICENSE # MIT
```
## Credits
Built on these excellent projects:
- [Seats.aero](https://seats.aero) — Award flight availability data
- [AwardWallet](https://awardwallet.com) — Loyalty program tracking
- [Duffel](https://duffel.com) — Real-time flight search and booking
- [SerpAPI](https://serpapi.com) — Google search result APIs
- [RapidAPI](https://rapidapi.com) — API marketplace
- [atlas-obscura-api](https://github.com/bartholomej/atlas-obscura-api) by [@bartholomej](https://github.com/bartholomej) — Atlas Obscura scraper
- [Skiplagged MCP](https://mcp.skiplagged.com) — Flight search with hidden city fares
- [Kiwi.com MCP](https://www.kiwi.com/stories/kiwi-mcp-connector/) — Flight search with virtual interlining
- [Trivago MCP](https://mcp.trivago.com/docs) — Hotel metasearch
- [Ferryhopper MCP](https://ferryhopper.github.io/fh-mcp/) by [Ferryhopper](https://ferryhopper.com) — Ferry routes across 33 countries
- [mcp-server-airbnb](https://github.com/openbnb-org/mcp-server-airbnb) by [OpenBnB](https://github.com/openbnb-org) — Airbnb search and listing details
- [LiteAPI MCP](https://mcp.liteapi.travel) by [LiteAPI](https://liteapi.travel) — Hotel booking
- [Entur](https://developer.entur.org) — Norwegian transit API
- [Trafiklab / ResRobot](https://www.trafiklab.se) — Swedish transit API
- [Rejseplanen](https://labs.rejseplanen.dk) — Danish transit API
## License
MIT
