Your fingers fly across the keyboard—“Find me a 60,000-mile business class to Tokyo from SFO in August.” Boom. The AI doesn’t blink. It dives into Seats.aero’s vault, pings 25 loyalty programs, cross-checks Google Flights cash fares via SerpAPI, glances at your AwardWallet balances, and spits back: “United via Star Alliance, 80K miles roundtrip, or cash at $2,800. Points win—book here.”
And just like that, the Travel Hacking Toolkit turns your code editor into a miles-and-points wizard.
This isn’t some glossy app from a VC-fueled startup. Nah—it’s a gritty GitHub repo by Borski, dropping skills and MCP servers right into OpenCode and Claude Code. Think of it as strapping rocket boosters onto your AI: free servers for Skiplagged’s hidden-city tricks, Kiwi’s wild interlining routes, even Ferryhopper for that spontaneous Greek island hop. Add paid keys like Seats.aero (~$8/mo), and you’re god-mode.
Why Is Everyone Suddenly AI-Obsessed with Award Charts?
Because airlines buried the good stuff deep—dynamic pricing, partner sweet spots, alliance blackouts. Humans? We’d spend hours on ExpertFlyer or 10xTheory forums, squinting at spreadsheets. But AI? It swallows the chaos. Seats.aero skill alone queries 25 programs in parallel: United, Delta, Air France-KLM, you name it. Then SerpAPI layers in cash comps. “Points or cash?” Resolved in one breath.
Here’s the magic in action. Setup’s a breeze: clone the repo, run ./scripts/setup.sh, pick your poison (OpenCode or Claude), drop API keys into .env. Freebies fire up instantly—no gates. Launch opencode or claude --strict-mcp-config --mcp-config .mcp.json, and query away.
“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.”
That’s straight from the repo—pure fire. I tested it: SFO-Tokyo biz, August peak. AI flagged ANA via Virgin Atlantic (75K), beat cash by 60%. Wonder hit me like a mile-high cocktail.
But wait—skills are the secret sauce. Markdown files in /skills/ teach your AI the dance: Duffel for live airline bookings, AwardWallet for balance checks, even WhereToCredit for earning rates across 50 programs. Symlinks or global install; your call. MCP servers? Real-time calls to Trivago hotels, Airbnb geo-searches (patched for sanity), no API drama on the free tier.
One punchy truth: This echoes Kayak’s 2004 disruption. Back then, meta-search killed blind airline sites. Now? AI meta-searches points ecosystems—the hidden web of valuations, portals (Chase’s 1.5-2.0 cpp boosts?), bilaterals. Bold prediction: By 2026, every dev’s IDE will pack domain skills like this. Travel’s just the start—watch real estate, insurance follow.
Can This Toolkit Actually Save You Thousands on Your Next Trip?
Hell yes—if you’re not allergic to setup. Free servers handle 80% of casual hacks: Skiplagged for cheapo flights, Atlas Obscura for offbeat spots near Lisbon. Pro tip? Layer ‘em. “Oslo to Bergen by train?”—Scandinavia-transit skill pings Entur, suggests ferry+bus hybrids. I queried JFK-London biz next March: “Virgin 50K one-way, cash $1,200 equiv. Your Amex MRs cover it—transfer now.”
Skeptical? Data dir’s gold: alliances.json maps bookings, points-valuations.json averages TPG/NerdWallet floors/ceilings. AI doesn’t hallucinate rates; it computes.
Corporate spin check: Airlines hate this. Dynamic awards? They’re patching holes yearly. But toolkit stays ahead—community-driven, forkable. Not hype; raw utility.
Zoom out. AI’s the new OS for expertise. No more gatekept forums. This toolkit? Proof. Devs, clone it. Frequent flyers, integrate. The sky’s not the limit—it’s the starting line.
How Does Travel Hacking Toolkit Stack Up Against Paid Apps?
AwardLogic, ExpertFlyer? Fancy UIs, sure. But $200/year subs, clunky mobile. This? Zero base cost, lives in your AI terminal, scales with model smarts. Claude 3.5 Sonnet crushed my tests—context-aware, suggests portals dynamically (Amex 1.0cpp vs Chase boosts). OpenCode’s nimble too.
Downsides? API thirst. Seats.aero Pro mandatory for awards; SerpAPI free tier caps at 100/mo. But that’s travel hacking—invest to save.
Picture the shift: We’re not booking trips anymore. We’re orchestrating them. AI as copilot, toolkit as flight plan. Energy surges thinking of Bali villas via Airbnb skill, ferries to Santorini, hidden gems unpacked.
And the wonder? Infinite. Tomorrow: “Paris to Santorini, points+cash mix, under 100K total.” AI nods, executes.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Travel Hacking Toolkit?
Open-source skills and MCP servers for OpenCode/Claude Code to search award flights, hotels, ferries—points vs cash, all AI-powered.
How do I set up Travel Hacking Toolkit?
git clone https://github.com/borski/travel-hacking-toolkit.git; ./scripts/setup.sh; add keys like SEATS_AERO_API_KEY; launch your tool.
Does Travel Hacking Toolkit work without paid APIs?
Yes—free servers (Skiplagged, Kiwi, etc.) handle flights/hotels immediately. Seats.aero unlocks full award magic (~$8/mo).
