Best for
- Personal users who already plan trips with AI assistants and want real data.
- Developers who need travel search in their apps without expensive APIs.
- Users who value no-API-key, local-first, privacy-conscious tools.
T
Trvl
Community
Real travel search for your AI assistant — flights, hotels, trains, cars, ferries, no API keys, single Go binary.
GitHub source repository ↗
55FMRS · C
trvl is a powerful and innovative travel MCP server, offering comprehensive travel search without API keys. Its single-tool design reduces token usage, and optimization features (e.g., split airlines, date shifting) are practical. However, it has privacy risks (automatic browser cookie reading) and compliance concerns (provider ToS). It's well-suited for personal and developer use, but commercial use is restricted.
trvl is an open-source travel MCP server that enables AI assistants (like Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, Codex, etc.) to search real travel information including flights, hotels, trains, buses, ferries, car rentals, and price alerts. It exposes a single smart tool (the 'travel' router) that aggregates multiple travel data sources (Google Flights, Google Hotels, Kiwi, etc.) in parallel, then merges, de-duplicates, and optimizes results. No API keys, no signup, no per-call cost. It runs locally as a binary, keeps most data on your machine, but automatically reads your browser cookies to access bot-protected sites.
Tools
travel
A natural-language router that handles flight, hotel, train, car, ferry searches and returns optimized results.
Setup
- Install via Homebrew:
brew install MikkoParkkola/tap/trvlor download the binary directly. - Run
trvl mcp installto auto-detect and configure your AI client. - Restart your AI client.
- Alternatively, add the MCP config manually:
{
"mcpServers": {
"trvl": {
"command": "trvl",
"args": ["mcp"]
}
}
}
claude_desktop_config.json
{"mcpServers":{"trvl":{"command":"trvl","args":["mcp"]}}}
Fit and risk
Not for
- Users who just want to book on a website (e.g., Google Flights).
- Teams needing a hosted product with accounts and dashboards.
- Commercial or internal use without a separate license due to PolyForm Noncommercial license.
Required permissions
- Reads browser cookies (automatic, to access bot-protected APIs)
- Accesses local filesystem (reads/writes state files under ~/.trvl)
- Sends anonymous telemetry (can be disabled)
- Optionally reads credential managers (only for AFKLM, explicitly requested)
- Optionally writes to Google Calendar (via calendar helper)
Risks and side effects
- Automated access to some providers may violate their Terms of Service; user responsible for compliance.
- Browser cookie reading may raise privacy concerns; it's enabled by default but can be disabled via environment variable.
- Telemetry sends anonymous usage data, but can be turned off.
- Prices and availability may be inaccurate or change; always verify before booking.
Troubleshooting
- No tools showing? Restart your AI client after running `trvl mcp install`, and confirm `trvl` is in your PATH.
- Empty flight results? Try a major route like `trvl flights HEL LHR 2026-07-01`.
- Ground transport timeouts? Might be rate-limited; retry after 30s or use `--timeout 3m`.
- Blocked by bot protection? Check provider status with `trvl status` and follow hints.
- If you encounter cookie-related errors, set `TRVL_NO_BROWSER_COOKIES=1` to disable browser cookie reading.
Use cases
Plan door-to-door multi-modal trips with flights, hotels, trains, and cars.
Compare flight prices across providers to find the cheapest dates.
Set up price watches for error fares or low-price alerts.
Search hotels, view room details, and prices.
Find train, bus, and ferry schedules and fares.
Discover travel hacks like hidden-city ticketing, split-airline optimizations, and more.
Supported clients
Claude DesktopFull support
Claude CodeFull support
CursorFull support
WindsurfFull support
CodexFull support
VS CodeFull support
ZedFull support
GeminiFull support
Amazon QFull support
LM StudioFull support