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A travel app can be anything from a ticket aggregator to a route planner, car rentals, a hotel booking app, or a guide for local experiences. If you have a fantastic idea for a travel niche and are ready to test your business idea, the first step is to plan the budget and select key features.
In this article, we’ll share tips and tricks about travel app development: what must-have features users expect, factors that affect the development cost, and simple tips to plan your budget and avoid extra spending. Let’s dive in!
The exact feature set of a travel app will depend on your concept and the user journey you want to build. However, there are some essential features that most successful travel apps share. To decide which are must-haves for your specific idea, start with a clear understanding of your users’ needs and expectations.
That’s where a product discovery service can help: to define the key features based on real user behavior, business goals, and market insights.
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⭐️ Our experience:
Product discovery helped one of our clients explore whether key features, like AI-generated profiles, messages, and conversation prompts, matched real user needs.
The client approached us with an idea for an AI-powered dating app that would help users get more matches, craft better messages, and keep conversations going. Instead of jumping into development, we ran product discovery to test demand. Interviews and surveys showed that users already have their own methods for improving profiles and messaging — they don’t need an AI.
In the end, we advised against building the app and helped the client avoid a $40,000 investment in a product with weak user demand and irrelevant features.
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We reviewed the market, looked at popular platforms like Booking.com, Expedia, Skyscanner, Airbnb, and selected 6 must-have features that a successful travel app should have.
This is where personalization starts. A profile helps users keep everything in one place: personal info, saved places, upcoming trips, past bookings, or loyalty points. It also allows you to analyze user preferences, trip history, and then create personalized offers and suggestions based on profile info.
When users open a travel booking app to look for a hotel, flight, or route, they want to get results fast. Good search functionality includes an easy-to-spot search bar and smart filters by price, distance, rating, cancellation policy, and other relevant criteria. For example, if you develop a travel app for flight booking, you can also add filters like ”flexible dates” or “direct flights only.”
Depending on the travel app niche, you should think about integrating quick and easy booking flows to let users pay for flights, accommodation, tours, or transport. The product should support multiple payment methods like credit card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay to make the checkout even more seamless.
In-app maps help users see where things are, how to get there, and what’s nearby. To build these, a travel app will need integration with Google Maps or Mapbox APIs. A great add-on for a better user experience is location-based suggestions, such as “Top-rated restaurants near your hotel” or “5 hidden spots within walking distance.”
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⭐️ Our experience: TripChron
We designed TripChron, a social travel app where users can create travel maps with routes and follow other adventurers for inspiration. For the interface, we focused on a clean, organized design and paid close attention to bright colors and custom vector icons to match the energy of travelers. The project entailed over 100 unique UI components that we built in Sketch. The entire UI design took us a little less than 50 hours.
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Offline access helps users get access to maps, booking details, and saved locations even in places with poor or no signal. For example, on a plane, in remote areas, or abroad without roaming. Many big navigation apps like CityMapper and Waze use offline mode as a selling point to attract more travelers.
Push notifications keep users engaged and updated on recent deals or changes. From flight delays and check-in reminders to promotions or “your trip is coming up” notifications, they help maintain a connection between the travel app and the traveler.
Here are 6 key steps that most travel apps go through from idea to launch and beyond.
Every travel app development starts with research. At this stage, the team defines the scope of the product, clarifies business goals, analyzes competitors, and outlines user journeys. Another important step is to decide which features will go into the MVP, the first version of the product with just enough functionality to test the idea and gather feedback.
There is also an option to opt in for a discovery phase, a comprehensive analysis of the market and users before the launch. The goal of this service is to research and collect information about the market, user needs, and industry standards.
Deliverables: detailed feature list, user journey, and a project timeline with rough cost estimates
Cost: free, in-depth discovery phase at additional cost
Timeline: From 3 days
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⭐️ Our experience:
The discovery phase service saved one of our clients over $150,000 on developing a super app for Muslims. We conducted qualitative and quantitative research, calculated unit economics, and found out that the app model was not relevant to the target audience.
Instead, our team proposed an alternative idea — a service for finding halal stores, which turned out to be more promising in terms of monetization strategies and market demand.
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Once the travel app developers prepare the road map and outline key features, it’s time to plan how the interface should look and feel. The UI/UX design stage covers both logic (UX) and visuals (UI). At this step, designers create wireframes, user interface mockups, and clickable prototypes.
For travel apps, it’s especially important to keep the design clean and intuitive because users may be tired, stressed, in a rush, or traveling abroad when they open your app. Clear navigation, readable fonts, and mobile-first are must-haves for this type of design.
Deliverables: UI-kit with design elements and screens in Figma
Cost: $X
Timeline: 2 weeks
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⭐️ Our experience: Voxtox
Purrweb helped create a new UX/UI design for Voxtox, a social audio streaming app from the Czech Republic. The app combined music, podcasts, and user-generated audio with features like personalized content and location-based ads. The client came to us after they saw our portfolio on Dribbble. We started by refining UX flows and simplifying the UI based on user feedback and best practices. The whole process took us 6 weeks, and now the project is actively searching for investments.
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At this stage, the travel app gets built. During development, the team works in 2-week sprints and provides in-progress reports in between. As a client, you’ll be able to track progress, test new features in the making, and request changes along the way.
If the travel app requires both iOS and Android versions, the development team might use cross-platform frameworks like React Native or Flutter to save time and budget.
Deliverables: A working app and finalized app code
Cost: $X
Timeline: 10 weeks
Quality assurance engineers test everything the developers code. At this point, the team checks that the app works correctly across different devices, OS versions, and use cases. Common types of tests include manual testing, regression testing, performance testing, and device testing. This stage helps eliminate bugs early and ensures a smooth user experience right from the start.
Deliverables: Bug reports and test reports
Cost: $X
Timeline: In parallel with the development
Once the app is ready, the team prepares store visuals, writes descriptions, and makes sure the travel app meets platform requirements, before submitting it to the App Store and Google Play. Approval may take a few days to a week, depending on the platform and app complexity.
Deliverables: An app is available in app marketplaces
Cost: $X
Timeline: <7 days
The mobile app development doesn’t stop at the release — the team continues to support the product, help with quick fixes, security updates, and ongoing improvements. This stage is also a good time to start planning for version 2.0 based on what users want most. At Purrweb, we fix small bugs for free and release new features for a small fee.
Deliverables: Errors fix and new features
Cost: Free bug fixes, additional cost varies
Timeline: Varies
One of the most defining factors for the price is the app complexity. Simple travel apps cost less because they take less time to develop; however, their functionality is pretty limited. On the contrary, the complex apps may require a hefty budget, but they also open up opportunities for sophisticated architecture and integration.
Simple travel apps focus on one specific task that users complete. They usually have a limited feature set, simple UI, and no third-party integrations.
📝 Examples: currency converters, packing lists, route planners.
Mid-level travel apps offer a more comprehensive user experience with a broader range of features. They might include limited third-party integration via API and some complex UI elements like animations.
📝 Examples: multi-modal transport booking (buses, trains, flights) with payment integration.
Complex travel apps encompass a wide variety of advanced features and tools, such as real-time analytics, AI integration, or multilingual support. These products possibly involve multiple users and often require enhanced security.
📝 Examples: all-in-one travel booking platforms (flights, hotels, cars), apps with AI-based recommendations or dynamic pricing
To give you an estimate of how much it costs to develop a travel app, we have calculated the average budget depending on the complexity level.
The cost of building a travel app can vary significantly depending on your idea and app complexity. A simple MVP with basic functionality might cost under $X, while a feature-rich cross-platform product can go well over $X.
Here are the 5 main factors that influence your final development budget.
The more features you want to include, the more time and resources your team will need. Some of the complex features include advanced filters, dynamic pricing, loyalty programs, and real-time booking updates. But even seemingly small additions, like a currency converter or chatbot, require backend logic, UI updates, and testing, which can drive the costs of mobile app development up. So choose wisely.
Good design matters, especially for travel apps, where visual appeal and ease of use can make or break the user experience. Custom illustrations, branded UI, micro-interactions, and complex screen transitions can add extra cost and extend the mobile app development timeline.
Developing a native app for both iOS and Android will nearly double the costs compared to a solution on a single platform. If the travel app aims to target both platforms but the goal is to save time and budget — cross-platform tools like React Native or Flutter are a great option. These frameworks allow reusing most of the codebase while still delivering a native-like, seamless user experience.
Features like booking management, maps, push notifications, and payments require a robust backend. The more complex the infrastructure is, the more time developers will spend connecting and testing everything, especially if the travel app uses multiple third-party APIs like Stripe or Google Maps.
The price of the development is based on hourly rates for developers, which’ll vary across the globe. Teams based in the U.S., Canada, or Western Europe typically charge $100-$150/hour. While teams in Eastern Europe, Latin America, or Southeast Asia may offer similar services at $25-$50/hour. The total cost of your project will reflect these differences.
With smart planning and the right team, it’s possible to develop a travel app without overspending. Here are four practical tips to help you cut down the development costs.
Instead of developing a full-scale app from day one, start with a MVP, minimum viable product. Focus on the features that bring the most value to users, like search, booking, and navigation. Leave nice-to-have features like social sharing or in-app currency for later updates. This approach helps you test the idea on real users and invest your budget into what actually works.
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⭐️ Our experience: KEM
We worked on an MVP for a P2P payment app, KEM, so that our client can present it to banks and attract investments. The platform we developed resembles a social network where you can send a money request to a friend, view transaction history, and upload your contacts. After successful pitches, the client got permission to use bank APIs on the condition that development would be carried out within the country, and moved the project in-house.
Thanks to this MVP, the project attracted $1 million in investments, gained over 100,000 users, and is now planning to enter the Saudi Arabian markets and launch a neobank.
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Developing for both iOS and Android doubles the budget. To cut costs, start with one platform — ideally, the one your audience uses the most. Another option is cross-platform development. Tools like React Native allow you to build one app that works on both platforms, which is more cost-efficient than native development.
Custom animations and intricate UI elements look great, but they take more time and money to build. In the first version, go with a clean, functional design. Prioritize usability and clarity — you can always improve the visuals later once you get user feedback and funding.
There is no greater feeling than planning for one price and then having to pay for unexpected expenses. They often come from unclear pricing at the beginning and communication gaps. If the development team gives you a transparent quote, explains what’s included, and provides regular progress reports, it’s a sign that they can help you save money down the road.
A reliable and trustworthy IT partner is a stepping stone to a successful travel app. They will take over the technical side of the project and bring their expertise to help build a relevant-to-the-market product. Below are 5 criteria to pay attention to when searching for a development partner.
Start with the team’s case studies. Have they built travel apps before? Or at least worked on marketplace, booking, or geolocation-based products? Relevant experience means they already know how to handle common travel app challenges, like integrating maps to managing booking flows.
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⭐️ Our experience: Journey Verse
We’ve had extensive experience working with travel apps in all stages of development, from idea to release. Once we worked with a client who wanted to develop a travel app but wasn’t sure if anyone beyond their friends would use it.
Our team provided the product discovery service before jumping into development to check the demand. The research and interviews showed that users do struggle with trip planning and are willing to pay for a smart, time-saving solution — saving the client ~$40K they might’ve spent building the wrong thing. With the results of product discovery, the travel app MVP now has a clear direction and real market potential.
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If you're building your first app, you want a partner that understands what an early-stage startup needs. Teams that regularly work with founders know how to prioritize core features, work in short 2-week sprints, and avoid scope creep. Ask if they’ve helped other startups launch an MVP, get feedback, and scale: this kind of mindset can save you a lot of time and money.
We advise working with a development team that follows a transparent, step-by-step process: discovery, design, development, testing, and launch. Ask how often they report progress, what tools they use to track tasks, and how they handle changes or delays. Ideally, the developers should keep you in the loop and encourage you to make informed decisions throughout the project.
A successful launch is the beginning of the road. The travel app will need bug fixes, updates, and new features in the future. Check in with the team to see if they offer post-launch and how much they charge for it. Ideally, you want to continue working with the team that knows your product and wants to help you grow it long-term.
Reviews on Clutch or Google can reveal what working with the team is really like. We recommend paying attention to what previous clients say about timelines, communication, and conflict resolution. If you're seriously considering a partner, feel free to ask for a reference call with one of their clients. A short 15-minute conversation can give you valuable insights beyond information available on the Internet.
In this article, we’ve shared a detailed cost breakdown for a travel app development and revealed the tips that can help you save money and take control over the project budget.
Want to know the exact estimate for your travel app idea? <a class=”blog-modal_opener”>Fill the form</a>, and we will get back to you in 48 hours.
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