How to Develop Travel App - Features, Cost & Technology Stack

Did you know that the digitalization of the travel industry has changed many traditional processes? For instance, now people use travel apps to make reservations, buy tickets, choose destinations, and get around. The trip planning has become much easier and quicker.

Travel apps offer access to travel-related activities and save time on daunting tasks. They also bring multiple online solutions to the user’s fingertips, making travel more memorable and hassle-free.

If you want to build an app for your travel organization or business, this guide is for you. We have curated a list of features that every travel app must have. Furthermore, we have discussed the technology stack and cost analysis to get travel app development services.

Travel App Market and Industry Forecasts

Before discussing the must-have features, let’s glance at the industry statistics.

Between 2023 and 2027, the global revenue in the travel app segment is expected to increase by $730 million . Talking about the in-app purchase via the traveling app, the revenue has increased to $88.05 million by the end of year 2022.

Must-Have Features Every Travel App Needs

Do you want your travel app to fully respond to travelers’ expectations and support them in all possible ways? In that case, you must create an app that includes all the essential features:

1. Login/Sign Up

Irrespective of the type of your travel app, it should have a profile-making option for easy usage and accessibility of users. This feature will also allow you to take care of your user’s interests and maintain user identity on the platform.

2. Search Bar

Your travel booking app must have a search bar so users can easily carry out searches. A responsive search bar plays an important role in enhancing user experience.

3. Rating and Review

Make sure your travel app has a rating and review option so customers can freely share their experiences about the applications and services. New users can read the reviews to know about your service quality.

4. Offline Access

Offering complete functions without the use of a stable internet connection might not be possible. However, every travel app should stay useful in some way even without connectivity. For instance, a navigation app must show users the way back to their home, which they have searched frequently.

5. Messages and Chatting

Always include messages and chatting functions in your app so users can carry out a smooth conversation when needed. For example, if you have a transport app, customers can use the messaging feature to talk to the driver. Or if you have a hotel booking app, customers can contact reception.

6. Notifications

You must offer hot deals and coupons to your customers to keep them engaged. However, your users might not always be using the app. So, what’s the solution? Well, you can inform them regularly about hot deals via push notifications.

7. Safe Payment Gateway

Don’t forget to equip your app with safe payment gateways so users can initiate transactions without any hassle. All the payment models must be well-known and reliable.

8. Booking System

A travel app without a booking system fails to engage users. Also, the booking option is considered one of the main sources of revenue in travel apps.

9. Customer Helpline

Customers are likely to run into an issue, which can either be technical or non-technical. So, make sure your app has a customer helpline to quickly resolve the issues.

Advanced Features to Include in a Travel App

Besides basic features, you can add advanced features to take your travel app to a new level. The below-mentioned features will perfectly assist your users in planning a memorable trip:

1. Weather Forecast

By offering a weather forecast feature in your travel app, you can make it easier for users to adjust their activity plans and outfit choices. This feature will be highly appreciated by your users.

2. Personalized Recommendations

While your users create their profiles, you can ask them to share some more details about their food choices, places they like to visit, and similar information. Later, you can use this information to offer individual suggestions to each of your users.

3. Itinerary Planner

Consider offering an itinerary planner feature in your app so users can quickly add intermediate points and plan a route to make their trip hassle-free.

4. Price Drop Alerts

While the price drop feature is not a necessity, users love it. By adding this feature, you can help your users find the best pricing option.

5. Currency Converter

If you hire travel app developers to make an app for international trips, ask them to include a currency converter. It is an extremely helpful feature, which allows travelers to plan their expenses properly.

6. Emergency Services

Make your travel app more user-friendly by adding emergency phone numbers so users can call rescue services quickly.

Common Travel App Development Tech Stack

Is there any standard set that can be followed while creating a travel app? Unfortunately, no. That’s because the type of travel app you want to create decides the tech stack that can be used. It also influences the time needed and MVP development cost.

From a technical standpoint, there are four main types of mobile applications, i.e., native apps, progressive web applications, web apps, and hybrid apps.

For instance, if you want to create a native app, code it separately for Android and iOS. Then you can use Objective-C, Kotlin, or Java.

You can also take a simplified path and choose cross-platform app development to create a travel app. In this case, developers can use React Native or Flutter. Don’t forget to link different APIs to get up-to-date information in real time.

How Much Does it Cost to Develop a Travel App?

As app development is a complicated process, it is difficult to predict the cost of creating one. Various factors are involved in the app development process, which can affect the final cost.

Below are the cost-affecting factors during the development of the app:

1. Complexity

Depending on your needs and priorities, you can either design a simple travel app or a complex one that has multiple features and functionalities. Remember that the more complex your travel app is, the more costly its development will be.

2. Features

After the app’s complexity, its feature is another important factor, which influences the price. The development of complex and unique features increases the overall cost. Likewise, creating simple features costs minimal.

3. Mode to Hire Developers

The third factor that influences travel app development cost is the mode of hiring developers. Creating a robust and market-leading travel app requires a team of experienced and knowledgeable developers.

Fortunately, with the rise in the travel sector, the number of development partners has also increased. So, your choices are not limited.

On average, if you decide to create a travel app, it will cost you between $40,000 to $60,000.

Conclusion

Are you confused about whether you should create a travel app or not? If you have a travel organization or business, you must invest in creating a travel app because it is profitable and high in demand.

Although multiple travel apps exist in the market, there are unmet user needs. You can use this opportunity to create a feature-rich app. But for this, you need a reliable travel app development company by your side.

You can hire Protonshub Technologies, an award-winning custom software development company. We work with industry-specific technology specialists, who have created multiple apps. Our charges are affordable and our services are unmatched.

You can visit our website for more information.

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Ekta Singh

"Senior Content Writer"

Ekta Singh is a rookie food experimentalist and k-drama fan with 4+ years of experience in writing. Bridging gaps between companies and customers through conversion-driven content is her forte. She believes in writing stories for a living and living life for exploring places.