Travel App Development: Features, Tech Stack, and Development Cost

The advancement of technology has made the world more accessible and smaller. Any location you want to visit, any hotel you want to stay at, and any meal you want to try are only a few smartphone taps away. There is now a specific application for all travel scenarios and tourism requirements.

A report claims that the “global internet travel industry will increase from USD 570.25 billion in 2017 to USD 1,134.55 billion by 2023, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.16 percent throughout the projection period”.

In this blog, we will learn about the exciting insights on travel app development and also represent a guide that can help an individual to build a travel app. 

What are the Reasons for Executing Travel App Development?

There are several reasons to create a mobile app for travelers; let’s have a look.

Research carried out by Google provides the following additional statistics:

• More than 325 million people visit TripAdvisor, travel, and restaurant website companies each month to read reviews of hotels and restaurants, make reservations, and access other travel-related content.
• With more than 443M monthly visits, Booking.com is now a well-known travel site globally.
• In the last year, 61 percent of American travelers have booked and paid for travel using their mobiles, and 64 percent are using their smartphones to get to their destination.
• U.S. leisure travelers use an average of 7-8 apps during their planning, booking, and in-destination travel experiences: Maps (52 percent), weather (51 percent), and branded airlines (50 percent) are the most frequently used apps.

Best Example of Travel Apps

The most popular travel app categories with examples in use today are listed below:

• Hotel Booking: Skyscanner
• Flight Booking: Hopper
• Trip Planner: Triplt
• Guidebook: Guides By Lonely Planet
• Map- Google Maps: Maps Me
• Weather Forecast: OpenWeather
• Taxi/Bus/Train Booking: Uber

What are the Features Necessary for Travel App Development?

Now that we have examined the various examples of travel apps, we shall move ahead with the features required for travel app development.

1. Registration

To use the app, users must first create an account. People typically dislike sign-up processes, so make it quick and easy for users to use their phone, email, Facebook, or Google accounts to sign up for the app same as app like 1weather.

2. Search

The “search” component is the core feature of travel apps. The search tool needs to be user-friendly and straightforward regardless of whether a user is looking for travel accommodations, city tours, or airline tickets. Also, make the search button visible and easily accessible on the screen.

3. Booking

Travel applications have become like a market for new and modern travelers. Integrate a booking system into your app so users can book hotel rooms, tickets, transfers, and entertainment. In addition, to improve user experience, provide custom and sorting options in your booking system. 

4. Navigation and Geolocation

Your app must have a GPS-based location service. Travelers must know their present position to get to the next destination and should also know which restaurants, attractions, cafes, hotels, and museums are close to their location. Additionally, give your users the option of accessing the maps offline if they do not have an internet connection.

5. In-App Payment

If customers pay for their bookings at the time of booking, it may be more convenient. The addition of a safe payment option streamlines the user’s booking experience and increases their brand loyalty to the business. 

Payment alternatives can be added to make things easier for customers, such as net banking, e-wallets, debit/credit cards, PayPal, WeChat Pay, Alipay, Twint, and Google Play. However, ensure that the payment system is shielded against online fraud, which travel businesses are prone to.

6. Chat

Another critical function of a travel app is chat. Users can ask questions and speak with hotel or property owners straight from the app.

7. Translator

Integrating a built-in translator will assist your users in communicating with locals throughout their journeys. In addition, you may incorporate text-scanning technologies.

8. Weather Forecast

Add a weather forecast option to your app to assist your users in planning their perfect vacation by informing them about temperature, humidity, and also weather changes.

How to Develop a Travel App in 4 Easy Steps?

Below mentioned are the steps that will help individuals understand the concept of travel app development: 

1. Choose the Objective and Conduct Competitor Research

One should give single pointers about what type of app they want and the objective of building it. The main question is, what problems do you want to solve? 

Also, creating an aim for your application would be simpler if you were familiar with your target, its primary difficulties, geographic location, and demand.

However, to define an aim, you must be aware of your rivals, the most popular travel applications on the market, and what makes them unique. You will also be able to specify your purpose after knowing these specifics. 

2. Arrange a List of Features 

Take the time to determine the essential features for travel app development if you want to reach your target market. Include elements in your app that will be useful to your target audience rather than overcrowding it with unneeded ones.

Some fundamental and mandatory features such as user accounts, bookings, social sharing, in-app purchases, location-based search, Google maps integration, and filters. 

3. Find the Development Team

Hiring a reputable travel app development company is the next step after defining the features and functionalities of your travel app. 

In addition, make sure the business you choose has a solid portfolio of mobile applications connected to travel and is well-known.

In addition, to know the best travel app development companies, one should collect data from different sites and contact them to make them understand the project. Also, discuss your motives with developers and decide which company suits you better.

Key Factors one should consider before hiring a company are: 

• Prior experience in creating unique travel app solutions
• A track record of providing unique mobile solutions without any problems
• Also, a full-stack internal development team that you may work with on the project

4. Development and Deployment 

The design and development step begins once you’ve chosen the best travel app development firm. Also, the experienced development staff will comprehend how to make your app stand out and may provide some original suggestions.

Below is the process for your app development:

Wireframe	A business analyst team develops a blueprint structure for each app display. Also, this team creates wireframes to demonstrate how the displays, features, and specifications interact.
Design	The design team will provide an app with ideal graphics, color schemes, and iconography to gain the traction of end users.
Development	The programmers use well-known technologies like Swift and Java to construct the software for the Android and iOS platforms.
Testing	A group of quality analysts rigorously evaluates every aspect of your developed application to ensure it is bug-free.
Deployment	The developed program is now distributed to your server and made accessible to your end users through the App Store or Google Play Store.

Tech Stack Required for Travel App Development

Let’s understand and study the technology stack required for iOS, Android, and Hybrid Apps. Below are the technologies and tools one may require for travel app development. 

Functions	Technology and Tools for iOS-Based App
Programming Language	Swift
Toolkit	Apple Xcode
SDK	iOS SDK

Functions	Technology and Tools for an Android-Based App
Programming Language	Kotlin
Toolkit	Android Studio & Android Developer Tools
SDK	Android SDK

Functions	Technology and Tools for a Hybrid App
Programming Language	JavaScriptHTMLCSSTypeScriptDartC#
Frameworks	IonicReact NativeFlutterXamarinApache Cordova

Factors Affecting Travel App Development Cost

Let’s explore the critical variables that are causing an impact on the development cost. 

1. App Platforms

One should make sure that the travel app is available to all users. Also, select a platform based on market research for the mobile application. 

2. App Development Team

The development, testing, and deployment of mobile apps are the primary responsibilities of an app developer. Also, these developers usually work in teams to produce concepts and ideas for the general public or the requirements of a specific customer.

3. APIs

It is crucial to create customized APIs that meet particular business demands to satisfy objectives. As a result, spending money on this will affect your entire spending plan.

4. Geography

Your final costs will depend on the location you pick for mobile app development. In addition, the difference in the hourly rates charged by app development businesses in the USA and Canada will immediately influence your app development budget.

Conclusion

Travelers can plan and arrange their trips more conveniently with the help of mobile applications, which is why there is an increasing need for travel-related apps.

Before developing your travel app, understand your consumers and their issues. Also, your mobile travel app should offer a user interface that allows users to plan a whole trip in a short period.

If you want to create fully functional apps for the web, Android, and iOS platforms, Idea Usher is a famous mobile app development firm. We have dedicated and experienced travel app developers here and satisfy clients’ requirements.

Contact Details: https://ideausher.com/contact/ 

Email: [email protected]  

Phone Numbers: (+91) 946 340 7140, (+91) 859 140 7140, and (+1) 732 962 4560

FAQs

Q. What is a travel app?

Travel apps help users search for potential holiday destinations, find affordable flights and hotels, and make service reservations. TripAdvisor-like applications also provide travel guides and let users read reviews and rate their fellow travelers.

Q. How do travel apps work?

Users can accomplish several things through travel applications, such as making hotel reservations and finding places to visit, like restaurants or monuments, etc. They use maps, GPS, and also user data to deliver the information and services the user needs.

Q. How are mobile apps transforming the travel and tourism industry?

You might eliminate paper use. For example use of travel brochures, invoices, receipts, tickets, and hotel booking documents. Additionally, labor and resource costs are reduced.

Q. What are the most popular travel mobile apps?

The most popular travel mobile apps are Airbnb, Tripadvisor, Hostelworld, and LoungeBuddy.