# Quick Start Guide - Travel MCP Server
Get your Travel MCP Server up and running in 5 minutes!
## Step 1: Get Your API Keys (5 minutes)
### Amadeus API (Required)
1. Visit [https://developers.amadeus.com/](https://developers.amadeus.com/)
2. Click **"Register"** in the top right
3. Fill out the registration form
4. Check your email and click the activation link
5. Login and go to **"My Self-Service Workspace"**
6. Click **"Create New App"**
7. Give it a name (e.g., "Travel MCP")
8. Copy your **API Key** and **API Secret**
### AviationStack API (Optional - for flight tracking)
1. Visit [https://aviationstack.com/](https://aviationstack.com/)
2. Click **"Get Free API Key"**
3. Sign up with your email
4. Copy your API key from the dashboard
## Step 2: Configure Environment Variables (1 minute)
Create a `.env` file in the project root:
```bash
cd /Users/levtheswag/VSCodestuff/travel-mcp-server
cp .env.example .env
```
Edit `.env` and add your keys:
```env
AMADEUS_CLIENT_ID=your_amadeus_api_key_here
AMADEUS_CLIENT_SECRET=your_amadeus_api_secret_here
AMADEUS_ENV=test
# Optional
AVIATIONSTACK_API_KEY=your_aviationstack_key_here
```
## Step 3: Configure Claude Desktop (2 minutes)
### Find Your Config File
**macOS**: `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`
**Windows**: `%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json`
### Edit the Config
Add this to the config file (create it if it doesn't exist):
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"travel": {
"command": "/Users/levtheswag/VSCodestuff/travel-mcp-server/venv/bin/python",
"args": [
"-m",
"travel_mcp.server"
],
"env": {
"AMADEUS_CLIENT_ID": "YOUR_AMADEUS_KEY_HERE",
"AMADEUS_CLIENT_SECRET": "YOUR_AMADEUS_SECRET_HERE",
"AMADEUS_ENV": "test",
"AVIATIONSTACK_API_KEY": "YOUR_AVIATIONSTACK_KEY_HERE"
}
}
}
}
```
**Important**: Replace the API keys in the `env` section with your actual keys!
## Step 4: Restart Claude Desktop
1. Quit Claude Desktop completely (Cmd+Q on Mac)
2. Reopen Claude Desktop
3. Look for the 🔌 icon in the bottom right - it should show "travel" as connected
## Step 5: Test It Out!
Try these prompts in Claude:
### Test Flight Search
```
Find me flights from New York (JFK) to London (LHR) on January 15, 2026
```
### Test Hotel Search
```
Find hotels in Paris (PAR) for February 10-15, 2026
```
### Test Airport Search
```
What airports are in Tokyo?
```
### Test Flight Tracking (if you have AviationStack key)
```
Track flight AA100
```
## Troubleshooting
### "Tool not found" error
- Make sure you restarted Claude Desktop after editing the config
- Check that the path to the Python executable is correct
- Verify your virtual environment is activated
### "API authentication failed"
- Double-check your API keys in the config
- Make sure you copied both the API Key AND API Secret for Amadeus
- For Amadeus, make sure you're using `test` environment first
### "No results found"
- Airport codes must be valid IATA codes (3 letters)
- Dates must be in YYYY-MM-DD format
- For hotels, use city codes not airport codes (e.g., PAR for Paris, not CDG)
### Check Server Logs
If Claude Desktop isn't connecting:
1. Open Claude Desktop
2. Click the 🔌 icon
3. Look for error messages next to "travel"
## Common Airport Codes Reference
| City | Code | Airport |
|------|------|---------|
| New York | JFK | John F. Kennedy |
| Los Angeles | LAX | Los Angeles Intl |
| London | LHR | Heathrow |
| Paris | CDG | Charles de Gaulle |
| Tokyo | NRT | Narita |
| Dubai | DXB | Dubai Intl |
| Sydney | SYD | Sydney Airport |
| San Francisco | SFO | San Francisco Intl |
| Chicago | ORD | O'Hare |
| Miami | MIA | Miami Intl |
## API Limits
### Amadeus Free Tier
- **Test Environment**: Monthly quota for testing
- **Production**: Free monthly quota + pay-as-you-go
- Check your usage at [developers.amadeus.com](https://developers.amadeus.com/)
### AviationStack Free Tier
- **100 API calls per month**
- Resets on the 1st of each month
- Data has 30-60 second delay
## Next Steps
- Read the full [README.md](README.md) for all features
- Try different search parameters
- Explore hotel amenities and filters
- Use cheapest date search for flexible travel planning
## Support
Having issues?
1. Check the [README.md](README.md) for detailed documentation
2. Verify your API keys are valid
3. Make sure dates are in the future
4. Ensure airport codes are valid IATA codes
---
Happy traveling! ✈️
