Travel Planner MCP Server

Overview

Travel Planner is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that integrates with Google Maps services to provide travel planning capabilities to AI assistants. It enables location searches, detailed place information, route calculations, and timezone data retrieval.

Prerequisites

Before using the Travel Planner MCP server, you'll need:

1. A Google Maps API key with the following APIs enabled:
   • Places API
   • Directions API
   • Geocoding API
   • Time Zone API

You can obtain a Google Maps API key from the Google Cloud Console.

Installation Options

Option 1: Using Smithery (Recommended for Claude Desktop)

If you're using Claude Desktop, you can install the Travel Planner MCP server automatically using Smithery:

npx -y @smithery/cli install @GongRzhe/TRAVEL-PLANNER-MCP-Server --client claude

Option 2: Using NPX

You can run the server directly using npx:

# With environment variable for Google Maps API
GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY=your_api_key npx @gongrzhe/server-travelplanner-mcp

Option 3: Global Installation

Alternatively, you can install the package globally:

# Install globally
npm install -g @gongrzhe/server-travelplanner-mcp

# Run after global installation
GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY=your_api_key @gongrzhe/server-travelplanner-mcp

Configuration for Claude Desktop

To use this server with Claude Desktop, add the following configuration to the "mcpServers" section of your claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "travel-planner": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@gongrzhe/server-travelplanner-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY": "your_google_maps_api_key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Usage Examples

Once the Travel Planner MCP server is running and connected to your AI assistant, you can use it to perform various travel-related tasks:

1. Search for places:

   • "Find coffee shops near Central Park in New York"
   • "What are some tourist attractions in Paris?"

2. Get place details:

   • "Tell me more about the Eiffel Tower"
   • "What are the opening hours for the Metropolitan Museum of Art?"

3. Calculate routes:

   • "How long would it take to drive from San Francisco to Los Angeles?"
   • "What's the fastest way to get from my hotel to the airport using public transit?"

4. Get timezone information:

   • "What time zone is Tokyo in?"
   • "What's the current time in London compared to New York?"

The AI assistant will use the appropriate tools from the Travel Planner MCP server to retrieve and present the requested information.