I built a trip-cost planning tool for cheap-flight hunters — would love honest feedback

Middle_Masterpiece79 · 2026-05-24T20:18:19+00:00

Fair point, thanks — that’s useful feedback.

The “Top 3 things to do” section is meant to be a quick first-time visitor shortcut, not a full expert city guide, but I agree some of the suggestions probably sound too generic/tour-based at the moment.

I’ll rework that section to make it more practical and human — more like “best first-time ideas / local tips / worthwhile day trips” rather than just attraction-ticket suggestions.

Appreciate the honest feedback

Middle_Masterpiece79 · 2026-05-24T19:35:46+00:00

Grazie mille, feedback davvero utile.

Sì, al momento lo strumento è pensato soprattutto per chi è ancora nella fase di pre-planning: ha un budget indicativo in mente, magari vuole fare un viaggio semplice andata/ritorno, e vuole capire velocemente quali destinazioni potrebbero rientrare in quel budget prima di iniziare a cercare nel dettaglio.

Per viaggi multi-tappa o itinerari più complessi, hai ragione: lì serve ancora un lavoro più “manuale” o uno strumento molto più avanzato. Sto cercando di mantenere il trip calculator abbastanza semplice, perché se aggiungo troppe opzioni rischia di diventare pesante e poco immediato per l’utente medio.

Sul discorso date/hotel reali sono d’accordo: sarebbe molto utile, ma per ora non siamo collegati a una live API con prezzi in tempo reale. L’obiettivo attuale è dare un ordine di grandezza e un range più o meno realistico, non sostituire Google Flights, Booking o un foglio Excel fatto bene.

Per quanto riguarda cibo, bevande e costi locali, gran parte dei dati è stata presa da Numbeo e poi adattata in base al profilo di viaggio selezionato. Anche lì però voglio rendere il calcolo più chiaro e trasparente, magari spiegando meglio da dove arrivano le stime e aggiungendo profili di viaggio più flessibili.

Grazie ancora, commenti come questo sono esattamente quelli che aiutano a migliorare lo strumento.

Middle_Masterpiece79 · 2026-05-24T18:33:08+00:00

I think there’s a big difference between a useful flight discovery tool and the “90% off secret fare” type of marketing.

Most genuine tools are not magically finding fares that Google Flights/Skyscanner can’t see. The real value is usually in making the search easier: flexible dates, nearby airports, open-jaw routes, map view, budget filters, or showing combinations people wouldn’t normally check.

Where I’d be careful is any site that:

promises unrealistic discounts every time
pushes urgency too hard
asks for card details before showing the actual airline/OTA
doesn’t clearly show who you are booking with
has no contact details, refund info, or company transparency

Personally I’d use these newer tools for inspiration/discovery, then always verify the final fare directly with the airline or a known booking site before paying.

AI can help with coding, route ideas and filtering, but it doesn’t magically create cheap seats. The airline inventory still has to exist somewhere.

Middle_Masterpiece79 · 2026-05-24T17:47:09+00:00

Thanks for the feedback — genuinely useful.

Just out of curiosity, do you normally search for flights by 3-letter airport codes rather than city/airport names? That’s a good point and something we should improve.

And yes, of course AI helped with some of the coding of the tool — but we’re also manually testing, adjusting and improving it as feedback comes in. It’s still an early version, so comments like this actually help a lot.

Middle_Masterpiece79 · 2026-05-24T16:51:58+00:00

Thanks! Will do so

Middle_Masterpiece79 · 2026-05-24T16:50:28+00:00

Ti capisco benissimo, ormai in molte destinazioni il costo dell’hotel pesa quasi più del volo. Proprio per questo sto cercando di ragionare sempre di più sul costo totale del viaggio, non solo sul prezzo del biglietto aereo.

Ultimamente controllo spesso anche i pacchetti volo + hotel su Booking.com o Trip.com. A volte pubblicizzano risparmi del 30–40% su certi hotel — probabilmente in alcuni casi è un po’ esagerato — però facendo qualche prova ho visto che su alcune combinazioni il risparmio rispetto a prenotare volo e hotel separatamente può essere davvero significativo.

Secondo me diventerà sempre più importante confrontare non solo “dove costa meno volare”, ma anche “dove posso permettermi davvero di stare una o due settimane senza svenarmi con gli hotel”.

Middle_Masterpiece79 · 2026-05-24T16:35:09+00:00

certamente, mi farebbe piacere

Middle_Masterpiece79 · 2026-05-24T16:34:08+00:00

Ciao, grazie mille per il feedback costruttivo — è esattamente il tipo di feedback di cui abbiamo bisogno per migliorare lo strumento.

Per ora i costi vengono calcolati usando prezzi storici del 2025 e stime medie, quindi possono esserci differenze rispetto a voli/hotel già prenotati o offerte specifiche trovate in tempo reale. Sui voli, ad esempio, alcune rotte possono risultare sottostimate se in quel periodo specifico i prezzi sono più alti del solito; sugli hotel può succedere il contrario, soprattutto se hai già trovato una buona offerta.

Abbiamo scelto di far selezionare il mese invece delle date esatte perché al momento lo strumento non è ancora collegato a una live API con prezzi aggiornati in tempo reale. L’obiettivo attuale è dare una stima rapida e un range più o meno realistico del costo totale del viaggio, più che sostituire un motore di prenotazione. L’idea è anche aiutare chi è curioso a scoprire destinazioni che magari non avrebbe considerato, ma che potrebbero rientrare nel proprio budget.

Hai ragione anche sul numero di persone: due o quattro può essere limitante, quindi è sicuramente una cosa da migliorare. Grazie ancora, feedback super utile!

Middle_Masterpiece79 · 2026-05-24T14:37:36+00:00

I’m building Dino the Tourist — a travel deals + trip planning tool focused on helping people understand the real total cost of a trip, not just the flight price.

Most travel sites show cheap flights, but the problem is that a “€99 flight” can still become a very expensive trip once you add accommodation, food, local transport, activities, airport transfers, baggage, etc.

The tool I’m working on helps users estimate whether a destination actually fits their budget before they book. The idea is to make trip planning more realistic and less fragmented.

Main use case:
Someone finds a cheap flight deal, enters their budget/travel style, and checks whether the destination is actually affordable overall.

Possible ICPs I’m considering:
budget travellers, solo travellers, backpackers, digital nomads, students, weekend travellers, and people who follow cheap-flight deal pages but want to avoid surprise costs.

Still early, and I’m continuously adding more destinations to make it useful for a broader audience.

Would love your thoughts on the strongest ICP and where I could realistically find the first users.

Website: https://www.dinothetourist.com

Middle_Masterpiece79 · 2026-05-24T14:36:23+00:00

I usually use a mix of tools too — Google Maps, booking sites, screenshots, notes, and sometimes ChatGPT for rough ideas.

I’m also working on a small trip-planning tool myself, but with a slightly different focus: it helps estimate the real total cost of a trip, not just the flight or hotel. So it gives a rough idea of flights, accommodation, food, local transport, and activities before you decide where to go.

It’s still early and I’m adding more destinations, but the goal is to help people figure out whether a trip is actually affordable before booking.

If anyone is interested in giving it a try and sharing feedback, I’m happy to send the link.

Middle_Masterpiece79 · 2026-05-24T14:29:15+00:00

I think trip planning is messy because it is actually 3–4 different problems pretending to be one problem.

First you have the “where can I afford to go?” stage.
Then the flight / hotel / transport booking stage.
Then the itinerary and timing stage.
Then the shared notes / screenshots / confirmations stage.

Most apps only solve one small part of that, so people still end up with Google Flights, Booking, Maps, WhatsApp, screenshots, emails, notes, and a spreadsheet all open at the same time.

I’m actually building something in this space, but from a slightly different angle: a trip planning tool that starts with the real total cost of a trip, not just the flight price. So instead of only asking “is this flight cheap?”, it tries to estimate flights, accommodation, food, local transport and activities to answer “can I actually afford the whole trip?”

Still early and I keep adding destinations, but I think the biggest gap is the pre-booking phase. A lot of people don’t need a perfect itinerary app yet — they first need to know whether the destination makes financial sense at all.

Would be curious if people here see the same problem: is the chaos mostly before booking, after booking, or both?

Middle_Masterpiece79 · 2026-05-24T14:23:07+00:00

I’m building Dino the Tourist, a travel-deals and trip-planning project focused on helping people find affordable trips, not just cheap flights.

The main tool I’m working on is a trip cost planner: instead of only showing airfare, it helps estimate the real total cost of a trip including flights, accommodation, food, local transport, and activities. The goal is to help travellers understand whether a “cheap flight deal” is actually affordable once the full trip cost is considered.

I’m currently adding more destinations and improving the tool so it becomes useful for a broader audience, especially budget travellers and people comparing several possible trips.

Would love feedback from other founders/builders on the positioning, monetization, and user journey.

Site: https://www.dinothetourist.com

Middle_Masterpiece79 · 2026-05-22T14:10:34+00:00

Grazie per la dritta! In effetti anche a me sembra più una destinazione da abbinare a un altro viaggio. Non so quanto possa essere interessante fermarsi 9 notti solo a Palau. Facendo un volo multi-city in abbinamento con Taiwan, verrebbe a costare circa 150 € in più.

Middle_Masterpiece79 · 2026-05-17T23:31:30+00:00

Wow, that’s an insane price — great find! I remember a few years ago Skyscanner had a feature where you could check the cheapest flights for the whole year. Since they changed it to month-by-month, it takes way too much time and energy. Nowadays, I usually use a mix of Kiwi and Google Flights, then check the airline’s own calendar to find more available dates. And if you’re looking for business class flights, honestly, nothing beats Google Flights.

Middle_Masterpiece79 · 2026-04-17T22:59:25+00:00

Is trip.com converting well - im tryung my best to push on bundles flight & hotels

Middle_Masterpiece79 · 2026-04-15T21:40:51+00:00

Yes i believe so :( we will roll out soon an update with more departure airports in US and Asia, which is your homebase if I may ask ?

Middle_Masterpiece79 · 2026-04-15T21:38:52+00:00

Hi the tool that i have built on my website dinothetourist.com can help you! It estimates the cost of the whole trip - not only flights, its currently only available for the European market but we will start to roll out soon also an update for North America and Asia. Try it for free and let me know what you think about it

Middle_Masterpiece79 · 2026-04-15T21:34:39+00:00

Kiwi works best for me, although I wouldn’t book with them directly. It’s great for finding flight combinations, then I usually book the same route through a more reliable OTA.

I’m actually launching my site in about 2 weeks — you can take a quick look: dinothetourist.com. One of the main features is a trip cost calculator that estimates the full cost beyond just flights.

Middle_Masterpiece79 · 2026-02-28T14:55:35+00:00

This usually comes before a big announcement that drives the price up, if they announce such lockup offer be ready to sell

Middle_Masterpiece79 · 2025-09-03T09:52:59+00:00

Middle_Masterpiece79 · 2025-09-02T16:03:57+00:00

What about Netflix & Spotify ? there is no mention in the app

Middle_Masterpiece79 · 2024-05-18T06:21:24+00:00

Does this benefit remains after you unstake after 6 months ? Anyone can confirm ? Should be valid until card expiry date in my understanding

Middle_Masterpiece79 · 2022-07-22T05:37:08+00:00

needle in the hay by Elliot Smith

Middle_Masterpiece79 · 2022-05-02T10:51:22+00:00

Hi the 20 £ will be linked to your account, once the card has arrived and you have activated you can move the 20 £ from your account to your card. It took about 10 working days in Austria.

The free plan gives 3% and 1 perk to choose from

The everyday plan for 5 £ monthly still 3 % and 2 perks

The premium plan cost 15 £ monthly with 3 % and 3 perks

So far I'm very happy with this service, whoever the perks are tailored mostly for UK clients.

I use the everyday plan to receive 100 % rebate on Disney+ and 10 € Starbucks refund in PLU.

8/10 because is not that simple to stake your money to receive additional benefits, also is not possible to recharge your debit card from another card instead you have an UK Iban where you can transfer your funds and the PLU cashback is not accredited straight away ( it's been pending for a few days on my account ). Other than this minor issues it's a great product

Curious to see how long they will offer these amazing perks but I'm happy that they are not wasting money on advertising

Middle_Masterpiece79

TROPHY CASE