Competing with travel-tech giants doesn’t require a massive engineering team. With AI app builders like Bolt and lightweight LLMs such as Mistral, you can prototype, test, and launch in a single afternoon. In this guide, Daniyal Ashraf from the Founder Institute walk through creating Travel Bug, an AI travel-recommendation app that surfaces niche destinations and experiences based on a user’s preferences. Follow along and you’ll have a live web app—plus the know-how to keep iterating.
Step 1 Choose Your Tools & Set Expectations
What you’ll use:
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Bolt for the no-code front-end & workflow builder.
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Mistral (or any LLM you like) for the brain of the app via API.
Secret Tip:
Start small. Give the model a tight feature list first, then layer on enhancements. This keeps Bolt’s auto-builder from over-engineering your MVP.
Step 2 Create Your Bolt Account
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Navigate to bolt.new.
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Pick a plan. The entry-level Pro tier is perfect for a single app; upgrade to Pro 50/100/200 only if you’ll run multiple projects.
Secret Tip:
There’s no free tier, but the base Pro plan covers most side-project needs. Factor that cost into your MVP budget up-front so you’re not surprised at deploy time.
Step 3 Generate a Mistral API Key
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Visit mistral.ai → Try the API.
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In Settings → Subscriptions choose the free Experiment tier (fine for building & testing).
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Go to API Keys → Create New Key. Name it Travel App, copy, and store it somewhere safe.Secret Tip:
Never post your raw key in public repos or videos. Rotate or delete keys after demos.
Step 4 Draft a Lean Prompt
“Build an AI-powered travel app called Travel Bug that suggests niche destinations and experiences based on user preferences.”
Add the Mistral reference and placeholder for the API key, then hit Enhance Prompt inside Bolt. Review the auto-added input/output schema and re-insert any details Bolt stripped (e.g., LLM choice, key variable).
Secret Tip:
If you’re stuck refining copy, drop the draft into ChatGPT and ask for a tighter, more action-oriented version.
Step 5 Let Bolt Build & Review the Draft UI
Watch the left-hand chat for Bolt’s build plan and the right-hand panel for live UI generation. Expect placeholder data at first.
Secret Tip:
Use this pass mainly to confirm layout, not functionality. It’s faster to tweak visuals after core logic works.
Step 6 Test Early, Fail Fast
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Fill the form with test preferences and click Find My Perfect Destination.
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If nothing happens (common when the API isn’t wired), open Discussion Mode and tell Bolt exactly what’s broken:
“Button returns no results—wire up Mistral with provided API key and add basic error handling.”
Secret Tip:
Discussion Mode is your built-in rubber-duck debugger. Phrase issues plainly; let Bolt propose the code changes.
Step 7 Fix, Run, and Repeat
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Provide the key, click Fix These Issues, and retest.
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When responses arrive but UI cards look off, ask Bolt to adjust styling (e.g., remove header images, fix colors).
Secret Tip:
Expect 2-3 feedback loops. Tiny, direct requests (“delete hero image on cards”) get cleaner results than broad “improve UI” commands.
Step 8 Polish the Experience
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Replace placeholder tags (budget, duration) with dropdowns or sliders.
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Ensure accessibility (contrast ratios, label text). Ask Bolt to tweak CSS tokens.
Secret Tip:
Great UX = credibility. Even early adopters judge by polish, so invest 15 minutes cleaning visual quirks before launch.
Step 9 Deploy & Integrate Extras
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Click Deploy → Live.
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Choose Stripe integration if you’ll charge for premium itineraries.
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Add Supabase if you need persistent user accounts or saved trips.
Secret Tip:
Deploy private first, share with a small test group, then flip to public once core flows survive real-world usage.
Finally, Ship, Learn, Iterate
This travel app is just one example of how early-stage entrepreneurs can leverage AI tools to bring an idea to life quickly and efficiently, without needing extensive technical resources. Building a simple AI app like this is just the beginning. As a startup founder, you can use AI throughout all stages —ideation, building, testing, or scaling. AI tools empower non-technical founders to turn ideas into functional products rapidly, iterate quickly, and test business models with real users.
Ready to take your idea further? Check out this resource on AI Startup Ideation to learn more about how AI can help you turn your startup vision into a reality: AI Startup Ideation
If you're ready to take your idea to the next level, you can also join the Founder Institute's Ideation Bootcamp - an intensive 8-week program to help aspiring entrepreneurs build a great startup idea using expert feedback, helpful AI tools, and a proven process.
Learn more and join the bootcamp here
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