TravelSquad – Group Trip Planner & Expense Manager

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Project Overview

TravelSquad is a mobile-first fullstack application designed to simplify group travel planning. It allows users to create trips, build shared itineraries, split expenses and get real-time updates — all in one app. Perfect for friends, family, or roommates planning vacations or weekend getaways.

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Key Features

• Create Trips – Create new trips
• Itinerary Builder – Add events with date, time, and location
• Expense Tracker – Split expenses evenly or custom, with debt tracking
• Trip Summary – Overview of total expenses, activities, and members

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Tech Stack

Layer	Tools & Libraries
Frontend	React Native (Expo)
Backend	Node.js + Express
Database	MySQL
Auth	Firebase Auth

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Project Structure

TravelSquad/
├── backend/                
│   ├── database.sql        
│   ├── index.js           
│   └── package.json
├── frontend/               
│   ├── components/         
│   ├── screens/            
│   ├── navigation/         
│   └── package.json
├── idea.md                 
└── README.md              

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Getting Started

Follow these instructions to set up and run the project locally.

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v14 or higher)
• npm
• MySQL installed and running
• Expo Go app on your mobile device (or an emulator)

Backend Setup

1. Navigate to the backend directory:

   cd backend

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Set up environment variables:

   • Create a .env file in the backend directory.
   • Copy the contents from .env.example and update the values (especially database credentials).

4. Set up the database:

   • Create a MySQL database named travelsquad.
   • Import the schema from database.sql.

5. Start the server:

   npm run dev

   The server should be running on http://localhost:3001.

Frontend Setup

1. Navigate to the frontend directory:

   cd frontend

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Set up environment variables:

   • Create a .env file in the frontend directory.
   • Copy the contents from .env.example and update the values (Firebase config and API URL).
   • Note: Ensure API_URL points to your backend's IP address (e.g., http://192.168.1.5:3001) if testing on a physical device, as localhost will not work from the phone.

4. Start the Expo development server:

   npm start

5. Run on device/emulator:

   • Physical Device: Scan the QR code with the Expo Go app.
   • Emulator: Press a for Android or i for iOS (macOS only).

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License

This project is for educational purposes.