To build a travel recommendation bot, you need to set up your project environment by creating a parent directory and virtual environment, installing necessary packages such as Flask, python-dotenv, twilio, and pyairtable, and storing sensitive information like Airtable base ID and API key in a secure location. You then create an Airtable base with columns for name, location, and image URL, or use a pre-existing one. Next, you access the Airtable base ID and API key, initialize the Flask application, randomly choose a destination from the spreadsheet, and configure the webhook to connect your local server to a publicly accessible URL using ngrok. Finally, you run the application by executing the Flask command, which sends a Twilio SMS message with a travel recommendation and image URL.