For many, one of the great pleasures of going on holiday is in the planning. Poring over maps, checking flight schedules or train timetables, browsing guidebooks – all these can be almost as enjoyable as actually reaching your destination. But sometimes time is short and another method is required. Something that saves time and gives you ideas, without your having to spend hours researching from scratch. Mmm… somehow, AI comes to mind.
So, welcome, Artificial Intelligence (AI). Although it’s definitely artificial, and the question about intelligence remains open, AI does have one exceptional strength: its ability to organise information. That’s a capability ideally suited to sifting through timetables, schedules and sightseeing options. Unsurprisingly, there are already many AI travel planner tools. Finding one, or several, is not difficult. Using them effectively can be more of a challenge.
Recognise AI for what it is
Perhaps the most well-known AI services are available from ChatGPT, Microsoft’s Copilot, and Google Gemini. It’s worth noting that despite the links between Microsoft and ChatGPT, Copilot and ChatGPT are different ‘machines’ so using one is not the same as using the other. There are also numerous AI tools developed specifically as travel planners. This article is not a review of which of those is best (here’s a link to one listing , and there are plenty more if you search online), but it is a suggestion as to how to get the best out of these alluring pieces of tech.
It’s worth remembering the A in AI. As stressed above, it really is artificial. AI does not think, although today’s large language models can create the impression that they do. AI cannot think, nor can it create anything genuinely original. Compare that to the experienced human specialist in tailor-made holidays and you’ll see the difference.
First of all, the human will be able to evaluate you and your requirements with considerable subtlety and understanding. Then they can call on their own experience of many destinations, airlines, hotels, tour operators, and travel guides. A good specialist will get inside your head and make recommendations accordingly. AI, on the other hand, can do none of that. No matter how it appears, it is simply organising information in a way which, according to its own internal programming, seems most credible. If you can remember this key fact, then it becomes easier to evaluate AI recommendations, including spotting suggestions that seem reasonable but are, in reality, flawed.
Use AI for what it does best – organising information
With the right instructions – or in most AI travel planning tools, entering your requirements accurately – AI will be able gather information according to your brief and present you with one or more sets of suggestions. As most tools will be using live online data, the basic information should be correct. Now the question is whether or not the AI-suggested plans are as accurate as the basic information it has used, i.e., has it made sense of the information it has gathered, or is it overlooking other important factors?
Finally, think of GPS instructions in your car. They’re usually pretty good but can do weird things as well. Fans of the US TV version of “The Office” will probably remember Michael Scott driving into a lake. Remember that AI is similarly just a (truly amazing) bit of tech but it isn’t perfect. Use its suggestions as an outline of what you could do, but don’t feel obliged to follow its every suggestion!
Key steps in using and evaluating AI output
To get the best out of your AI try following the following steps
Test the tool
Test it with a holiday you’ve already done, or by asking it for an itinerary, accommodation and travel arrangements around a part of the UK (or another country) you know well. Look out for anomalies in timetables, site-seeing excursions, advice about weather, restaurant choices and recommended hotels. Are these what you would expect? If not, try tweaking your instructions sightly until you get something better. At that point, ask yourself how you changed the instructions, and remember what you did.
Be as specific as possible.
The more detailed your instructions the more accurate the AI response should be – up to a point. It’s worth noting that over-detailed instructions in an open text field can sometimes lead to AI going off on a tangent. This is because it has misunderstood what the most important aspects of your instructions are. So, be specific and unambiguous. Leave enough room for “intelligent” decision making on the part of the tool you are using.
Don’t be afraid to modify your instructions.
Be prepared to keep adjusting your instructions until you get something that seems right. Don’t be afraid to ask questions: for example , “Why did you recommend x instead of y? What are the benefits of that choice?
Use more than one AI tool, ideally three.
If they produce similar results, that is probably encouraging, although there is a small chance they could all be wrong for the same reason! If one is an outlier, try and work out why it has made different suggestions.
Once you have promising results, test them for real.
Read hotel reviews, look at detailed maps and, for example, check train timetables. Don’t assume your AI tool has looked at the correct ones, especially if there are seasonal variations. Additionally, look online yourself for package holidays or tours which are close to what you have in mind. Do the AI recommendations make sense?
Used carefully, artificial intelligence brings many benefits
Artificial Intelligence presents us with some rich and remarkable opportunities to gather and organise information, and save time. Used carefully it can add real value to many tasks, including researching and organising a holiday. To get the full benefit, just remember it is still a (very impressive) bit of technology that needs human thought and human intervention to work at its best. Once you’ve used your tools of choice to help prepare, choosing your holiday is still down to you.
By Declan Morton, writer and editor at Essiell Ltd and Money4Travel.
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