Planning a trip is deceptively difficult. Going into this, I always assume that designing an itinerary will be quick, smooth, and fun. Yet somehow, a few hours later, the only thing I have to show for it are 50 tabs open and a panting computer futilely trying to keep up. It takes hours of browsing to sift through the endless recommendations, find the gems, and plan a personalized itinerary based on that information. In the past, you might have hired a travel agent to plan your itinerary, but with today’s access to tons of information online, this can seem like a waste of money. A few weeks ago, I was at the point of closing my computer while trying to plan a trip when I had a lightbulb moment. What if there was a free travel agent who could provide me with a personalized itinerary without any effort on my part?
This line of thinking led me to a potential answer to my travel woes: artificial intelligence. With the looming threat of AI stealing all our jobs and taking over the world (OK, maybe it’s not that serious), why can’t this at least help me and make my travel planning a little easier? I decided to put my theory to the test and asked ChatGPT to create a day trip itinerary for me in Austin, Texas. Then I followed the itinerary to see if AI is the 2024 travel agent we all need: a free agent. Read on for my honest thoughts after testing an AI travel itinerary.
My AI Travel Itinerary for a Day in Austin, Texas
Here’s the AI travel itinerary Chat GPT gave me for my day in Austin:
- 8am – Breakfast at Juan in a Million
- 9:30 am – Explore Zilker Park
- 11:30 am – Visit to the Barton Springs pool
- 1pm – Lunch at Terry Black’s BBQ
- 2:30 pm – Visit to the Texas State Capitol
- 4pm – Stroll along South Congress Avenue
- 5:30 pm – Dinner at Home Slice Pizza
- 7pm – Head to the Avenida do Congresso Bridge
- 8:15 pm – Watch the bats at sunset
- 9pm – Relax with a drink
My thoughts after following the itinerary:
The recommendations were spot on
The most important part of the experiment was to see if the places recommended by the AI were worth visiting. The answer is a resounding yes. The sites you told us to visit are highly rated, popular and recognizable. As an Austin resident, I would echo AI’s advice to anyone visiting. I even show many of these places to my friends when they visit the city. The only caveat is that some recommendations may not be absolutely unmissable if you are only in the city for a short period of time. For example, one version of an itinerary told us to go to the Texas History Museum, which is easily skippable unless you’re a history buff.
As far as restaurants go, I would check online to see if the place where the AI tells you to eat matches the ambiance you want. Some of the recommended restaurants are Austin legends according to us locals, but they aren’t necessarily a big draw for tourists. The food at these places is nostalgic for anyone who grew up here, but if you’re just visiting, there may be other places high on your priority list.
The itinerary was a little crowded
This AI travel itinerary provided a busy day that wasn’t realistically limited to just 24 hours. As we roamed around the city, we wished ChatGPT had scheduled some breaks for us. I’ll also mention that when I initially requested an itinerary, it gave me an even longer list of things to do, so this schedule was a respectful request to the AI to meet its expectations. Even after I cut out a few spots, the itinerary still felt a bit overwhelming. If you’re using AI to create your schedule, keep in mind that it may not understand the need for rest between activities, resulting in an overly full plate.
It was easy to customize an itinerary
While my AI-generated itinerary was a bit ambitious, it’s very easy to make adjustments in ChatGPT. You can ask to include specific places, choose activities based on a specific vibe, or shorten the day as needed. Making all of these changes in one place is more convenient than going back to the drawing board with your research to figure out what should be in play.
Activities were very casual
Each time you ask ChatGPT to create an itinerary, you’ll receive a slightly different version. After trying this for so long that my eyes glazed over (and still not knowing which one to choose), I just picked the first one they gave me to try. The recommended activities and restaurants ended up being very casual, which was perfect for my spontaneous Saturday experience. However, if you brought a cute outfit to parade around town, you’d probably want to choose an itinerary that included fancier restaurants and destinations. So if you’re looking for a specific vibe, I would include that in your instructions and do a Google search to make sure the recommendations match your expectations.
It was an excellent starting point for research
I was pleasantly surprised by how well the AI created a travel itinerary. Any software that can solve perhaps the worst part of traveling in a group – the dreaded “soooo where do we eat” song and dance – is a win for me. However, I wouldn’t use an AI travel itinerary as the only way to research your trip. It’s a fantastic starting point, but it’s worth comparing it with other online advice to ensure your itinerary meets your travel needs.
The final verdict on AI travel itineraries
AI, you can be my new travel agent. I hate to come out as a pessimist in disguise, but I expected AI to crash and burn with this experiment. Or at least, I anticipated an “eh, whatever, it’s not worth it” review, but here I am officially subscribing to AI travel itineraries. It’s a useful tool that can lessen the burden of planning a trip so you can focus on actually enjoying your vacation. As someone who obsessively researches every trip (can AI solve my control issues yet?), I will definitely turn to AI in the future for help. So if you’re trying to fit travel planning into your lunch breaks or after work, consider letting AI do some of the work.
