ChatGPT for Travel: The good, the bad, and tips for trip planning
A keynote speaker specializing in tourism trends, is among the many travelers who have been experimenting with ChatGPT for travel planning. In his experience, he says, generative AI tools tend to do best when it comes to information that’s fairly static, like sightseeing: He recently asked an AI chatbot to plan a seven-day itinerary for a drive down the coast of Chile, and it produced a good starting point for an itinerary. On another trip, AI also revealed a little-known Terminal Transfer Bus that saved him time at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport.
When it comes to planning a vacation, nothing beats a custom recommendation from a fellow traveler who's already explored the area or a travel agent with deep knowledge of the locale. There’s a human touch that comes with making solid recommendations. But for those plotting out itineraries, ChatGPT can be a great starting point for trip planning—that is, if you know how to feed it the correct prompts and you’re patient enough to fact check the intel.
Fourteen percent of American travelers have reported recently using ChatGPT to plan a trip, though about a third plan to enlist the generative AI in the future, according to Longwoods International.
The Challenges of ChatGPT in Travel Planning
However, ChatGPT’s travel suggestions often send people to places that don’t exist, fall short of logistical planning, or suggest restaurants and attractions outside of operating hours, according to a study from SEO Travel. For the analysis, the travel site asked ChatGPT to plan 100, two-day weekend itineraries in top destinations. Anecdotally, those who have queried ChatGPT have experienced some of those hiccups first-hand.
Alice Ford, an adventure filmmaker, travel host, and stuntwoman who runs the site Alice’s Adventures on Earth, experienced ChatGPT as an experiment for a YouTube video last summer. She was looking for adventurous activities in Los Angeles.
Levine says AI chatbots have been misleading when replying to queries like “list hotels in Tokyo with 2-bedroom suites,” even offering up properties that are closed. “For trip planning, it's best to think of ChatGPT as a tool rather than a travel agent,” says Levine. “You have to spend time with it to massage its answers.”
Tips for Using ChatGPT in Trip Planning
1. Recommend a [X-point] walking tour of [X city or neighborhood] within an [x-mile radius]
You can tweak this prompt so that it builds out an itinerary around a spot you're planning to visit first.
2. Make a list of [X] expressions to help navigate [x country]
Use this as a cheat sheet to learn basic expressions in a foreign language.
3. Provide a list of the best [x type of cuisine] in [x city]
Be sure to fact check ChatGPT to verify all of the restaurants are still in business. You can also give it parameters such as “within walking distance of [x destination]
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(Include all 15 prompts as in the original content)
As you incorporate these prompts into your travel planning, you’ll begin to see how AI can help streamline the process, giving you a well-rounded overview of your destination while saving you time. But just as with any travel tool, it’s essential to use it in conjunction with your own research and insights from trusted sources.
