Nope, we didn’t use AI to write this article, though we were certainly tempted to.
Need someone to craft an itinerary for you? Maybe instead of turning to a travel agent, AI can help fill in some of those gaps. This is our inaugural article of a series in featuring the best tools and practices for using AI to get that picture-perfect vacation. ☀️
It’s time to face facts: Artificial intelligence is not going away anytime soon, and rather than watching it put us out of business, we’re jumping in headfirst and showing you how to use it with the best tools and prompts for that next trip.
(Besides, we actually don’t have time to plan your trip for you, even if we'd like to.)
Personally, we've been playing around with a lot of AI for this article, and our thoughts are still it will be a while until the technology catches up. There's also a lot of cultural nuances and emotional resonance being lost, but it is great at the nuts and bolts.
P.S. If you are interested in seeing the differences between AI-generated content and what was written by a human, we asked ChatGPT to write a version of this article that you can see here. Compare, and commit your support to fellow humans for the doing the valuable work that they do!
Meet the best and brightest AI chatbots (and tools)
It's really the Wild Wild West here: There are a myriad of tools being built, spanning the OG ChatGPT ranging to legacy companies like KAYAK and Hopper integrating AI technology.
Meanwhile, there are a whole host of natively AI purely driven tools like Wonderplan and Forgemytrip being built from the ground up. Though Wonderplan seems like the most mature tool of the two, it didn't quite offer the level of customization that we wanted, but really 2024 is the year that we expect things to take off in this area.
Then there's the chatbots themselves, which, of course, put the entire industry on the map. Though it’s easy to think all the AI chatbots are all the same, there are slight differences.
Mostly though, everyone agrees the gold standard is ChatGPT. There are other AI bots out there, including Gemini (the bot formerly known as Google Bard), Bing Copilot, Perplexity AI and Claude.ai.
(Here’s a really hot tip: If you’re not into the web app version—some of these UIs are really ugly, and totally looking at you ChatGPT—some of these AI tools offer a mobile app version that are more seamless to use.)
The best AI travel prompts for planning a trip
Like all good relationships, what and how you ask the machine is practically everything.
Think of using an AI bot like a conversation you have with another human being: Though there an infinite amount of prompts that can be used, most people don’t realize you can refine the conversation you have with an AI bot. It’s a dialogue.
Don’t like what it says? Don’t stop there, and ask it to tweak the request. If it gives you an answer that’s not quite on the nose, it is possible to ask the bot to refine it.
The best prompts are often specific, and outline the criteria and context. In short, the answer it gives is only as good as the question you ask it.
Not digging that Portugal itinerary it spitted out? Ask the bot to make the schedule slightly more laidback – specifically if your idea of a vacation is actually a vacation.
True to form, we though we would ask the master itself, ChatGPT, for the top AI prompts for planning a trip.
Here is what it generated:
- "Help me plan a weekend getaway to [destination]!"
- "I need suggestions for an adventurous trip to [location] on [budget]."
- "Can you create an itinerary for a week-long vacation in [destination]?"
- "I'm planning a road trip across [region/country]. What are the must-see attractions?"
- "What are some unique experiences I shouldn't miss while visiting [city]?"
- "I want to plan a romantic getaway. Any suggestions for secluded destinations?"
- "What are the top outdoor activities to do in [destination] during [season]?"
- "Create a travel plan for exploring [country] with a focus on local cuisine and culture."
- "Help me plan a family-friendly vacation with activities suitable for kids in [destination]."
- "I'm looking for off-the-beaten-path destinations to explore. Any recommendations?"
Are you ready to jump off in the deep end now? Our next feature will feature a sample itinerary created using one of the prompts, so stay tuned.