In nearly every aspect of our lives, AI seems to be creeping in — so of course, planning your next big vacation is no different. Many new AI-powered apps have popped up in the past year or so, promising to design the perfect trip itinerary full of cheap flights, hidden gem destinations and incredible accommodations. Some of these new apps and tools are definitely useful, but many are just looking to charge you a few bucks for features that don’t have much benefit. So before you plan your next getaway, it helps to know which ones actually make booking a trip easier, and which ones you should skip — here’s a quick rundown.
Flight Finders
There’s no shortage of flight aggregator websites that return search results from hundreds of airlines and booking sites in seconds — Kayak.com, Skyscanner, Momondo, and Google Flights have been around for years, known as the most effective way to find the best flights. But recently, AI-powered tools like Kayak.ai, Layla, and MindTrip have jumped into the mix, promising to find personalized options with less effort.
However, these tools don’t always provide useful results. They often ask the user to be very specific about their request which can take a while to type up, and in some cases — like with Kayak.ai — the output simply links to their regular flight search page. While it might be helpful to know that flights, say, between Paris and New York are cheapest during the second week of December, you’ll still have to visit the regular results page to see the specific airlines, flight times, and any connections. At that point, it almost feels easier to forget the AI interface entirely and go straight to the source.
While some people might prefer using a chat-style tool to plan their itinerary, it’s essentially just pulling results from the same public databases everyone else uses, so it’s not like you’ll be unlocking secret prices or special discounts. If you’re spending a couple hundred dollars or more on a big trip, it’s probably still worth spending a few minutes to double-check multiple platforms — including both AI and existing travel websites — to make sure you are really choosing the best flight.
Hotel Recommendations
Searching for hotels is not all that different from searching for flights — supply is limited, pricing fluctuates with demand, and the same room can show up at different rates depending on which platform you use to book. That’s why relying on AI tools to uncover the “best” accommodation runs into many of the same issues covered above. Where these tools do shine, however, is in quickly narrowing down thousands of available properties to match what you’re looking for.
Instead of ticking dozens of search filters on platforms like Booking.com, Expedia, or Airbnb, you can ask a tool like hoteller.ai or iMean.ai something along the lines of “boutique hotels in Barcelona with a pool, under $250 a night, and close to the Gothic Quarter.” Instead of wading through hundreds of listings, you’ll get a decent head start on a few probable candidates — even if you do still need to click through to confirm the details and make the reservation yourself.
It’s also worth keeping in mind that these AI hotel tools are just pulling from the same listings already available online, and the results can be influenced by marketing tactics. A new trend is GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) where hotels try to control how they are portrayed in AI-generated results — throw that in with the increasing trend of fake reviews and paid placements, and all of it means that AI recommendations are not all that much more reliable than the research you can do yourself. Make sure to double-check the hotel’s own website for specific amenities or better rates prior to booking, and look for reviews from a range of sources such as Google Maps or TripAdvisor before making your decision.
Personalized Itineraries
AI itinerary builders might sound impressive as they promise to design a fully customized trip, but most of the time the results aren’t much more than a list of the most famous museums, major landmarks, and tourist-heavy parts of a city. Even when you try to steer it towards ‘authentic’ or ‘off-the-beaten-path’ experiences, the suggestions are still usually cookie-cutter walking tours or restaurants in the main tourist zones.
That being said, trip planning apps such as Wanderlog or Stippl are great for initial trip research, brainstorming activities and excursions, or piecing together a rough starting point, especially if you are planning to visit a big city with lots to do. You’ll still need to do a bit of planning legwork on your own, but these tools can save you time during the early planning stage — just don’t treat them as a full substitute for planning and booking your entire trip.
Translation Tools
This is one area where many AI tools really deliver on their promise. Instant translation is one of the best use cases for AI — for everything from reading a restaurant menu to figuring out train schedules to asking someone on the street for directions. ChatGPT blows away Google Translate as it also provides tons of context for what you are trying to read or say, and the voice chat features makes it simple to have full conversations with someone who doesn’t speak the same language as you by simply speaking directly into your phone.
You’ll still occasionally run into a mistranslation or regional nuances here and there, but compared to wandering around a city with a bulky phrasebook in your backpack or trying to communicate through confusing hand gestures, AI is an obvious upgrade from how travel used to be.
Final Thoughts:
It’s no surprise that AI has taken hold of the travel industry, especially when it comes to trip planning. While some tools can in fact save you time, they’re not always a magic shortcut — many AI travel planning tools are just wrappers for existing sites and don’t add much real value. The best way to plan your next trip is to take a hybrid approach using a mix of different websites and tools. It can take a lot of time to plan a trip, but that extra work put in could make the difference between a stress-free, enjoyable vacation and one that is full of headaches and travel hiccups.
Emily is a freelance writer who has been traveling full-time for over five years She has visited dozens of countries but can often be found in Spain and Mexico. In her Substack, Extracurricular Pursuits, she shares personal essays and travel stories that document the quirks, chaos and realities of living abroad.