Just as Casinos.com is your go-to place for finding online casinos that can earn you real money, AI is becoming the go-to tool for planning trips. AI tools help cut through all the noise and information online to create a tailor-made itinerary that makes your travel dreams come true.
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AI programs have exploded recently, resulting in many different options to help make planning a trip easy. More and more travel industry businesses (like booking sites) are building off AI tools to create a one-stop-shop experience for travelers, but many of these are works in progress, behind paywalls, or unavailable in some regions.
Because some tools aren’t available everywhere or require paying, we’ll explore using the most widely available and free travel tool, ChatGPT.
How to Use ChatGPT as a Travel Planner
To use ChatGPT, all you have to do is set up an account, start a new chat, and ask questions. And while you could simply ask ChatGPT to plan a trip to a destination of your choice, this isn’t going to create a personalized plan that meets all your wants and needs for travel.
With ChatGPT, the results you get all come down to your prompt (in other words, how you ask questions in the chat). To create an itinerary that suits your interests and budget, you have to get specific.
Following the steps below, you can create a personalized itinerary that will set you up for an amazing trip.
Remember as you go through these steps that you can always ask for more or different options if the AI program’s suggestions aren’t quite what you’re looking for. Using ChatGPT is like having a conversation; you can bounce ideas off the program and ask different things until you’ve created the perfect itinerary for your trip.
Step 1: Determining Trip Length & Budget
The odds are that if you plan on traveling, you have a defined amount of time and money you can use for a trip based on your work schedule and income. While this step isn’t dependent on AI, it provides helpful information to include in ChatGPT prompts as you’re planning.
Step 2: Choosing a Destination
Once you know how long you’ll have to travel and how much money you have to spend, you can use ChatGPT to help you figure out your destination. You can do this by prompting ChatGPT with details about how long you’ll be going and the type of trip you’d like to have. Also, consider including more information, like whether you’ll be traveling solo, as a couple, or with friends or family, what your budget is, and if you have any accessibility, dietary, or other needs to consider.
For example, if you’re planning a winter getaway, you can say, “I want to go on a two-week winter vacation to a sunny, relaxing place with my partner. We have a small budget and need vegetarian options. Where would you suggest going?”
ChatGPT will then offer you a list of places with a brief overview of each one. You can select a place based on this overview or ask for more details on each place to see what best aligns with your interests.
Step 3: Planning Where to Go and What to Do
Once you’ve settled on a destination, you can start planning the activities you’d like to do while on your trip by continuing your chat. Don’t be hesitant about mentioning what you want to get out of a trip. State whether you want to do a lot of sightseeing, walking, or museum visits or if you’d rather spend your time doing relaxing, low-energy activities.
For example, you can follow up on your last question in the chat with a prompt like this, “I’d like to spend my getaway in Costa Rica, combining sightseeing and relaxing activities. Can you give me an itinerary for this?”
You will then receive a daily itinerary with activities that suit your interests and where to stop for food. And if you’re concerned about pricing and budget, you can follow up by asking for a breakdown of the prices for the recommended activities.
Step 4: Finding Accommodations
After this, you can ask for recommendations for hotels, hostels, or other convenient accommodations for the itinerary. Again, be specific here. If you’re not comfortable with staying at a hostel, specify that.
For example, you could say, “What hotels should I stay at to easily follow this itinerary? Please don’t include hostels or room rentals.”
You’ll then be given a list of options to consider booking. You can even ask about the prices and amenities included for each place.
Step 5: Finding Flights & Transportation
This step is a bit tricky, depending on which version of ChatGPT you’re using. The free version, ChatGPT-3.5, doesn’t have real-time information for flights. It can, however, make recommendations for connection points, airlines to consider, booking websites, or even give you tips for finding good deals.
If you have the paid version, ChatGPT-4.0, you can get real-time flight details and use these to help you decide on which flights to book.
A Few Things to Keep in Mind
While ChatGPT recently made significant shifts in its ability to access current events, it can still be inaccurate at times. Because of this, you’ll want to double-check the information it provides before booking anything.
Unfortunately, you can’t use ChatGPT to book anything for your trip. You will have to do that separately — but thankfully, the AI program does most of the leg work for you, making the process a faster and smoother sailing experience.
You can even use ChatGPT to help you plan your packing or learn about your destination before you arrive. For instance, you can ask about what the weather is usually like, what the tipping customs are, emergency information, or general safe travel tips. Having this information on hand means you’ll arrive at your destination properly equipped and ready to tackle the adventures awaiting you.
Your Trip Awaits
ChatGPT allows you to create a tailor-made itinerary focused on everything that makes traveling worthwhile to you without the costs of going to a travel planner or having to dedicate all your time searching through every corner of the website. Start planning your trip with the program and see what adventures it reveals for you to embark on.