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If you’re thinking about using a free AI trip planner like ChatGPT, it’s probably because you’re busy. Your to-do list is long, and wouldn’t it be nice to get a vacation on the calendar without dozens of hours of research?
We understand the instinct. But once you try using ChatGPT for travel planning, you’ll notice the gaps.
The results are often vague, generic, or completely off the mark. AI pulls from massive amounts of internet data, but that doesn’t mean it knows what’s actually good – or what’s best for you. It’s really hard to get it right.
AI is a powerful tool changing the world in so many ways. Reports show that 33% of U.S. adults are already using AI tools for travel. We’ve even dabbled it in ourselves at Mango Tree Travel to automate tasks or for a bit of a brainstorm.
There are quite a few reasons to think twice about using an AI trip planner for your next vacation. These tools won’t save you as much time as you think, and may steer you wrong.
1. AI Requires Specific Prompting—Learning How to Ask The Right Questions Takes Time.
If you’ve ever tried using ChatGPT for planning a trip, you know that the quality of the answer depends entirely on how well you phrase your question. The problem? Most travelers don’t know exactly what to ask.
AI can spit out an itinerary, but it’s only as good as the information you feed it. The more specific ChatGPT travel itinerary prompts you use, the better the result – but if you already know every detail you want, wouldn’t it be easier to just tell a travel planner who can build the trip for you?
One of the biggest myths about AI travel agents is that they just know what you want. In reality, getting useful travel recommendations out of AI requires work. You need to know exactly how to phrase your request to get relevant results.
If you’ve ever tested a free AI travel planner or a ChatGPT trip planner, you’ve probably experienced this firsthand – vague, generic recommendations that don’t quite hit the mark.
A real, valuable travel agent asks the right questions up front, without you needing to spell out every last detail. At Mango Tree, for example, we specialize in parent-friendly family travel. We research family hotels for hundreds of hours a year, and already know which destinations are great for families, which resorts have the best kids’ clubs, and what local experiences are truly worth your time. With AI? You’re stuck guessing.
Design the perfect vacation with kids – no AI prompting required
2. AI Gets The Details Wrong. A Lot.
We’ve tested AI trip planners just for fun, and let’s just say … we wouldn’t trust them to plan our vacations.
AI-generated travel itineraries are full of errors: restaurants that have closed, hotels with outdated information, activities that no longer exist.
We had a client recently come to us having spent hours designing their Greece itinerary using an AI tool – they simply wanted help “executing” the itinerary they’d already designed. But none of the ferry times were accurate, and the combination of islands proposed by the AI trip planner simply didn’t work in the travel window desired. We started from scratch to design an amazing trip — but it would have been far faster and simpler if that client had simply started by coming to us with their wish list, not ChatGPT.
There could be a ton of misinformation about your trip AI just won’t catch. And if you don’t notice the mistakes before you go? You could show up at a restaurant that shut down last year or expect to use the kids’ club at your hotel that no longer operates.
We do those double checks before we even recommend your itinerary, ensuring the hotels and tour providers we love are available, and making sure the logistics make sense. We won’t waste your time with outdated info.
AI might be able to “plan a trip,” but it can’t guarantee accuracy. And when you’re investing your hard earned money, accuracy matters.
RELATED POST: 5 Types of Travel Advisors: Find Your Match
3. AI Doesn’t Know the Best Tour Providers—But Travel Advisors Do
You want a trip planner that understands what makes vacations truly special – not just an AI one that spits out a list of generic recommendations.
Even if you find the best AI for travel planning, it still won’t find your specific tour guides for you, or tell you how to book them. The best tour providers can make or break your trip! On a recent ski trip to Switzerland, for example, we had an incredible guide show us around the Alpine resort. Without him, we would have wasted hours trying to learn how to get around the mountain — he made our ski day one for the memory books. No AI tool could have found him for us, only our in-country destination partners.
To be sure, AI can suggest a list of popular things to do, but that doesn’t mean they are the best options. Travel planning AI tools don’t actually evaluate tour providers – at best, they simply scrape the internet and spit out recommendations based on general popularity.
AI won’t know if a boat tour is great for families or more of a booze cruise or if the “best” hiking excursion is actually way too intense for kids. It won’t know which snorkel operators prioritize safety, which cooking classes are the most interactive, or which cultural tours go beyond the tourist traps.
One of our most important jobs as travel advisors is to vet local partners and tour operators so that we know who to trust – who truly offers an unforgettable experience and not just something that is run of the mill.
When you book through an expert, you’re not just getting an activity – you’re getting peace of mind that it’ll be exactly what you hoped for.
4. AI Can’t Customize to Your Family’s Needs
The biggest flaw in AI travel planning? It doesn’t know you. AI can process data, but it won’t understand your child’s aversion to zoos, your need for a gluten-free menu, or your preference for hotels with an amazing kids’ club.
An AI tool won’t think to ask whether you’re looking for a vacation that’s action-packed or one that’s all about downtime by the beach or one that’s the perfect mix of adventure and relaxation. You can prompt it to get you closer to the trip you’re looking for – but again, that takes time, and it’s not failsafe.
AI doesn’t do that. When you plan a trip with AI, it can’t anticipate your needs, think outside the box, or provide those extra touches that make a vacation with kids really feel like a vacation.
If you’re looking for custom travel planning, you need a human – not a bot. AI is great for some things, but for something as personal as your family vacation? Stick to the experts.
5. Your AI Travel Agent Won’t Get You Perks
One of the best kept secrets about travel advisors is that we can often get you perks through our industry partnerships. Little things like room upgrades, complimentary breakfasts, resort credits, and overall VIP treatment at the top hotels around the globe can elevate your trip to the next level.
Our point is not that you should book through a travel company like us just for perks – our value add is really to help you create the right itinerary for your family. But if you’re thinking about using AI help to do that for you, why not go for a real industry contact instead who can elevate your trips in other ways too?
These are things you can’t get planning a trip on your own – and an AI travel planner can’t get them for you.
Bottom Line: AI Is a Tool, Not a Travel Expert
AI is a great tool for generating ideas. It can help with initial research and spark inspiration. But when it comes to actually booking and executing a flawless trip? AI falls short.
If you’re considering an AI-powered travel agent, ask yourself: Do you want a generic, algorithm-driven itinerary, packed with all of the same tourist hotspots it’s feeding to everyone else? Or do you want a trip designed by a team who truly understands what makes a great vacation and can guide you away from the crowds and to places and activities perfect for you and your family?
If you’re interested in help to plan your next trip, we urge you to level up and take advantage of the personalized service and industry insights that a real travel advisor can bring to the table.
At Mango Tree Travel, we’ll take the human touch every time.
