AI-driven travel technology developers claim their tools simplify life, offering everything from planning your dream vacation to maximizing loyalty points and identifying interesting buildings nearby.
But do they deliver on these promises?
Testing the market leaders reveals: somewhat.
Numerous similar AI trip planners assist in creating itineraries and finding hotels and restaurants, though success varies. The top ones emulate the conversational style of chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT or Google’s Gemini.
However, travel planning tools share typical AI limitations: outdated data access, lack of detailed site information like Google Flights, and occasional inaccuracies.
But you can still maximize their utility. I obtained expert advice and tested these tools for planning trips, stretching hotel and airline points, and translating conversations. Here’s what I found.
EXPEDIA TRIP MATCHING
Objective: Transform Instagram Reels into a vacation plan.
This user-friendly planner allows you to send an Instagram Reel about a desired destination to Expedia via direct message. The AI chatbot will ask about your preferences — “Do you prefer history, food, nature, nightlife, or something else?” — and customize its recommendations accordingly.
Jochen Koedijk, Expedia Group’s CMO, explained that Trip Matching targets those exploring ideas without firm plans. “We aim to serve travelers who see something intriguing and want to know more,” he stated.
Trip Matching offers hotel booking links for spontaneous decisions.
Despite its promise, Trip Matching faces challenges. It provides generic activity recommendations and suggests hotels with limited availability. When I inquired about flights for a hypothetical Central Asia trip, it advised a Moscow layover, disregarding travel risks due to the Ukraine conflict.
MINDTRIP
Objective: Deliver personalized trip ideas based on interests.
This ChatGPT-style tool excels with impressive visuals. Its conversational interface includes maps and attraction photos. Start by completing a short quiz to guide the bot’s suggestions. For unclear follow-up questions, Mindtrip’s “You might want to ask” feature offers prompts to uncover more details.
Once you’ve refined your choices, consult human-created guides; Mindtrip offers about 30,000 from content creators and users. Some hotels are bookable directly through Mindtrip, earning commissions for bookings via its site.
Mindtrip’s downside is flight information. It lacked “specific flight pricing or availability” for certain routes, and online searches yielded cheaper airfares, though it was more accurate for domestic flights.
Mindtrip is free, but account creation is needed after a few messages.
LAYLA
Objective: Provide trip advice with emotional consideration.
According to Layla CEO Saad Saeed, this tool is most effective when you express your feelings.
“AI excels early in the journey when you’re unsure and can openly share emotions and travel reasons,” Saeed mentioned.
“Spoiler,” he noted, “Google Flights remains superior for flight searches.”
Layla’s interface, similar to Mindtrip’s, includes a conversational text interface and visuals, yet takes a few prompts to display them. Its $49 annual membership unlocks up to 20% discounts at select hotels worldwide.
The key difference: conversational tone. When I mentioned a Vermont trip, it responded with casual enthusiasm: “Hit me up with the deets, and I’ll cook up some wicked cool things to do!” A bit too casual.
Another limitation: fewer than 10 messages before hitting the paywall. While it provides ample information, like kayak rental spots on Lake Champlain and Vermont’s 100 covered bridges, I wasn’t convinced Layla was worth the cost when others offered similar services for free.
GONDOLA
Objective: Maximize loyalty points and miles.
Gondola assists in finding the best deals within the complex loyalty program landscape.
Users can authorize Gondola to scan their email for travel reservations or enter details manually. For example, if you have points with Marriott, Hilton, and Hyatt, Gondola compares all three, ranking options by value, showing cash and points rates, and potential point earnings. Hotel bookings can be made directly via Gondola.
The platform also monitors airfare and room rates post-booking, enabling rebooking at reduced rates if prices drop. However, flight bookings aren’t available on the site.
Gondola targets travelers with 10+ trips annually, co-founder Skyler Erickson explained.
“Our goal is to guide travelers planning a San Francisco stay on the best approach,” Erickson said.
Gondola includes an open-ended text box but primarily functions as a comparison tool rather than an idea generator.
RAY-BAN META GLASSES
Objective: Access travel info on the go.
Once you’ve flown, checked in, and ventured out, what’s the landmark ahead? Just ask your glasses.
Ray-Ban Meta glasses leverage AI to identify objects like Rome’s historic fountains. Simply say “Hey, Meta,” and inquire. You’ll receive an audio response. They also provide live audio translation for English, Spanish, French, and Italian, though Google Translate offers about 250 languages.
Priced from $299, the glasses come in various frame and lens colors, available as sunglasses, blue light glasses, or with transition lenses, including prescription options. Battery life averages four hours of “moderate usage,” according to Meta, with most AI features requiring a phone’s internet connection.
Additionally, the glasses have a camera. Photos and videos save to the Meta AI app, and a light indicates recording. Some may debate if using glasses for photos is easier than using a phone.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
