tales of travel

Let’s face it: AI is quickly reshaping our world. Whether you view that as a blessing or a curse, it’s opening access to a wealth of knowledge in ways that were not previously possible. It’s a personal assistant at your fingertips that can instantly provide ideas, business plans, and even serve as your personal travel agent. It’s an invaluable resource, but it generates some common errors you shouldn’t always take at face value.

More and more frequently, I receive requests from clients asking us to put together a trip based on a detailed itinerary they’ve already created using AI. These itineraries often include suggested daily schedules, hotels, and estimated costs, and I can usually tell immediately that AI generated them. There are several telltale signs, and they typically align with unrealistic expectations.

The first is an overly packed day that simply isn’t feasible to accomplish in reality. AI may recommend visiting sites on one side of a city and then immediately suggest another stop that is actually an hour away. Time and time again, it produces what appears to be an incredible day of touring, but in practice, it just doesn’t work. This is where having someone who truly knows the ins and outs of a destination becomes invaluable.

The second — and most important — issue I see with AI-generated itineraries is unrealistic pricing. This is by far the most common mistake, as AI consistently provides cost estimates that are nowhere close to what travelers will actually pay. The reason is that AI pulls information from a wide variety of sources, many of which are discount travel sites and aggregators that do not reflect the rates available through a reputable tour operator. In many cases, the pricing isn’t even based on your exact travel dates, which can vary dramatically depending on the season. Instead, AI often surfaces the lowest price it can find online, sometimes from untrustworthy websites that most travelers would never actually book through.

That said, AI is still an incredibly useful and valuable tool. I use it daily for both personal and professional purposes, and it can provide information that might otherwise take hours — or even weeks — to uncover through traditional research. It’s an excellent resource for trip inspiration, learning about destinations, and discovering activities in another country that align with your interests. Just be cautious about treating AI travel advice as an absolute fact. Use it as a starting point, not the final word, and always take it with a grain of salt.

Bradley Latham
Travel Specialist – ATJ