Everyone is talking about AI tools like Chat GPT, Gemini, and Copilot these days. And I can understand why! AI tools offer a tremendous amount of curated information in an easy-to-digest format. So it’s obvious that using AI tools to plan travel is definitely worth considering.
I’m old enough to remember planning my trips using paper maps and guidebooks. I would call hotels directly to make reservations. I would show up at attractions and hope they had space to let me in (and that opening info provided in the guidebook I was reading was correct). And I would navigate around new cities via memory, a paper map, and prayers that I would get where I was going!
In recent years, I can figure out where to go and plan every second of my journey on the web. And now with AI tools, I can have a personal travel planner help me every step of the way. Here are all the ways that AI tools can help you plan travel and pitfalls to watch out for when using them.
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Where to Go
If you don’t know where you want to go, AI tools can help. Simply write a detailed prompt that includes information about when you want to travel and your desired weather/temperature, activities, etc. Add as much detail as possible to get the best answer.
Example Prompt
I typed this prompt into ChatGPT, a free tool you can sign up for:
I live in Austin, Texas. Where should I go out of the country during Spring Break (March 16-23) that is warm, dry, affordable, and offers activities such as outdoor activities, historical sites, and terrific restaurants? My budget is $2,000 for two people.
ChatGPT suggested that I consider Mexico City in Mexico, Antigua in Guatemala, Medellin in Colombia, La Fortuna in Costa Rica, Lisbon in Portugal, and Marrakech in Morocco. These are all fantastic ideas!
What to Do
Ok, so let’s say I decide that I’m headed to Mexico City for Spring Break. Now I’ll have AI tools help me figure out what to do when I get there. Again, write a prompt that includes a lot of detail about what you want to experience.
Example Prompt
I typed this prompt into ChatGPT:
Please plan a 6-day itinerary from Austin, Texas, to Mexico City, Mexico. Include a daily itinerary that includes the top sites to see in the city and day trips outside the city with an emphasis on historical and cultural sites. Also recommend a moderately priced hotel and restaurants. Include information about the best way to get around the city and to recommended sites outside the city.
Here’s what ChapGPT spit out:
6-Day Mexico City Itinerary
Flights from Austin to Mexico City (MEX)
- Direct flights (~2.5 hours) available via American Airlines, United, Aeroméxico, and Southwest.
- Round-trip tickets typically range from $250–$400 per person.
Recommended Moderately Priced Hotel: Hotel Catedral (Historic Center) – $80–$120/night
- Why? Centrally located, great service, and includes breakfast.
- Walking distance to the Zócalo, Palacio Nacional, and Templo Mayor.
Best Way to Get Around Mexico City
- Metro – Fast and cheap ($0.30 per ride) but avoid during rush hours.
- Uber/Didi – Safe and affordable (~$3–$10 per ride).
- Turibus – Hop-on-hop-off bus ($10/day) for sightseeing.
- Taxis – Use authorized taxi stands, not street hails.
- Buses – Great for day trips (e.g., Teotihuacán & Puebla).
Day 1: Arrival & Historic Center Walking Tour
Morning:
- Arrive in Mexico City (MEX) and check into your hotel.
- Start at Zócalo (Plaza de la Constitución) – the heart of Mexico City.
- Visit Palacio Nacional – Home to Diego Rivera’s murals depicting Mexico’s history.
Afternoon:
- Explore Templo Mayor – Ancient Aztec ruins right in the city center.
- Visit Metropolitan Cathedral – Largest cathedral in Latin America.
- Lunch at Azul Histórico (Traditional Mexican, ~$15–$25 per person).
Evening:
- Stroll down Madero Street (pedestrian shopping & historic buildings).
- Dinner at Pujol (modern Mexican cuisine, if you want to splurge – reservations required).
- Optional: Visit Torre Latinoamericana’s observation deck for sunset views.
Day 2: Chapultepec Park, Museums & Polanco
Morning:
- Explore Chapultepec Park – The largest urban park in Latin America.
- Visit Chapultepec Castle – Historic castle with stunning views.
Afternoon:
- Walk to National Museum of Anthropology (a must-see for Aztec & Mayan history).
- Lunch at El Bajío (Polanco) – Great for classic Mexican dishes like mole.
Evening:
- Explore Polanco – Upscale district with shopping and cafes.
- Dinner at Quintonil (Michelin-starred restaurant, reservations recommended).
Day 3: Day Trip to Teotihuacán (Pyramids of the Sun & Moon)
Best way to get there:
- Bus: From Autobuses del Norte Station (~$6, 1-hour ride).
- Uber/Private Tour: ~$40 one-way, or book a guided tour.
Morning:
- Arrive early (~8 AM) to explore the Teotihuacán Pyramids.
- Climb the Pyramid of the Sun and Pyramid of the Moon.
Afternoon:
- Lunch at La Gruta (restaurant inside a cave near Teotihuacán).
- Visit Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Mexico’s most important religious site) on your way back.
Evening:
- Return to Mexico City and have dinner at Casa de Toño (affordable, great pozole).
Day 4: Coyoacán, Frida Kahlo Museum & Xochimilco
Best way to get there:
- Uber or Metro + Bus (~30–40 minutes).
Morning:
- Visit Frida Kahlo Museum (Casa Azul) – Her home-turned-museum (book tickets in advance!).
- Explore Coyoacán, a charming colonial neighborhood.
- Coffee at Café Avellaneda and lunch at Los Danzantes.
Afternoon:
- Take a colorful trajinera boat ride in Xochimilco (~$25 per boat for 1 hour).
- Visit UNAM University & Central Library (famous murals).
Evening:
- Dinner at Contramar – One of the best seafood spots in the city.
Day 5: Day Trip to Puebla & Cholula
Best way to get there:
- Bus from TAPO station ($10, 2-hour ride) or a private tour.
Morning:
- Arrive in Puebla and explore the UNESCO-listed historic center.
- Visit Puebla Cathedral & Rosary Chapel.
- Try churros & hot chocolate at La Pasita.
Afternoon:
- Lunch at El Mural de los Poblanos (try mole poblano!).
- Visit Cholula and climb the Great Pyramid of Cholula for views of Popocatépetl volcano.
Evening:
- Return to Mexico City for a relaxed dinner at Lalo!
Day 6: San Ángel & Shopping
Morning:
- Visit San Ángel, a historic neighborhood with beautiful colonial streets.
- El Bazar Sábado (if it’s Saturday) – A vibrant artisan market.
- Coffee & breakfast at Café de Tacuba.
Afternoon:
- Shopping at La Ciudadela Market for authentic crafts & souvenirs.
- Lunch at Maximo Bistrot (farm-to-table, reservations needed).
Evening:
- Final stroll through Roma & Condesa neighborhoods.
- Farewell dinner at Rosetta (Italian-Mexican fusion, highly rated).
- Late-night flight back to Austin or stay one more night!
Estimated Budget for 6 Days
| Expense | Cost (for 2 people) |
|---|---|
| Flights (Austin-MEX RT) | $600 |
| Hotel (5 nights) | $500 |
| Food (~$40/day per person) | $500 |
| Transport (Uber, metro, buses) | $100 |
| Entrance fees & tours | $200 |
| Souvenirs & extras | $100 |
| Total | $2,000 |
Key Tips
- Book Frida Kahlo Museum & Chapultepec Castle tickets in advance.
- Use Uber/Didi over taxis for safety.
- Avoid metro during rush hours (7-9 AM, 6-8 PM).
- Carry pesos for street vendors and small purchases.
My Impression
I’m blown away with the amount of detail provided in this! I would love to do this exact trip. But one of the gotchas you have to watch out for with AI tools is that the information can be wrong. This is for a few reasons. First, the data in some AI tools is not recent. Details above like restaurant and hotel recommendations, how to get around, and especially costs may not be accurate. AI is also known to simply make things up. AI predicts word patterns based on probabilities. This is a phenomenon called hallucination. In addition, the data used to train the AI might be incorrect to start with.
So if I am going to take this terrific trip to Mexico City and want to use all of these suggestions, I now have to do my research. I’ll check hotel, restaurant, and attraction websites. I’ll search Trip Advisor for reviews. I’ll use Google Maps to figure out how to get from place to place. I’ll search for travel bloggers who have covered this location so that I can get a real person’s experience and thoughts on the itinerary. And I’ll research how to stay safe and healthy during my trip. This can be a painstaking process, but it’s so much easier when you have some idea of what might work. That’s the beauty of using AI tools to create your initial itinerary!
How to Pack
Once you know where you are going and what you are doing, AI tools can help you figure out what to pack for your trip!
Example Prompt
I was lazy this time and just typed this prompt into ChatGPT right after it gave me the itinerary above.
What should I pack for this trip?
Here’s what ChatGPT gave me:
Packing for Mexico City and its surrounding areas in March (Spring) means preparing for mild to warm days and cooler evenings, with temperatures ranging from 50°F (10°C) at night to 75°F (24°C) during the day. Since you’ll be exploring historical sites, museums, outdoor attractions, and taking day trips, here’s what you should bring:
Essentials
- Passport & travel documents (plus printed copies)
- Debit/credit cards + some cash (Mexican pesos)
- Phone & charger (consider a SIM card or eSIM for data)
- Travel insurance info
- Notebook or app for key Spanish phrases (though English is spoken in tourist areas)
Clothing (Versatile & Comfortable)
- Light layers (mornings/evenings are cool, days are warm)
- T-shirts & breathable tops (for walking around the city)
- 1-2 nicer outfits (for upscale restaurants like Pujol or Quintonil)
- Jeans or lightweight pants
- Comfortable walking shoes (you’ll walk a lot on cobblestone streets)
- Sneakers or hiking shoes (for Teotihuacán & Cholula pyramid)
- Light jacket or sweater (especially for evenings)
- Hat & sunglasses (for sun protection at Teotihuacán)
- Rain jacket or small umbrella (just in case of unexpected showers)
Day Trip & Exploration Gear
- Small backpack or crossbody bag (for daily outings)
- Reusable water bottle (tap water isn’t safe to drink, so buy bottled or use a filter)
- Sunscreen & lip balm (high elevation means stronger sun exposure)
- Hand sanitizer & tissues (some public restrooms lack soap/toilet paper)
- Portable phone charger (for long sightseeing days)
- Earplugs & eye mask (for the flight or a noisy hotel)
- Spanish phrasebook or translation app
Electronics & Extras
- Camera or smartphone with extra storage
- E-reader or book (for flights & downtime)
- Headphones
Health & Medications
- Any prescription medications
- Basic first aid kit (pain relievers, band-aids, motion sickness pills, anti-diarrheal meds)
- Altitude sickness remedies (Mexico City is 7,350 ft above sea level)
- Bug spray (for Xochimilco and day trips)
What to Wear for Specific Activities
- Teotihuacán & Cholula: Sneakers/hiking shoes, hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, lightweight clothes (lots of sun exposure!).
- Chapultepec Park & Museums: Comfortable walking shoes & layers.
- Fancy restaurants: Smart casual outfit (no need for formalwear, but avoid sneakers/shorts in upscale places).
- Xochimilco boat ride: Casual, fun outfit, plus a light jacket for the evening.
My Impression
Again, I’m definitely impressed with the detail of this information. But again, I would want to double check the accuracy (i.e. the weather prediction) and also use my common sense about what I need and what I don’t.
Tips on Using AI Tools
As you can see, AI is a power tool in helping you create your dream vacation. But it’s only the first step in a long process of designing that perfect trip! In summary, here are my top tips for using AI tools to plan trips:
- Be as specific as possible when writing prompts – in addition to what I included above, you can also include things like age of travelers, what type of things you like to do, what type of traveler you are, what you DON’T like to do, what to avoid, how long activities should last, etc.
- Ask open-ended questions to get the most detailed responses.
- Compare output from two or three different AI sources – ChatGPT, Perplexity. and Gemini all have free versions.
- If you don’t like what the tool provides, ask it to make changes or to provide more detailed information.
- ALWAYS check to see if the information is correct – researchers say that AI results are false about 25% of the time.
- Don’t forget that travel blogs (like this one!) are also great sources of information – real live people are traveling around the world and creating content for you the consumer (and be the source of some of the data training AI), so make sure to support their work!
Have you used AI tools to plan travel?
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