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A few years ago, planning a trip looked something like this:
Twenty browser tabs open. Three YouTube videos. A handful of TikToks. Dozens of saved Instagram posts. A spreadsheet. A Google Map full of pins.
And somewhere in between all of that, you’d realize you’d spent more time planning the trip than you would actually spend on it.
Today? AI travel planning is changing how we travel. Many travelers simply open an AI assistant and ask:
“Plan me four days in Paris.”
Or:
“Where should I stay in Switzerland if I love mountains but don’t want to spend $700 a night?”
Within seconds, they have a personalized itinerary. Oh that makes me so excited!
It’s one of the biggest shifts I’ve seen in travel over the past few years.
And I think we’re only getting started.
AI Is Becoming a Travel Companion
Artificial intelligence is changing the way people dream about, research, and book travel.
Recent research from Accenture where they surveyed 8,000 travelers globally, says that trip planning remains complex and fragmented; a related Accenture reporting found that 68% of travelers use up to 10 websites to plan a trip, while roughly 25% use 11–20 sources. And many say AI helps reduce the time spent researching destinations and comparing options. At the same time, surveys from Booking.com show that 67% have already used AI in some aspect of travel. Among those users, 98% have used it for planning or booking. And 89% want to use AI in future travel planning. This shows that travelers are increasingly open to using AI to receive personalized recommendations that match their interests and travel style.
That makes sense.
AI is incredibly good at organizing information.
It can compare destinations. Suggest itineraries. Recommend hotels.Translate languages. Estimate budgets. Even adjust an itinerary based on your travel style.
That is genuinely exciting.
AI Travel Planning Is Becoming More Personalized
One of the things I appreciate most about AI is that it allows travel planning to become less generic.
Instead of searching:
“Best things to do in Amsterdam.”
You can ask:
“I’m traveling solo, I love boutique hotels, hidden cafés, museums, and photography. Build me a three-day itinerary that avoids tourist traps.”
That level of personalization simply wasn’t available to most travelers a few years ago! That blows my mind.
AI helps remove friction.
And when planning becomes easier, travel becomes more accessible. That’s frankly what’s at the core of Dare to Travel.
But AI Can’t Replace Human Perspective
Now I use AI way more than the average person. I love how it simplifies almost all aspects of my life, career, business and travel. However, as useful as AI is, I don’t think it should become the entire travel experience.
Because AI can tell you where to go.
It can’t tell you how a place made someone feel.
It can recommend Lauterbrunnen.
It can’t explain what it feels like to step off the train and suddenly find yourself surrounded by waterfalls and mountains so beautiful they almost don’t seem real.
It can suggest a canal cruise in Amsterdam. Or a retreat in Bali.
It can’t recreate the quiet feeling of watching the city lights reflect on the water as the boat drifts beneath centuries-old bridges. Or the lived experience of a Black female traveler lost in Egypt for instance.
Those moments come from people. From stories. From experience.
That’s why travel content created by real travelers still and will always matter.
The Future Belongs to Travelers Who Use Both
I don’t think the future is AI or human expertise.
I think it’s AI and human perspective.
Use AI to organize the logistics.
Use creators, local guides, and trusted travel voices to understand the soul of a destination. Especially as a Black female traveller, this is highly needed.
One tells you where to stay. The other tells you why it might become your favorite place.
Those are two very different things.
AI Is Making Better Travel Decisions Possible
Another exciting shift is how AI can help travelers spend more intentionally.
Instead of chasing the most expensive hotel, travelers can ask:
“Where should I stay if I want thoughtful luxury?”
Instead of searching endlessly for activities, they can ask:
“Which experiences are actually worth the money?”
This allows people to prioritize experiences over excess. To spend where it creates memories. To save where it doesn’t.
And I think that’s a healthier way to travel.
Curiosity Is Still the Best Travel Tool
One thing I hope never changes is curiosity.
No algorithm can replace wandering down the wrong street and discovering your favorite café.
No itinerary can predict the conversation you’ll have with a local that completely changes how you see a destination.
No recommendation engine can recreate the feeling of being surprised.
Travel has always been about discovery.
AI should simply make discovery easier—not smaller.
The Future of Travel Is Smarter, Not Less Human
Technology will continue to transform travel.
We’ll see smarter itineraries, more personalized recommendations, better translation tools, and even more seamless booking experiences.
That’s something to celebrate.
But the best trips will never be remembered because an algorithm planned them perfectly. They’ll be remembered because something unexpected happened.
A place changed you.
A story stayed with you.
A conversation lingered long after you got home.
That’s why I believe AI is simply giving us more time to experience it.
And if we use that extra time to slow down, stay curious, and connect more deeply with the places we visit, then technology isn’t taking anything away.
It’s giving us back the one thing modern travelers need most:
Time to truly be there.
