I Asked AI to Create My Travel Itinerary
Dallas, Texas
When I decided to plan a trip to Amsterdam with my 15-year-old granddaughter, I did some old-fashioned Google research. I started with “Top Places to Visit in Amsterdam.” When I sat down to work through details so I could book event tickets, I was prepared to spend a several hours looking at maps, museum hours, and recommendations. It suddenly occurred to me that this might be the type of thing AI could do.
I’d played around a bit with Al when I was brainstorming names for this blog. AI didn’t come up with the name, but the process of asking questions and trying to refine the answers led me to a result I liked. For the Amsterdam project, I used Copilot, Microsoft’s AI partner to Bing, and asked a simple question: “Help me plan for a trip to Amsterdam.”
I already knew all of the things Copilot listed, but then he/she asked me, “Would you like help with a detailed itinerary or recommendations for food and nightlife?”
Yep, I would. Here was my response:
“Build an itinerary for a 64-year-old woman and a 15-year-old girl from May 22-29. Lodging in Haarlem. We have tickets to see Anne Frank Museum on Sunday, May 25 at 5 p.m. We also want to include the following: Van Gogh Museum, Zanse Schanse, Meridien Castle, The Hague, Utrecht, canal cruise in Amsterdam, and places to see in Haarlem. We like good food, animals, museums, classic European architecture. I need some time for resting a tricky knee. I don't want to ride bikes in heavy traffic, either car or bike traffic.”
When Copilot spit out a detailed itinerary within seconds, there wasn’t much I could argue with. I liked the focus for each day. I needed more, however. “Does this itinerary take into consideration crowds, opening hours, and optimal times to visit these places?”
Again, within seconds, Copilot listed info about crowds and opening times for each attraction. I asked to update the itinerary taking into consideration this new information.
Next, I asked to include ticket prices, account for travel efficiency, and provide train and transfer information, and distances from point to point. A final itinerary was accomplished within minutes, saving me a ton of time.
After I printed it, I had one final request: “Where the itinerary shows eating at nearby restaurants, please list restaurant recommendations.”
I’m really happy with the final itinerary and all the information Copilot provided. Now we’ll see how well it all works. Our flight to Amsterdam boards in two hours!
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Tips & Recommendations
I may have more tips later, but for now, these are top of mind.
I like how Copilot provides links from its search to support its recommendations.
I’ve tried Meta AI, Chat GPT, and Microsoft’s Copilot. I find them to be pretty similar, but there are others that have different focuses. Here’s a list.