A new study has been published that explores the use of AI tools like ChatGPT in helping to plan trips, whether that’s in the form of creating a school field trip itinerary or helping you to get the most from your dream vacation.
As artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT are still in their formative years, we are still testing the limits of their capabilities and how they can be best used in everyday life. While many have identified ways they can be used to help with work, others are starting to realize that AI can be used in helping to streamline our leisure activities as well.
Study explores the benefits of using AI tools to help plan trips
Conducted by researchers at the University of Plymouth in the UK, the study published in March 2024 involved using ChatGPT to help develop two field courses for students, one where the AI tool created a new field trip from scratch and a second trip that was tailored to fit the curriculum of an existing university course module.
The researchers used the AI model to plan a day trip to a nearby beach for a clean-up activity to raise awareness about marine pollution.
While the study itself focused on the uses of ChatGPT in an academic setting, an accompanying news release for the research also discussed the potential benefits of using such AI tools in helping to plan other excursions, whether in the form of business trips or personal vacations.
“If you’re a school teacher and want to plan a class with 40 kids, our ChatGPT roadmap will be a game changer,” said co-author Reuben Shipway, a lecturer in Marine Biology at the University of Plymouth. “All a person needs to do is input some basic data, and the AI model will be able to design a course or trip based on their needs and requirements.”
“ChatGPT is like having a personal planning assistant at your fingertips,” Shipway added. “Imagine trips with itineraries that unfold effortlessly, or fieldwork logistics handled with the ease of conversation.”
But while there are benefits to using AI models like ChatGPT in helping to plan an upcoming trip, human input may still be required as co-author Dr Ian Hendy explained: “We asked ChatGPT to identify the potential hazards of this course and assess the overall risk of this activity from low to high, and the results were mixed. In some instances, ChatGPT was able to identify hazards specific to the activity but in other instances, ChatGPT exaggerated threats.”
“That’s why there still needs to be a human element in the planning stages, to iron out any issues. It’s also important that the individual sifting through the results understands the nuances of successful field courses so they can recognize these discrepancies,” he added.
AI expert offers real-world guidance
Following the study’s publication, The Focus spoke with Amanda Johnstone, CEO of technology research and development lab Transhuman, about the real-world applications of using AI in helping to plan trips.
“I recommend that teachers who are organizing a field trip consider making their own version of a specialized guide using a tool called GPT+,” she told The Focus. “You can set it up to suit your specific needs and preferences, similar to how Keith Crowe created a guide for field trips.”
“For my personal travel, I prefer luxurious trips. So, I set up my custom travel planner to pull information from all my favorite sources like luxury travel bloggers I resonate with, travel blogs, Instagram and TikTok accounts, and high-end travel magazines,” she added. “This helps ensure that whenever I ask it to plan a trip to a certain country within my budget, it gives me options that match my taste.”
“Also, my digital assistant is programmed with my personal preferences and needs,” she continued. “It knows I need rooms that are easy to access because I have hip dysplasia and can’t use stairs. It’s also aware that I’ll be traveling alone and that I prefer not to have hotel breakfast options included, as I don’t eat breakfast.”
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We tried planning a trip with AI ourselves
As part of our research into this article, we tried this out ourselves and used ChatGPT to help plan a hypothetical vacation to Japan – for context, this writer has been watching FX & Hulu’s Shogun series – with our basic prompt being: “Plan a seven-day trip to Japan that takes into account an interest in history, particularly samurai history.”
In a matter of moments, ChatGPT then created an incredibly detailed itinerary that offered numerous recommendations for day trips and excursions to museums, castles as well as various cities throughout Japan. It even took into account the need to rest up after a long flight to help acclimatize to the new time zone.
The first two days of the trip were based in Tokyo and involved visits to the Edo-Tokyo Museum and the Samurai Museum in Shinjuku. The AI-generated plan even offered food recommendations and also made time for some general sightseeing.
Day three involved a day trip to the nearby city of Kamakura, which is rich in history and boasts many shrines and temples along its picturesque streets.
Days four and five saw the vacation move to Kyoto, again highlighting numerous locations to visit including the historic Nijo Castle as well as more food recommendations. It even suggested participating in a samurai swordsmanship class – yes, please.
Day six included a day trip to the nearby city of Nara, which is home to Todai-ji Temple as well as the serene Nara Park where visitors can find over 1,000 deer roaming freely.
And finally on day seven, depending on flight time, ChatGPT recommended spending a final morning sightseeing and souvenir shopping in Kyoto before heading to the airport.
While we may tweak a few elements of ChatGPT’s itinerary, it undoubtedly offers a great starting point, particularly if you’re planning on visiting somewhere you’ve never been before.
