These AI planning tools can help you plan a vacation with just a few clicks.
As lovely as vacations sound, they do take a lot of work, from packing to booking to the greatest task of all – planning where to go, what to see and what to eat!
Now with AI you can eliminate a lot of planning woes (unfortunately, packing is still your baby 🙃).
We’ve put together this intriguing list of free AI planners! So, all you do is manage a few clicks, and have your travel itinerary ready!
Iplan
Iplan is a free AI travel planner with a relatively minimalist user interface. You can use it on your smartphone with its native apps available at the Apple App Store or Google Play.
Once you’re set up after linking it with your Google account, you can start with the travel planning.
For this, you need to add the destination or select from the given options.
You’ll then have to add the duration, free hours, start date, who you plan to travel with (single, couple, family, friends), your interests (historical, arts, etc.), and budget (economy, normal, luxury). The AI then starts to build the plan accordingly in under a minute.
However, it is possible that you might not find the destination on the list, in that case you can check out another location or try other listed tools.
Hands-On
I tried this out by setting the destination as Rome, for a 5-day single trip on a normal budget.
As you can see from the screenshot, it broke up the places of interest with the travel time and a restaurant location thrown in handy.
You also have an option to Edit, Share or Delete the plan.
Also, it goes without saying that there is an option provided that takes you directly to Google Map in case you need to navigate.
You can even add people to your plan, so they have the trip itinerary.
It also allows you to add or remove places, and the travel time gets replanned accordingly.
| Pros | Cons |
| Free to use with an easy interface | Some places aren’t available to plan |
| Can be accessed from anywhere | Free slots have to be a continuous chunk |
| You can share or add people to the trip | You need a Google account |
Aside from a subscription option that keeps you updated on the latest to the application, you can also check out their articles on various locations of interest. This not only provides you with interesting destinations to explore, but also informs about travel insurance, things to do, cultural tidbits, cuisine, etc.
Trip Planner AI
Trip Planner AI is a web-based application which helps you AI-plan your trip, including:
- Activities & food advice within your budget range
- Transport suggestions
- 3 daily activities along with transportation & food
- Plan emailed directly to your email address
You can start with if you want to trip solo/couple or as a family. Next, input destination, no. of days (max. 10 days), and budget to get going.
Finally, sign up via a Google account to get the plan.
Hands-on
I completed the process for a trip to Rome and received the plan as below. But somehow the experience was so impersonal it did not feel satisfactory.
| Pros | Cons |
| Free to use and just a few clicks to proceed | Doesn’t allow modifications! |
| A bit general on trip specifics | Web-based interface so interaction ends with the email |
Being more of a mobile application and customization savvy person, I was a bit disappointed with the interface. You aren’t allowed to change things or navigate off the page to see your destination. The iternary merely lists out a timetable-like day-wise plan with food, transport, useful applications and budget advice.
Finally, it quickly provides you with your plan, but the lack of tweaks is what makes it a bit rigid and that is definitely what travel plans shouldn’t be!
BuildAI
BuildAI is a web-based trip planner that has an AI chat box type interface.
- It provides a detailed schedule for your travel destination, with 10 days as the maximum duration.
- All you have to do is prompt in the empty space.
Hands-On
For example, I put in the details “5 days schedule for visiting Rome” and was provided with a day-wise list of the places and restaurants to visit (for lunch & dinner).
There were no preferable time slots or interests or fellow traveler related customization. Besides, the schedule comes out a rigid 08:00 am to 7:00 pm for the trip length.
| Pros | Cons |
| Free to use & simple type in format | Does not ask for any specifications |
| Almost instantaneous result | Does not provide any visual feedback |
| Mentions recommended restaurants | Static schedule which can’t be modified |
This is rather simple to use as you do not have to choose through options. If you want a general gist of where to go and want to work out the commuting time and navigation details yourself, then this is as good an AI trip planner as any.
Trip Builder
Trip Builder has a website, but its travel planner works only through the mobile application.
- Once in the app, you can either plan your trip, select a hotel or search a user (for creator content).
- Also, you can choose a destination or ask to be inspired for the same.
- Though there is a ‘Plan Your Trip’ option, I found it rather taxing as it did not include the city I lived in and many others when I went to set my start point. Then after setting the destination, departure date, duration and number of travelers and rooms required, it had a wait time of over 5 minutes of buffering. I gave up and tried two more times with other alternatives, but it didn’t work, so I left the planning option.
- ‘Select Your Hotel’ was much more responsive.
Hands-On
Since the trip planner did not work out, I checked the hotel part of the trip planning, which worked out fine.
I planned an impromptu trip to Goa for two nights and was guided to some aesthetically pleasing hotels.
There were options to filter the locality and price as well.
But if you are looking for sights to see or where to eat, this won’t fit your bill, as it’ll only give you a guided eyeful of where to stay.
Of course, you can view their creator content for informative videos or where to go.
| Pros | Cons |
| Provides quick results on hotel search | Need to download mobile application |
| You get a hotel video experience, so you can actually get to feel the ambience | Trip planning feature needs fine tuning |
As an AI trip planner, this application doesn’t appear to be as user-friendly as it promises. Though if you want a comfortable stay you’ll have all that taken care of as you can actually have an immersive view of your intended hotel. However, this leans towards being more of a free hotel booking application than an actual AI planner.
Pick your favorite!
AI definitely provides an advantage in making trip planning easier, as it reduces the research. You get a trip prototype and depending on your AI planning tool you can modify and share accordingly.
However, any AI tool is a tool, and you need to do your due diligence before setting off to any adventure.
Bon Voyage!
