What were we aiming to achieve?
With the increasing use of AI for Itinerary planning, we wanted to explore this further. According to ABTA’s Holiday Habits 2025-26, the number of people using AI for holiday inspiration has doubled in the past year, from 4% to 8%, with young people leading the way. Right, I thought, time to check this out!
So could an AI itinerary really plan a meaningful trip for two sixty-something nomads who’ve lived in Thailand for years and know their way around a good hotel? We decided to put it to the test. Here’s how ChatGPT planned our Phuket to Koh Lanta adventure — the wins, the misses, and what I’d do differently next time.
Why Let AI Plan a Trip?
Well, apart from saving time, AI clearly saves hours of scrolling and research. We were short on time and curious to see if technology could match our travel style — boutique hotels, great coffee, wellness, and an off-the-beaten-track dash of adventure.
Our prompt:
“Plan an itinerary for Little Wandering Wren leaving Phuket to Koh Lanta on Tuesday 30 September. We have a car. Choose the easiest way to get there and special hotels she’ll like.”
The response? Absolutely! We certainly recieved a relaxed, logical route with boutique stay suggestions that matched our “slightly-luxury” vibe (though AI clearly didn’t know I’m firmly in the affordable-luxury camp when it comes to Thailand travel!).
The Pros of AI Planning
✅ Time-saver — it organised routes, stops, and hotels in minutes.
✅ Great structure — it built a framework we could easily tweak.
✅ Personalisation — it understood my niche (over-50s travel, boutique luxury).
Wren’s Tip:
Your AI results depend entirely on your prompt. Be specific about budget, travel pace, and interests — or risk ending up somewhere that doesn’t fit your travel style.
Where AI Nailed It
- Recommended logical stops: Phang Nga coffee, Krabi brunch.
- Knew the fastest route (drive + ferry).
- Suggested realistic hotel styles: The Houben, Layana Resort & Spa, and Pimalai.
Where AI Fell Short
- Missed seasonal realities (like waterfalls nearly dry in late September).
- Over-optimistic timing (beach strolls at midday? Too hot!)
- Couldn’t sense that “tired hotel” vibe — The Houben looked perfect on paper, but in person, needed a refresh.
Would I Use AI Again?
Absolutely — but I’d treat it as a savvy, slightly overexcited travel buddy I’d want to fact-check myself! It gave me structure, freed up time, and still left room for serendipity. It was perfect for our weekend wanders in a country that we visit often. However, we do have the luxury here: if we missed something we later felt might be important, we could always return at a later date.
The secret? Pair AI’s efficiency with your own travel instincts. That’s where the magic happens.
Next up: How our four-day Koh Lanta itinerary unfolded — from waterfalls to sunset cocktails.
Follow us on Social Media: Find more photos of my travels and stories on Instagram @littlewanderingwren.
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14 comments
What a great post, and wow, AI as a purrsonal travel conciege, that’s a really interesting concept, one well worth exploring! Thank you for stopping by BionicBasil at BBHQ and commenting, we really appreciate it! Happy Wednesday! #MosaicMonday 🐾🐾😻🐾🐾
Thank you for stopping by to exploring the interesting concept of using AI for travel planning, I’m glad you liked the post!
Wishing you a puurfect weekend!
Wren x
Yes, the genie is out of the lamp … so to speak!
AI is here to stay we just need to use it wisely!
All the best Jan
Hello Jan, yes AI is here to stay for us, and is intriguing to know its successes and limitations. You are absolutely right using it wisely is the key!
Have a lovely weekend!
Wren x
I always enjoy your travel post, the photos are wonderful. Such beautiful places to visit. I have not used AI, will try my best not to use it.
Take care, have a great day!
Hello Eileen – Thank you, Koh Lanta is such a lovely island it is always easy to find wonderful places to photograph. Yes the whole AI thing is coming at us thick and fast, this was a really interesting experiment for us to see how it would work out.
Take care and happy wanders to you!
Wren x
Thanks for this post. I’m sure AI would be helpful for planning any trip. I used it last year to visit some places within 2 hours of Madrid. I found it very helpful
Oh that’s good to know – I think as we all get more confident using it (and better and giving it very specific prompts) we will find it is a real time saver… although this week I’m using it for home renovations and suddenly hours have disappeared in the joys of new paint colours! I’m glad AI was helpful with your travel planning around Madrid!
Thanks for stopping by and have a lovely weekend.
Wren x
Such an interesting and honest take on using AI for travel planning! I love the idea of treating it as a “savvy but slightly overexcited travel buddy” 🙂 I did try using AI for an itinerary for Athens, but ultimately made my own plan as it didn’t quite work for me. I know that AI is all about the prompts. Maybe I needed to work on that.
Thank you Lisa for your considered comment and interesting to know you have already dabbled in an AI itinerary but it didn’t quite work. I have never paid for Ai but I am hearing also there is a big difference between the free and newer paid versions – another point I should have made is I was testing my AI on a Thailand itinerary, Thailand being a very popular destination (along with Athens !!) but that would make a difference of you were searching for lesser known places.
Happy wanders
Wren x
My next stop is Peru. Whoo hoo!
Woo hoo indeed, I can wait to see what you find to see, do and love in Peru – how exciting!
Happy wanders!
Wren x
Must try to can read about. But I was very good to organize by myself in the last years to travel. Why? To organize was part of my Business too.
Happy Easter 🌷 🌷 🌷
Yes I do believe that lots of us who love travel also love and are good at travel planning so why bother is a great question. I guess the answer is, that of you can save time then it is is a useful tool, along with a Google search or reading blog posts, or however you love to travel plan. For me, I also have found that perhaps AI can offer some suggestions that may be wider than my usual travel styles and that could be interesting. But as we found you do need to fact check and verify the suggestions.
Wishing you a Happy Easter Heidi too!
Wren x