Last spring, I booked a rather impulsive last-minute trip to Athens. Between packing, finishing work, and making sure everything was settled at home, I simply did not have enough time to plan for activities and although I had some general idea of the places I would like to visit and the things I would like to do, making a detailed planning based on the time I had there (which was only 2 days) was simply not possible before my flight. This led to me asking ChatGPT to fill in the rather large gaps in my planning on short notice. In this blogpost, I will share my experience on the trip and with ChatGPT as my guide.
Convenience
The moment I landed in Athens, ChatGPT became my personal assistant. Instead of wasting my time browsing the internet for recommendations, I simply asked ChatGPT what landmarks to visit first and how to arrange my time accordingly. I was provided with an immediate list of attractions with an approximation of the time needed to fully enjoy them. In asking additional on-the-go questions I was provided with a schedule filled with activities and sights based on my interests. When I needed a place to eat, it recommended the best restaurants based on my specific taste and If I wanted to spend more time than allocated in my generated schedule, I simply let ChatGPT know, and it adapted on the spot. At the end of the first day, I felt like watching the sunset, so I simply asked for a recommendation for where to go. Not only did ChatGPT provide me with an amazing spot to watch the sunset on Mount Lycabettus, but it also provided additional information on how to get there and recommended a café in the area with good reviews.
Limitations
Now let’s talk about the pitfalls I encountered while using ChatGPT on my trip. The most obvious one is the necessity for an internet connection for it to work. There were times where my phone had bad reception, which meant it was not possible to ask questions. Secondly, I found that ChatGPT’s answers, although very informative, lacked detail in some instances and it was not able to account for real-time information changes. It lacked the ability to provide information on changing ticket availability, or unexpected changes in event time-slots. Also, popular sites around Athens sometimes require the visitor to book tickets beforehand during peak seasons, which ChatGPT did not always account for.
My recommendation
My trip was a spontaneous one to begin with, but using GenAI made sure I really embraced the spontaneity of the experience. ChatGPT was truly at it best in providing the flexibility to enhance this. Considering the time constraints, it was able to assist on the spot, which saved me a lot of time. This allowed me to purely enjoy Athens and its sights, without having to stress about logistics. I was positively surprised by the AI’s ability to recommend hidden gems which one might not find in a regular traveling guide. And although it has its limitations, I believe using ChatGPT to enhance your travels provided a significant upgrade for my trip. As far as my recommendation, use GenAI to positively enhance your traveling experience but make sure you are not totally reliant on its use. Bring a physical guidebook as well!
Before starting this master’s, I took a solo trip through South Korea and Japan. My in-laws gave me a Lonely Planet guidebook for the region, which I appreciated, but I usually prefer discovering my own favorites rather than following so-called ‘tourist traps.’
However, the guidebook did offer a great recommendation—I ended up watching horse races in Seoul, which was an unforgettable experience!
In Japan, I decided to use ChatGPT to plan one of my days. I asked it to create an itinerary focused on local hidden gems rather than the major tourist attractions. I was blown away by the level of detail it provided, including public transport recommendations on how to reach different places. Although, real-time route changes weren’t factored in here as well like you mentioned.
I can really relate to your experience and appreciate you sharing your perspective!
It’s incredible how you managed to navigate the city using ChatGPT as your guide, I actually was thinking of leveraging AI as my personal tourguide for my next roadtrip to Portugal.
I love how your experience the potential of AI in enhancing travel spontaneity and efficiency highlights, but I am curious: how did you balance using ChatGPT with your own travel instinct and connecting with locals?
I normally ask locals I meet while traveling for sugestions, so I was wondering did you find yourself relying on it more for major decisions, or did you still trust your gut for certain activities?
Coming from a Greek, I love that ChatGPT has assisted you with your trip planning in my country. It is really incredible how such tehnologies can guide you like that for free. And I say it, because watching the sunset from Lycabetus is hard to consider on your own, because usually people recommend other places for sunset to tourists.
As of my experience I have also used ChatGPT as a personal guide for my trip in Barcelona. I also had no time to “investigate” every little detail about the city (which is what I usually do) and find the local spots for food and drinks. So asking the right questions to ChatGPT helped me see a better version of the city, without only following the 5-star Google recommendations. I even tasted the best paella I’ve ever tried in a very small local restaurant, which I like to call a hidden gem. After providing me with information, I asked it to design me a plan for all the 4 days I would be there, in the best way possible given the location of each spot and the time I had. The result was to see as many things as possible in this timeframe and I have to say it was a success!
However, I will have to agree with you that it does not take into account that tickets sold out pretty fast and I had to book some in advance. This is the reason I did not manage to see Park Güell: once I got to the entrance I was informed that it was fully booked.
I will definitely use ChatGPT again in the future during my journeys, and now I know I don’t have to be afraid of missing out on nice spots and activites!
Very relatable post! I also used ChatGPT during a trip to Barcelona with a friend and found it very helpful for recommending places to visit and eat. What I found impressive was the contextual awareness it had in providing recommendations. Since it was the last day of our stay there, we were pretty tired and didn’t want to do something too exerting. We fed in this information plus our location, and it really helped with suggestions that were nearby and convenient.
But yes, as you mention, having an internet connection is a must, which usually wouldn’t be an issue in cities, but can be one when moving around more remote areas with limited range. You’d also have to be conscious about your data usage if you’re on a foreign data plan with a limited amount, so using it all the time might not be the best idea if you’re trying to save on your internet.
Your blog post is really inspiring and did a great job highlighting the flexibility and convenience of using ChatGPT during travel. I love how you embraced spontaneity with its on-the-spot recommendations while acknowledging the realistic limitations like internet dependency and real-time updates. Your suggestion to balance AI with traditional tools like a guidebook is practical and insightful. It really shows how AI can enhance the travel experience, but with some thoughtful preparation on the side. I used to organize the trip on my own and google map was my only savior. Maybe I would try to use ChatGPT to enhance my Christmas trip this year. I am 100% sure that it would be pretty time-saving.
Thank you sharing this very relatable post. As an exchange student here in Netherlands, I’ve taken multiple solo trips whenever I was able to find time, both in and around Netherlands. ChatGPT has always been my Go to Guide for all the spontaneous travels that I did undertake, just like yourself. It has allowed me to plan my itinerary based on my interests, and it creates the best self guided walking tours. Combined this with Google Maps, where I save up all the places, solo-travel has become extremely easy. I’ve also enjoyed the personal recommendations given by ChatGPT about what to shop, eat and do in the city. But yes, it does have its limitations as it does not provide the latest available information regarding the opening and closing times, entry fees and actual visitor ratings and reviews. For such information, I still have to rely on other tools. Moreover, as a second opinion whenever I find time, I aslo check out travel blogs and youtube videos for hacks which are usually missed by the AI.
However, ChatGPT is still my new favorite tool to generate any personalized itinerary in just a few seconds, given you can write good prompts.