Artificial intelligence needs no introduction.
It’s become the friendly assistant in many parts of our lives and, for holiday planners, it’s increasingly the well-travelled mate you bounce ideas off before booking a trip.
From suggesting destinations and building itineraries to comparing prices and estimating costs, AI has taken much of the heavy lifting out of planning a holiday. (Adam Ewert, left).
But like any tool, getting the best results depends on how you use it.
Used well, AI can save you time, money and take much of the stress out of planning a trip.
Used poorly, it can confidently point you in the wrong direction, leaving you with anything from an unrealistic itinerary to incorrect visa information or unexpected costs.
As more Australians make AI part of their holiday planning toolkit, it’s worth understanding where it genuinely adds value – and where human judgement still matters most.
Here are the biggest do’s and don’ts every traveller should keep in mind:
DO: Let AI do the research
One of AI’s biggest strengths is saving travellers time.
Nearly two thirds of travellers using AI are asking it to compare prices, almost half are using it to build itineraries and one in four are already using it to uncover hidden fees before they book.
Those hidden costs: checked baggage, airport transfers, resort fees or local transport, are often what push a holiday over budget, making this one of AI’s smartest uses.
Whether it’s understanding baggage allowances before you fly, estimating airport transfer costs or spotting hidden fees that aren’t obvious at first glance, AI can help travellers avoid many of the small surprises that often become the biggest frustrations.
Perhaps the biggest benefit isn’t that AI creates better holidays, it’s that it creates better prepared travellers.
In many ways, people aren’t having better holidays because AI planned them, they’re having less stressful starts to them.
Instead of spending hours jumping between dozens of browser tabs, people are arriving at the booking stage more informed and with a clearer understanding of what their trip is likely to cost.
The less time people spend scrambling to understand baggage rules, compare transport options or work out unexpected costs, the more time they can spend looking forward to their trip.
DO: Ask AI to personalise your trip
AI also works best when you ask it specific questions.
Travelling with young children? Ask it to recommend attractions within walking distance and genuinely family-friendly restaurants.
Travelling solo or on a tighter budget? It can suggest safer neighbourhoods, cheaper accommodation or better public transport options based on the way you like to travel.
It can also help people move beyond the obvious tourist hotspots.
AI has the potential to direct travellers towards smaller towns, lesser-known attractions and local businesses that might otherwise be overlooked, helping spread tourism spending more broadly while creating more authentic experiences.
DON’T: Let AI make the final call
Where travellers need to be more cautious is when accuracy really matters. Travel changes constantly. Visa requirements, airline baggage policies, passport validity rules and health advice can all change with little notice.
AI can only work with the information available to it and sometimes that information is outdated, incomplete or simply wrong.
Interestingly, travellers already seem to recognise this. While around 35% of Australians use AI to research holidays, fewer than 8% actually use it to make a booking. Likewise, only around one in three trust AI for visa or immigration advice.
That’s probably the healthiest way to think about it. Use AI to do the homework, but don’t let it mark its own exam.
Baggage is another great example. Weight limits, cabin allowances and oversized luggage rules can vary between airlines, fare types and even individual routes.
AI can be a useful starting point, but it’s still worth checking your airline’s official policy before you travel to avoid expensive surprises at the airport.
Always verify anything that could affect whether you board the plane or enter another country using official government websites, airline policies or trusted travel providers.
Where travel agents still make all the difference
AI is incredibly good at gathering information. Experience, and context, are something else entirely.
The more complicated the trip, the more valuable human expertise becomes.
Multi-country itineraries, cruises, honeymoons, family holidays or travel plans involving multiple airlines all benefit from someone who understands the bigger picture and can solve problems when things don’t go to plan.
Travel agents know the questions to ask before travellers even realise they should be asking them. They understand airline nuances, changing border requirements and how to recover an itinerary when flights are cancelled or plans suddenly change.
That doesn’t mean AI and travel agents are competing.
In fact, I think the best travel agents will embrace AI. They’ll use it to speed up research, compare options and generate ideas before applying their own judgement, experience, and personal recommendations to create something genuinely tailored.
AI won’t replace great travel agents, but great travel agents who use AI will almost certainly replace those who don’t.
The same applies to travellers. The best holidays won’t be planned by AI, they’ll be planned by travellers who know when to use it, and when to trust their own judgement.
AI can help you arrive better prepared, avoid unnecessary costs and take much of the stress out of planning, but the most memorable trips will always be shaped by human experience, curiosity and the confidence that comes from making the final decision yourself.
