With ChatGPT plugins, planning your next trip has never been easier. From transport to accommodation to tourist points of interest, planning is much faster.
Will ChatGPT kill travel agencies? Organizing a stay can often be complex for a human, but a machine does not have this problem. Finding a tourist circuit with remarkable places, booking hotels at the best prices, choosing the best plane/train tickets while seeking to minimize costs… In the future, these tasks could be fully automated.
The gradual integration of generative artificial intelligence into online search may well transform travel planning. While the experience isn’t quite there right now, new AI-powered features could be a game-changer. This is the case of plugins ” journey in ChatGPT which offers the chatbot the possibility of communicating with online comparators.
Expedia and KAYAK, industry leaders
Announced on March 23, the Expedia plugin was one of the first offered in ChatGPT. With this additional brick, the AI can access all the flights, hotels and rental cars referenced on the comparator. KAYAK, also offered to ChatGPT Plus subscribers, promises a similar but simpler search experience. Their common ambition is as follows: to put an end to the galleys of research, by allowing a natural dialogue with a site.
As part of our test, we chose to enable both plugins in ChatGPT for the best experience and comprehensive responses. As a reminder, the use of plugins is still and unfortunately reserved for premium ChatGPT users only. However, Expedia offers a chatbot based on OpenAI technology within its free iOS application.
Three hotels offered
As part of our test, we choose to plan a trip in February 2024 to the Tromso region in Norway, with a view to observing the northern lights. Although the journey is partially possible by train and bus, the most practical means of transport for a few days is still by plane.
Once the plugins are activated, we detail our journey to ChatGPT. Although KAYAK is also enabled, the AI chooses (99% of the time) to use Expedia to respond to us. ChatGPT starts by making a shortlist of three relatively affordable hotels in Tromso and then asks for the departure location of the trip (which we deliberately omitted).
Three flights displayed by default
For the test, we chose to have the AI choose departure and return dates based on ticket prices. A task that unfortunately does not seem to be supported, either by KAYAK or by Expedia, which suggests a departure on July 22, 2023 (why this specific date, since the price does not seem more advantageous?). By giving specific dates to the AI, then the result is immediately more classic. ChatGPT writes what it finds online.
ChatGPT (with Expedia) offers us 3 different flights with a departure on February 12, 2024. The AI understands that the journey requires a stopover and integrates the two flights perfectly. The results show the airline, the flight number, the departure airport, the arrival airport, the number of stopovers, the duration of the flight, the price of the ticket (displayed then in American dollars), the date and time of departure and arrival.
Three links to the different options are displayed at the end of the answer. These lead to the Expedia site. The interface defaults to English and the country is set to United States. A few clicks are then enough to switch between French and euros.
(Ultra)tourist activities
We then ask ChatGPT for several activities to discover in Tromso, including our initial request, observing the Northern Lights. The AI then uses (again and always) Expedia to answer and gives three interesting points of interest although quite expensive. ChatGPT invites us to discover “ the way of life of the Sami reindeer herders » and go on an expedition for several hours in search of the Northern Lights (two different activities are offered).
The different experiments come exclusively from the Expedia database, which is quite unfortunate when you know that the OpenAI language model is very strong for establishing its own program. Several links at the end of the answers then allow you to book the activity directly from the agency’s website. A very practical function but which nevertheless limits the choice of activities. More typical and less touristy excursions are not offered by the plugin.
Total cost: 2068 euros
Finally, ChatGPT with Expedia offers us to book a rental car (one of the other main activities of Expedia). Same principle as for flights and activities, ChatGPT lists three vehicles available from February 12 to 18, 2024 in Tromso. Only one rental company is offered to us (Hertz). The response includes three different cars and indicates the vehicle class, rental company, rental and drop-off address, return date and time, and price (always in dollars).
We then ask the AI for several return flights, and to budget the total cost of the trip. Three return flight options are available. ChatGPT finally generates a complete trip summary with the estimated total price taking into account the cheapest return flights, hotel and rental car. With 840 dollars for a hotel, 624 dollars for flights, 496 dollars for activities and 314 dollars for car rental, the 7-day trip to Tromso costs 2,275 dollars, or approximately 2,068 euros.
Planning your trip with ChatGPT, really useful?
Although we have activated the Expedia and KAYAK plugins, only the Expedia one seems to have been requested. The raw response provided by Expedia’s API and visible in ChatGPT prompts the AI to exclusively mention responses from Expedia: The helper should NEVER add extra information to the API response. Assistant should NEVER mention companies other than Expedia or its sub-brands when relaying Expedia plugin information. »
Plan a trip with ChatGPT and its plugins journey greatly simplifies online research. Searching, comparing and booking a hotel, activities or flight has never been so fast. However, the exclusivity of the services offered by Expedia (or any other similar platform) limits the choice to establishments or activities validated by the comparator. It’s a shame, since you have to move forward in total confidence, without the possibility of comparing as other sites allow you to do.
Using ChatGPT with a travel plugin seems useful for planning your expedition without the fuss. For a more complete and original circuit, it is probably better to organize your expedition in the old fashioned way, by your own research. The future may allow ChatGPT to take off and search multiple sites on its own, but plugins limit it to very closed platforms for now.
Do you have any questions about artificial intelligence? You will be delighted to learn that we have developed a brand new newsletter: Artificial. It stands out with its unique approach: an AI writes the articles and Numerama corrects them. Do not miss any publication of our editorial staff on topics related to AI by subscribing for free to Artificial.
Do you want to know everything about the mobility of tomorrow, from electric cars to pedelecs? Subscribe now to our Watt Else newsletter!