What Happens When AI Plans Your Next Vacation?
By Dorothy Name
It may be a coincidence, but there seems to be a connection between researchers and travelers, at least here at W5. Throughout the years, W5ers have traveled far and side, whether work-related or for other adventures. When I plan my own trips, I put my W5 hat on and work through the five Ws:
Who am I flying with?
What am I going to do/see?
Where am I going to visit?
When is the best time to travel?
Why do I want to go there?
With so much information available at my fingertips, the three tabs I started with suddenly quadruple, and it’s easy to quickly lose track of flights, accommodations, and itineraries.
I’ve sometimes wondered: Why not leave it to the experts?
Expertise often meant a trusted travel agent who handled every aspect of a trip, from planning to booking, based on a traveler’s interests and goals. But as generative AI becomes more advanced and personalization takes on a new meaning, we’ve already seen its impact in travel―offering tailored recommendations and generating itineraries with just a few keystrokes.
While generative AI can suggest destinations and craft multiple versions of your itinerary, it stops short at making reservations. Now, with new AI capabilities, agentic AI takes it a step further by not just planning your trip but booking every part of it.
As AI helps travelers make more decisions, how does this change the consumer journey?
I wonder if AI would have told me I packed way too much for my Peace Corps service - 22-year-old me wouldn’t have listened.
Traditionally, the consumer journey has focused on human decision making―mapping how travelers research, compare, and weigh factors like price, convenience, and reviews before making a choice. With AI, the process begins to look different.
While agentic AI isn’t making decisions in a vacuum―functioning based on the traveler’s preferences, inputs, and behaviors―it may still prioritize factors differently than a human would.
So, who should marketers try to capture the attention of? The traveler or the AI making selections on their behalf?
Piper Dolan suggests the rise of agentic AI isn’t solely about new decision-making tools—it signals a fundamental transformation in how we think about consumer engagement. As travelers’ decision-making processes evolve, so will the way brands, marketers, and researchers connect with them.
For me, the question isn’t just what agentic AI can do, but how it makes people feel.
Who is most likely to embrace this technology? In what context does it feel seamless and where does it create discomfort?
If AI is booking trips, managing itineraries, and finalizing purchases, do travelers feel more efficient and empowered, or removed from the experience?
In contrast, releasing control over certain decisions may be a relief rather than a loss. Planning a trip can be overwhelming, and having AI handle the logistics could allow travelers the opportunity to focus on what matters most to them, especially if it ensures a great outcome.
Dolan is right—agentic AI represents more than just a technological advancement; it marks a paradigm shift with how we interact with decision making itself. With AI becoming more embedded in the consumer journey, the relationship between trust, convenience, and control will continue to evolve.
What about you? Would you embrace AI in your travel planning, or do you prefer to take the driver’s seat?