USF expert says more people are using AI to plan vacations
USF expert says more people are using AI to plan vacations
Publish Date: 2026-06-13 16:00:00
Source Domain: baynews9.com
TAMPA, Fla. — Artificial intelligence has found its way into many aspects of our lives, but would you trust it to plan a vacation?
An expert from the University of South Florida said travelers are increasingly using AI for trip recommendations, such as Amy and Mark Adams, who used it to help with a trip to Italy.
“It’s always been in my head since I was like 15, 16 years old,” Amy Adams said.
The Adams considered taking a cruise, but they wanted to make their own schedule and see the things they wanted to see. After hearing about a friend using artificial intelligence for trip recommendations, Amy took to ChatGPT.
“This is just kind of where we started with me saying, ‘I want to go to Italy for nine full days. I want to go from Venice to Florence to Rome, the Amalfi Coast and back to Rome using the rails if possible,’” Amy said, showing her ChatGPT discussion.
ChatGPT gave her a generic breakdown of the trip. From there, Amy asked more personalized questions to find the best local spots that were off the beaten path.
“It literally spit out hotels and restaurants. It went from the most expensive to the least expensive to the little, small family-owned places,” said Mark Adams.
Thanks to AI, they even came across a private farm tour and cooking class that Amy said she probably wouldn’t have found without it.
“They had their outdoor table, and it overlooked the Gulf of Naples, and you just sat out there and sun was setting. I cried because I was like, this is the most amazing experience,” Amy said.
The use of AI for travel is quickly growing. The University of South Florida cited data from Skift’s U.S. Travel Tracker Survey that shows the percentage of travelers using AI tools to plan trips grew from 38% in 2024 to 55% in 2025. Assistant Professor of Instruction at USF Seden Doğan said AI can make life easier for vacationers.
“If you want to do it by yourself, you have to spend a lot of hours searching on Google or reading all the…
