Everyday Explorer

At the risk of making my blog obsolete before I have even really gotten started, I am going to write about using artificial intelligence (AI) to plan and book a trip. In my other life I am a training consultant, which is another area that is going to be disrupted by AI, so I have been researching and trying out how we can use these new tools to make our lives easier. I don’t want to spoil the ending but AI is very useful for planning not booking and finalizing. Think of it as a travel advisor instead of a travel agent. The Quest Begins with AI Travel Assistants My first step into this brave new world of travel planning was to dive into the realm of AI travel assistants. You’ve probably heard of them—think of Siri or Alexa, but with a knack for sniffing out the most exciting travel deals and experiences. I started by simply asking, “Where should I go on vacation?” The response was a digital smorgasbord of destinations tailored to my interests and budget. I felt like Ali...

Our first road trip, in the early 2000’s, happened almost by accident. We had taken some time off work to enjoy the summer with our young son but decided not to book anything. After the first day, I was bored and felt like we were wasting time. A friend from my running group had mentioned buying a place in a town where the mine had closed down, on Vancouver Island. I called her and asked if we could stay there. She said, “Sure, just leave $50 to pay the cleaner when you leave.” I looked up the ferry schedule, we packed up our camping equipment, because the drive was too far to make it in one day, and the next morning we hit the road. When to Embrace Spontaneity and When to Plan On that trip we found out we enjoyed and can endure long drives and there was no need to plan everything in advance. On the first day we made the 12 hour drive to the coast and happened to catch the last ferry to the island. Once we got to the island, we found a campground, which we later realized was right besi...