Artificial intelligence (AI) is making buyers of travel, and all things, more wary. Trusted travel resources are more important than ever.
AI has its place but is best used by people who understand it. Without being careful, you can follow information gathered by AI tools scraping data indiscriminately from the worldwide web–which, as a whole, is only somewhat reliable.
When researching for a solo trip, how do you know if the information you are getting is from active, current, trusted travel resources or is outdated, incorrect, untrustworthy junk (or worse)?
What Is Artifical Intelligence?
Talk of AI is everywhere. But what is it, exactly? What is it used for?
It's used in medicine and architecture and engineering in very effective and useful ways.
It's also used to create websites cheaply and quickly. Hmm. Used by the wrong people, this could go wrong.
And then, there's ChatGPT, an AI tool that many people use for travel research. This is how it describes itself when asked:
ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence (AI) assistant created by OpenAI. It’s designed to understand and respond to natural language—meaning you can talk to it much like you would to a person.
Then I asked it about the dangers of using ChatGPT for travel planning. Here's what it said:
Using ChatGPT for travel planning carries risks if relied on too heavily. It can provide outdated or incorrect information, confidently invent details, miss local safety nuances, and offer generic itineraries that flatten real experiences. ChatGPT has no lived experience, accountability, or emotional awareness—key factors in solo travel. The biggest danger is over-reliance, which can reduce judgment and adaptability. Used best as a brainstorming aid, not an authority.
Yes, ChatGPT will make things up if it doesn't know an answer. It needs to be used with care.
Google and ChatGPT
Some people are turning to ChatGPT as an alternative to Google when doing travel research. The problem is that you don't know where ChatGPT is scraping the information from.
Google, if you go past their AI answers, sends you to the source of the information. This is an improvement but, with the speed that AI can produce websites, the source may be bogus.
There are even blogs that have been around a long time, that are now using ChatGPT to produce articles rather than their own experience and research.
So, what's a traveler to do? We have recommendations, resources, and tips for you. Read on.
Travel Agents: Online and Local
The first online travel agent (OTA), dates back to 1996. People were nervous then but came to rely on resources like Expedia, Booking.com, and Skyscanner. If you use an OTA, use one that you know and, hopefully, have had a good experience with. I have been contacted by readers who used OTAs that I had not heard of. Their money was gone and their frustration was high.
As for personal service travel agents and advisors, I would go local.
The travel industry is experiencing an unprecedented surge in AI-powered fraud. What started as simple fake booking websites has evolved into something far more sinister: criminals are now using artificial intelligence to clone the voices and identities of trusted travel agents, creating convincing impersonations that can fool even the most cautious travelers. Source
With travel agent identities being stolen, I'm inclined to look for a bricks and mortar agency that I can develop a relationship with.
Online Travel Resources We Can Recommend
- Solo Traveler – our no-AI promise.
- Articles published twice a week specifically for solo travelers.
- Free newsletter subscription which includes 4 emails per month and the occasional Dealsflash from an advertiser. Important news relevant to solo travelers and our full advertiser list of trips specifically for solo travelers. You can sign up for our free service here.
- Tracey's Shortlist of Trips for Solo Travelers is a special service. She reviews over 100 trips every month to come up with what she considers to be the best deals and most exciting travel opportunities for solo travelers. She scrutinizes them carefully. You can sign up for Tracey's list here.
- Traditional media that don't have paywalls
- AFAR Magazine – Tracey frequently shares links to useful articles from US-based AFAR in our newsletter to help you stay up to date on travel news.
- Wanderlust Magazine – One of the UK's leading travel magazines, Wanderlust has been around since the 90s.
- Experts we respect and know to be trusted travel resources
- Inside the Travel Lab I've known Abi King since 2010 and she is incapable of publishing anything but quality. Follow her here.
- Breathedreamgo Mariellen Ward is an expert on India and helped me with my trip there. She's a beautiful writer and very careful with the information she shares.
- Rick Steves Rick is an icon in the travel guidebook industry. Watch, read, and listen to him for reliable information on Europe. He also has a forum with travelers sharing information. I would be more careful when reading the forum.
- Peter Greenberg Peter is known in the travel industry as “The Travel Detective”. He is the Travel Editor for CBS News. Read Peter Greenberg Worldwide here.
Tips to Protect Yourself from Travel Scams
As mentioned above, AI has increased the number of travel scams dramatically. My purpose here is not to give you everything you need to know, as there is a lot. But here are five important bits of advice for you.
- Check the spelling of the address in your browser (URL). You may think that you are on booking.com's website but the URL could be bookking.com. A small typo can put you on a look-alike site to take your money while making you think that you are all booked.
- Be cautious with emails. AI has made creating phishing emails easier. Step 1: Look at the source of the email. Do you know it? Step 2: Are they asking you to click and enter your account or any personal information? This is a red flag. If you think it's legitimate, to be safe, go to your account through your browser, not by clicking in the email.
- Be careful with chatbots. Hackers collect bits of information from multiple sources to get you. Chatbots on legitimate-looking scam sites are collecting information from people on a regular basis. One tiny bit of information could be the last piece of the puzzle for them.
- Verify reviews. In 2024, Tripadvisor deleted 2.7 million fake reviews. That's on top of the 2 million fake reviews deleted In 2023. Be careful. Read many reviews to get a more accurate picture.
- If the deal is really great… Scammers prey on our love of a good deal and by making the deal time-limited so we have to make a decision quickly. Verify the source before buying.
For when you're on the road, you might want to read How to Avoid Pickpockets and Protect Your Valuables.
A More Personal Scam Experience
Simon, my husband, received a call which was apparently from his airline saying that he had not confirmed a flight change. For them to get him back on his travel schedule it would cost $750.
Who knows how they got the details of his flight number, time of departure, etc., but they did. It all married up except the notion that there had been a flight change without his notice. The pressure to take care of this with only a few days to go before his flight was great.
If anything like this happens to you, STOP. Go into your account or call the airline with the number on your flight confirmation email.
You can find more of our trusted travel resources in this article: Trip Planning Tools: What We Recommend & How to Use Them.
