Survey: Nearly half of Americans used AI to plan a trip—but most still don’t trust it
From booking flights to finding hidden gems, Americans are turning to AI for travel help.
Artificial intelligence has already crept into nearly every corner of our lives, so it’s no surprise it’s coming for travel planning too. But while plenty of people are happy to let ChatGPT or Google Gemini help find flights or restaurant options, a new survey from Beach.com suggests we’re not quite ready to hand over the keys to our entire vacation.
According to the poll of more than 1,000 U.S. travelers, nearly half of all trips Americans took in the past year involved some kind of AI help. But “help” is the keyword.
Most travelers are letting AI assist with details like finding attractions or restaurants, not calling the shots on where to go or when. Only about one-third of respondents said they’d let AI fully plan a trip from start to finish.
How We’re Already Using AI for Travel
The survey found that 66% of Americans have used AI tools to plan at least part of a trip, mostly for ideas on what to do, where to eat, or where to stay. But when it comes to the big stuff like choosing a destination or setting an itinerary, travelers still prefer to take the wheel.
That said, AI is proving useful in smaller ways. Roughly 30% of people said they’ve saved money using AI to find cheaper deals or avoid surprise fees. And about one in three said AI has helped them uncover a “hidden gem” they might not have found otherwise.
Still, that leaves a majority who aren’t convinced the tech is making travel more affordable (or more interesting) just yet.
The Trust Gap
Here’s where things get interesting. A strong 77% of Americans say they trust AI when it comes to travel planning, but only 32% would actually let it plan an entire trip. Nearly half said they’d be uneasy if someone told them they were taking a fully AI-planned vacation.
The biggest hesitation is fear of outdated or flat-out wrong information. More than half of respondents worry that an AI trip planner might feed them errors, while others fear overly generic itineraries or hidden bias.
When stacked against other sources, AI lands in the middle of the trust scale, which is behind family, friends, and traditional travel agents, but ahead of social media and guidebooks. So while the robots aren’t running travel just yet, they’re not at the bottom of the list either.
Who’s Actually Using AI Trip Planners
Men are slightly more likely to use AI for travel planning than women (71% vs. 61%), but both genders tend to think their group is leading the charge.
Generationally, Millennials and Gen X travelers show the strongest interest in using AI to plan their trips. Gen X, interestingly, was the group most likely to say they’d trust AI as much as a travel agent. Gen Z, often seen as the most tech-comfortable generation, uses AI frequently but still values human insight, especially when it comes to the personal touch of travel recommendations.
For now, it seems the best itineraries still come from real travelers who’ve actually been there (like this Greece itinerary!). You might also like these 10 U.S. cities dominating Americans’ travel plans in 2025 or how to trick your brain into thinking you’re on vacation.
The other week, AI told me I should book a 70 hour flight. I opted for a 29 hour flight from my own research.
AI is great for travel inspiration – I think the trust will come naturally as it becomes more reliable and accurate.
I would fear that AI would be incorrect or give me false information, and I’d end up somewhere I wasn’t supposed to be or in an unsafe area. I much prefer planning through someone I know who has traveled.