Who wouldn’t love an unforgettable holiday at a fraction of the usual cost? By leveraging AI, you could bypass the Black Friday and Cyber Monday chaos and unlock incredible deals, personalised recommendations, and a seamless travel experience. Here’s how to get started.
How to use AI to hunt for holiday deals
Black Friday. Those two words conjure images of frantic mall shoppers battling over anything from discounted TVs to Barbie dream houses. Are you just as frustrated shopping online? You can avoid endless browser tabs and email alerts by enlisting several AI-powered travel assistants and deal aggregators. These clever tools can scour the web for the best Black Friday travel deals, factoring in preferences (beach vibes, mountain retreats, family-friendly, city shopping), travel dates, and budget. They can even analyse historical price data to ensure you get a genuine bargain.
Some sites to try out include:
Next Vacay: This membership platform analyses millions of flights every day to find the lowest fares, including mistake fares and hidden deals. Customers claim they can save hundreds to thousands of dollars on international flights. You can use the site for free for 30 days, followed by a year subscription rate of $25. Once you do a search you can then be alerted by email every few days of the best deals for those flights. You book directly through the airline and not a middleman.
Hopper: This app predicts future flight and hotel prices, advising on the optimal time to book. It even offers price freeze options for a small fee. Hopper predicts that the price of a hotel in Thailand will drop by 15% in the following week, so that’s one deal to keep an eye on.
Skyscanner: With its broad search range and price comparison tools, Skyscanner can help identify the cheapest flights across various airlines. A flight to Thailand with a layover has already been found to be £150 cheaper than the direct flight.
Personalised recommendations:
Beyond just finding deals, AI can help personalise your trip. AI tools like TripAdvisor can check out your past travels and online activity to recommend destinations and experiences you’d genuinely enjoy. TripAdvisor for example has suggested a hidden beach in Thailand known for its incredible snorkelling.
Personalised travel itinerary:
Once you choose your destination, AI can help plan the ideal itinerary. Tools like Sygic Travel and Roadtrippers can suggest optimal routes, must-see attractions, and hidden gems based on your interests and travel style. They can even factor in real-time information like weather and traffic conditions. For example, Roadtrippers could help you discover charming local markets and off-the-beaten-path adventures.
AI-enhanced travel experiences:
Throughout your trip, you can use AI-powered translation apps for seamless communication, AI-driven photography apps to capture stunning images and even AI-curated local guides for authentic experiences.
Translation:
Google Translate: A classic for a reason. Google Translate uses AI to provide accurate translations in many languages, including text, voice, and even images. It can also translate conversations in real time.
DeepL: Known for its nuanced and natural-sounding translations, DeepL leverages AI to understand the context of your text.
Microsoft Translator: Similar to Google Translate, it offers text, voice, and image translation, and excels at translating conversations with multiple people. Here are some reviews, mostly of which are positive for easy of use.
Photography:
Google Photos: Uses AI to enhance your photos, automatically categorise them, and even create collages and animations. Here is a guide to some of its functions.
Adobe Lightroom: This powerful photo editing app uses AI to help you perfect your shots with features like automatic adjustments and object recognition.
Picsart: A fun and creative app that uses AI to generate unique filters, effects, and even artistic styles for your photos.
Local Guides and Experiences:
TripAdvisor: Uses AI to personalise recommendations for restaurants, attractions, and activities based on your interests and travel style.
Google Maps: Beyond navigation, Google Maps uses AI to suggest places you might like, provide information about popular times, and even offer augmented reality walking directions.
Local Guides on Google Maps: Connect with local experts who contribute reviews, photos, and insights about places in their area.
Bonus – AI Trip Planning:
Mindtrip: This app uses AI to generate personalised itineraries based on your preferences and interests. You simply tell it what kind of trip you’re looking for, and it creates a detailed plan with suggestions for flights, accommodations, and activities.
TripCase and TripIt are both free apps that organize travel itineraries. TripCase requires you to forward confirmation emails, while TripIt automatically scans your inbox (or you can forward emails). Both apps let you manually add details. If you’re disorganised, TripIt might be best.
Culture Trip, once a travel content app, now primarily offers multi-day package tours (e.g., Patagonia treks, Kenya safaris) bookable directly through the app. It still retains travel recommendations and articles.
TripNotes/Dorsia: AI analyses millions of sources to provide curated suggestions on flights, hotels, activities, and restaurants, stitching in real-time data about local weather and availability. Dorsia offers members access to impossible reservations, tables, and invite-only cultural moments around the globe. In an age where spontaneity and access are the ultimate luxuries, Dorsia claims members can touch down in any destination, from global hubs to seasonal islands, and immediately tap in.
These are just a few examples, and new AI-powered travel apps are constantly emerging. By giving these tools a try when planning travel and new experiences, you can unlock a new level of convenience, savings and personalisation whether you book on Black Friday or any other day.
Do you have a favourite travel site or app you would like to recommend? Leave the details in the comments (no promotional comments please! Just genuine recommendations)
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