Traveling to foreign destinations or planning a long trip can be difficult for most. And while travel agents are known for making the process easier, they can be costly. To fix this, people are using the help of artificial intelligence.
A recent TikTok video by @traveltipswithjay shows how AI can do the planning of a travel agent. The viral clip was viewed over 524,000 times. In the video, @traveltipswithjay demonstrates how the website forgemytrip.com can plan an entire trip to Paris.
The video begins with a close-up shot of the webpage with white writing highlighted in red: “I accidentally wiped out the entire travel agent industry,” the caption reads.
Traveltipswithjay starts by selecting the dates he wishes to visit Paris. Then he adds additional information: “Keep my total trip under $1,500 and find me a private tour of The Louvre.”
After entering the information, the site creates an incredibly detailed itinerary laying out sites and tours for the Paris trip. The Daily Dot reached out to @traveltipswithjay via email for further comment.
In a response via email, the ForgeMyTrip team said on the first day of its launch, 27,000 itineraries were created. According to the company, the website was found by a student at the University of Texas at Austin.
Many users praised @traveltipswithjay for introducing them to the website.
“This is awesome!” one user comments.
“Ok I just used this and it genuinely told me what an ex-travel agent parent told me,” another person exclaims. I said “must visit [high-rise] restaurants” and IT FOUND THE ONLY 2.”
“You better set up your trust fund,” a commenter says.
“Out of all the random AI things I see on TikTok, this one is actually legit,” a person claims.
Other users were unimpressed. They argued that travel agents provide more services than just booking or planning. These services can include savings on hotels, customization, and special relationships with vendors.
“As someone who works for a resort chain..TAs are important…however, it is dependent on what you’re doing/how you’re traveling,” someone comments.
“Yeah I tried the AI, it’s not good yet, ain’t replacing agents. Sorry,” another person argues.
“It’s like telling AI to plan a wedding. It can probably tell you how, but you’ll still want a wedding planner. Why not a travel planner as well?” one commenter says.
@traveltipswithjay disagrees: “THIS is not a good analogy. Weddings have far more at stake and much more complex logistics. [In my opinion], travel agents aren’t well versed in destination.”
“I’m sure AI will be there to fix your trip when something goes wrong,” another TikToker replies.
