Google Gemini Promises to Curb Travel Stress With Enhanced Trip-Planning Features

Google's newest features in AI-assisted travel planning could edge out competitors by seamlessly integrating personalized trip recommendations with flight and hotel reservations, the company announced at Google I/O Tuesday.

Itinerary planning is one of the most established, everyday uses of AI tools. Ask Gemini to recommend a family-friendly trip to Columbus, Ohio, for example, and it'll lay out an organized, easy-to-follow plan complete with activities and dining. What sets the Gemini model apart, though, is its ability to consider how plans work (or don't) in space and time, the company said.

Similar to OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google has a subscription model for the more sophisticated version of Gemini. The Advanced tier costs $20 per month and includes these upgraded travel planning capabilities, among other features.

CNET's Imad Khan reviewed Gemini, running it through an array of tests, including travel planning. He asked for an itinerary to visit Columbus, Ohio, the town where I grew up. He rightly pointed out that there's no shortage of travel recommendations for big cities like New York or LA, but planning a vacation in Ohio, which is a bit off the beaten tourism path, requires a little more know-how.

Gemini fared OK overall, but it did recommend a restaurant for lunch that didn't actually exist. Apart from that, its recommendations were on par with what I'd suggest to a visiting friend or family member, from the local science museum to the quaint, cobblestone streets of Columbus' German Village. 

Hallucinations, like the fictitious restaurant recommendation, are pretty serious errors. Tuesday's new Gemini travel enhancements won't matter much in the grand scheme of things if the model doesn't root out these hallucinations.