Expedia App Uses ChatGPT to Help You Plan Trips in Seconds

Coordinating with a travel agent takes time and considerable back and forth. Expedia, the trip-planning website, has added a feature that makes the hassle disappear. You can put together a week-long trip in seconds, all saved to one place.

It's easy. Navigate to the App Store and download the Expedia app. Open the app, tap the chat button, and ask ChatGPT to plan your vacation or business trip. Here's what the chatbot offers:

• Travel ideas
• Trip schedules
• Estimated expenses

I gave it a spin. The chatbot doesn't have all the frills a seasoned travel agent offers, but it was super easy to use. Best of all, it gave me a workable itinerary in less than 60 seconds. Talk about fast!

Here's how ChatGPT helped me plan my upcoming trip to Japan.

ChatGPT plans my trip to Japan

I'm thinking about traveling to Japan this fall with two other people. I asked Expedia's ChatGPT for help coming up with things to do. It asked me for a bit more context. Here's what I provided:

• Time
• Place
• Budget

ChatGPT then handed me an itinerary for a one-week October trip to Tokyo, on a budget of $500 (not including hotels). It included hotel check in and check out, a day trip to beautiful Mt. Fuji, and a stroll through the famous Tsukiji Fish Market -- an impressive start!

But I wanted more. So I asked ChatGPT to break down how much each activity cost. ChatGPT gave me simple cost estimates (apparently, a round-trip bus ride to Mt. Fuji costs about $25). It even suggested that I plan on saving more than $500.

Naturally, I asked how much I should raise my budget. It suggested I save $1,000 to $1,500 for the week-long Tokyo trip, not including hotel fares. According to a quick Google search, that should comfortably cover a week's worth of travel expenses. Good to know!

My thoughts: The ChatGPT feature is a free and basic travel agent, providing travelers with custom travel plans in seconds. I found the experience helpful; in fact, I'll be using this conversation as a starting point for my three-person trip to Japan.

Travel rewards cards give discounts

Expedia's ChatGPT feature can save you time spent brainstorming ideas. The bot can be your family's exclusive, on-demand travel agent. But there's more you can do to lower costs.

Travel often? Some credit cards give you discounts on everything from flights to hotels. The more you travel, the more perks you get. You've seen them before. Those free upgrades people get on hotel rooms? Those comfy private airport lounges? That's what we're talking about.

The best travel rewards credit cards offer you these perks and more. But you'll need a credit score of 700 or more to access the best deals. To raise your credit score fast, request a higher credit limit on your current card and pay down debt.

Consider your travel habits first. If you're not a big traveler, skip the travel rewards cards for something more useful, like a general cash back card. Regardless, consider taking advantage of Expedia's free trip planner to simplify scheduling your next adventure.