Planning a Trip Itinerary with AI, and Checking It

Fast drafts, possibly stale facts

Give an AI a destination and dates and it will quickly produce a plausible itinerary. It is genuinely useful for grouping sights by area and putting each day in order. The trouble is that much of what goes into an itinerary changes often. Opening hours, regular closing days, admission fees, bus routes and temporary closures for works may have changed since the AI's training data, and places that have shut down can still appear. Let it build the skeleton, and check each fact in it yourself.

Give it your constraints first

Rather than "plan four days in Osaka", say who is travelling, how much walking they can manage, the budget, and what you want to do or avoid. If you have booked accommodation, say where it is. Fixing where each day starts and ends makes the route far more realistic.

• Example: "Three of us, including my parents in their sixties, for four days. Not too much walking: roughly one place in the morning and one in the afternoon. Our hotel is near the station. Draft a day-by-day itinerary as a table."
• Example: "Next to each place, leave blank columns for what I need to check myself: closing days, whether booking is needed, and admission price."

Re-measure routes and times on a map

AI itineraries often look unrealistic once you plot them. Two places that seem close may be two changes apart, or the travel time may be far too optimistic. Put each place into a map app and check the actual route and duration. For public transport, also check the last service and how often it runs. If there is a time difference, plan the first day from your local arrival time.

What to check one by one

Do not take the AI's word for the items below; check them on each place's official website or official account. Also see whether your dates clash with public holidays or major events in that country, when some places close and others are much busier than usual.

• Opening hours and last entry
• Regular closing days and temporary closures
• Whether advance booking is required
• Admission prices and accepted payment
• Transport timetables and last services
• Public holidays and events on your dates

Do not pack every day full

Ask and an AI may put six or seven places into one day. It looks efficient on paper, but queues, meals, finding your way and rest take more time than expected. Pick a few must-sees per day and move the rest to an "if there is time" list. Getting one indoor alternative per day for rain or tired companions saves stress on the ground.

• Example: "Keep only two must-see places per day in this itinerary and move the rest to optional. Add one indoor alternative per day in case of rain."

Places that do not exist, shops that have closed

Be especially careful with restaurant and small shop recommendations. AI can invent convincing names for places that do not exist, or recommend ones that have already closed. Search each name in a map app to confirm it exists and has recent reviews. If the address points somewhere odd or there is no recent information at all, it is safer to drop it.

Safety, entry and health: official sources only

Visas, entry documents, prohibited items, travel advisories and vaccinations are areas where a mistake can stop your trip or put you at risk. Treat the AI's answer as a pointer only, and check your government's travel advice, the destination country's embassy and your airline's official guidance. Rules can change without notice, so look again just before you leave.

Before you go

Before finalising the itinerary, check:

• Every place has been searched on a map and exists
• Closing days and hours checked at official sources
• Travel times re-measured in a map app
• Each day has slack time and an alternative
• Entry and safety rules checked with official guidance
• Booking references and hotel address saved separately