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Best AI for travel planning: use the assistant you already have

Use the assistant you already have: ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini can all search real flights and hotels now. You still book on the travel site.

Picks
5
ranked

The best AI for travel planning is the one you already pay for, with its travel apps turned on. ChatGPT has Expedia and Booking.com apps, Claude has Booking.com, Tripadvisor and Viator connectors, and Gemini pulls from Google Flights, Hotels and Maps on its own. None of them finish the booking for you; each hands you a link to the travel site. Check every opening time before you go, because AI itineraries often get them wrong.

Good for

  • Planning a holiday and want a day-by-day itinerary
  • Comparing flights or hotels without opening ten tabs
  • Travelling on a budget with fixed dates
  • Developers adding flight or stay search to Claude Code or Cursor

The short answer

Use Gemini if flights and maps matter most, since it reads Google Flights and Maps with no setup. Use ChatGPT or Claude with their Booking.com apps for hotels. Check every opening time yourself.

Pick the assistant you already use and turn on its travel apps. Gemini is strongest for flights and maps, and ChatGPT or Claude add Booking.com for hotels.

Best for

  • Gemini for flight prices and maps
  • ChatGPT for an itinerary plus Expedia or Booking.com results
  • Claude for Booking.com, Tripadvisor and Kiwi.com flights in one chat

Skip it if

  • You want the AI to book everything for you; most hand you a link
  • You will not double-check hours and closures

Plan a trip with AI in 5 steps

  1. 1

    Describe the trip in one message

    Give dates, where you start from, budget, who is going and what you like. The more limits you give, the less you edit later.

    Prompt
    Plan a 4-day trip to Lisbon from Chicago, leaving May 14. Two adults, about $2,500 total, no car. We like food markets, walking and one museum a day. Group each day by neighbourhood.
  2. 2

    Search flights with a live source

    In Gemini, ask directly; it reads Google Flights. In ChatGPT, name the Expedia app. In Claude, add Kiwi.com once: Customize > Connectors > + Add > Add custom connector, paste https://mcp.kiwi.com, then ask.

    Prompt
    Find round-trip flights Chicago to Lisbon, May 14 to May 18, 2 adults, economy. Show the 3 cheapest with total price and stops.

    Tip: Kiwi.com handles one-way and return trips only. For multi-city, search each leg.

    Uses Kiwi.com Flight Search

  3. 3

    Shortlist places to stay

    In ChatGPT use the Booking.com or Expedia app; in Claude use the Booking.com connector. Ask for a short list you can compare.

    Prompt
    Booking.com: show 5 hotels in Alfama or Baixa under $200 a night for May 14-18, rated 8.5 or higher, with breakfast.
  4. 4

    Check every stop

    Open each restaurant and attraction on Google Maps or its own site and confirm the hours for your dates. In one survey of 100 ChatGPT itineraries, 52% sent people somewhere outside its opening hours.

    Prompt
    List every place in this itinerary with the day I visit it, so I can check opening hours.

    Uses Google Maps MCP Server

  5. 5

    Book on the travel site

    Follow the link the assistant gives you to Expedia, Booking.com or Kiwi.com and book there. Prices can change between the chat and checkout, so confirm the total on the site.

Best plugs for this

These add travel search to Claude Code, Cursor or a custom Claude connector. In ChatGPT and Claude chat, start with the built-in Expedia, Booking.com and Tripadvisor apps instead.

  1. 1
    Kiwi.com Flight SearchOfficialHostedNo sign-in

    Kiwi.com's own flight search. Hosted, no sign-in or key, and each result has a booking link.

    HostedRuns
  2. 2mcp-server-airbnb logo
    mcp-server-airbnbLocal

    Searches Airbnb listings and reads listing details. Community-built, runs on your computer.

    555 GitHub stars
  3. 3Google Maps MCP Server logo
    Google Maps MCP ServerLocal

    Google Maps search, directions and geocoding for checking routes between stops. Needs a Google Maps key.

    591/wk downloads a week
  4. 4google-flights logo
    google-flightsLocal

    Searches Google Flights, with a date grid that shows the cheapest days to fly.

    184/wk downloads a week
  5. 5tripadvisor-mcp logo
    tripadvisor-mcpLocal

    Tripadvisor places, photos and reviews for coding tools like Claude Code and Cursor.

    167/wk downloads a week

ChatGPT

ChatGPT is the easiest start if you already use it. Add the Expedia or Booking.com app once, then name the app in your message.

Plan: Add the Expedia or Booking.com app once from ChatGPT's apps page, then name it in a chat.

What it can do

  • Write a day-by-day itinerary from your dates, budget and interests
  • Show hotels and flights from Expedia inside the chat, then send you to Expedia to book
  • Show stays from Booking.com and send you to Booking.com to finish
  • Start an app by name in your prompt, for example "Expedia find me hotels in New York, October 12-15"

Limits

  • Booking always finishes on the partner's site, not in ChatGPT
  • Itineraries can include closed places or wrong opening hours

Claude

Claude gained Booking.com, Tripadvisor and Viator connectors in April 2026, on every plan. Add Kiwi.com as a custom connector for flights.

Plan: Any plan. Connectors work on Free, and Free can add one custom connector such as Kiwi.com.

What it can do

  • Search stays with the Booking.com connector
  • Look up places and reviews with the Tripadvisor connector
  • Find tours and activities with the Viator connector
  • Search flights with Kiwi.com's flight search, added as a custom connector
  • Ask before it books or buys anything for you

Limits

  • Free accounts can add only one custom connector
  • Kiwi.com search covers one-way and return flights only, no multi-city

Plugs to turn on

  • Kiwi.com Flight Search: Kiwi.com's own flight search. Paste https://mcp.kiwi.com as a custom connector; no account needed.

Gemini

Gemini is the strongest pick for flights and maps because it reads Google Flights, Hotels and Maps directly. There is nothing to install.

Plan: Free. Google Flights, Hotels and Maps data is built in; turn on Keep Activity.

What it can do

  • Pull flight and hotel options from Google Flights and Google Hotels
  • Find new options on Google Maps when plans change, such as rain or a closed attraction
  • Plan an itinerary grouped by neighbourhood

Limits

  • Needs Keep Activity turned on to use Flights, Hotels and Maps data

Perplexity

Perplexity is the one assistant here that can complete some hotel bookings in the chat. It launched this with Selfbook and Tripadvisor in March 2025.

Plan: Free to search. Pro users were promised extra hotel perks at launch.

What it can do

  • Search hotels with Tripadvisor reviews in the answer
  • Book and pay for about 140,000 hotels without leaving Perplexity, through Selfbook

Limits

  • Hotels outside Selfbook send you to another site to book

Comparison

Use Gemini when flight prices matter most. Use ChatGPT or Claude when you want hotel results from Booking.com in the same chat as your itinerary.

OptionLive flightsLive hotelsSetupBooks in chat
GeminiThis pageGoogle FlightsGoogle HotelsKeep Activity on–
ChatGPTExpedia appExpedia, Booking.comAdd appNo
ClaudeKiwi.com connectorBooking.comAdd connectorAsks first
Perplexity–Tripadvisor, SelfbookNoneSome hotels

Questions

Which AI is best for travel planning?

Gemini for flights and maps, because it reads Google Flights, Hotels and Maps with nothing to install. ChatGPT and Claude are just as good for itineraries and add Booking.com and Expedia or Tripadvisor apps for stays.

Can ChatGPT book flights and hotels?

Not all the way. The Expedia and Booking.com apps show options in the chat, then send you to their site to finish the booking.

Can Claude plan a trip?

Yes. It writes itineraries and, since April 2026, connects to Booking.com, Tripadvisor and Viator on every plan. Claude asks before it books or buys anything.

How do I add Kiwi.com flight search to Claude?

Go to Customize > Connectors, click + Add, choose Add custom connector and paste https://mcp.kiwi.com. No Kiwi.com account is needed. Free plans can add one custom connector.

Are AI travel itineraries accurate?

Often not in the details. A 2024 test of 100 ChatGPT itineraries found errors in 90%, and a quarter suggested a place that had closed. Use the AI for the plan and check hours yourself.

Is there a free AI trip planner?

Yes. Gemini, ChatGPT and Claude all plan trips on their free plans, and Kiwi.com's flight search needs no account or key.

Can AI find cheap flights?

It can search live fares. Gemini uses Google Flights, and Kiwi.com's search sorts results and gives a booking link. Confirm the price on the booking page, since fares change.

Can Perplexity book hotels?

Yes, for about 140,000 hotels on Selfbook, where you book and pay inside Perplexity. Other hotels send you to another site.

Sources

Docs, issue trackers and discussions this page is built from.

Show all 11
  1. Expedia and Booking.com apps live inside ChatGPT · upgradedpoints.com
  2. New connectors in Claude for everyday life · claude.com
  3. Connected Apps in Gemini · support.google.com
  4. Survey finds ChatGPT itineraries to be 'riddled with inaccuracies' · travolution.com
  5. Getting started with custom connectors using remote MCP · support.claude.com
  6. Behind the Kiwi.com MCP server · dev.to
  7. Kiwi.com releases MCP server prototype · media.kiwi.com
  8. openbnb-org/mcp-server-airbnb · github.com
  9. google-flights MCP server · github.com
  10. Perplexity, Selfbook and Tripadvisor hotel booking · phocuswire.com
  11. AI trip planner · gemini.google

Updated Nov 1, 2026.