Why You Shouldn’t Use AI to Plan Travel
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Lately, I’ve been seeing a lot of people talk about using AI to plan their trips and it got me thinking, is this brilliant or is it a disaster in the making? So I asked a popular AI website to help me plan the perfect day in Orlando, Florida (where I’ve lived for almost 19 years) to find out. Read on to find out how it went and my thoughts on using AI to plan travel.
Prompt: Plan the perfect day for me as a tourist visiting Orlando, Florida
Response: Sure! Here’s a plan for a perfect day in Orlando, Florida, balancing fun, exploration, and relaxation. It can be adjusted based on your interests, but I’ll assume you’re interested in a mix of theme parks, local culture, and unique experiences.
A quick disclaimer: I know that you can ask AI to refine their initial suggestion and give it additional input to improve up on it, but for the sake of this little experiment, I did not.
Morning
7:00 AM: Start with Breakfast at a Local Spot
Suggestion: Visit Se7en Bites, a renowned bakery and restaurant offering Southern-inspired breakfast dishes. Try their biscuits and gravy or sweet potato pancakes.
8:30 AM: Early Entry to a Theme Park
Suggestion: Head to Walt Disney World (Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Animal Kingdom, or Hollywood Studios) or Universal Studios (especially if you’re a Harry Potter fan). Arrive early to beat the crowds and enjoy iconic attractions like Space Mountain (Magic Kingdom), Avatar Flight of Passage (Animal Kingdom), or The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (Universal Orlando).
Cost: The cost of a one-day, one-park admission starts at $119 and increases depending on seasonality
Drive time from Se7ven Bites: 21 minutes to Universal Orlando or 32 minutes to Disney World. That’s assuming there won’t be any traffic, which there always is on I4, especially at that time of day. Keep in mind that drive times don’t include time spent waiting in line to pay for parking, parking, and actually getting into the theme parks. That can easily add another 10-15 minutes to your travel time, making this a pretty unrealistic timeline to start your day.
Midday
12:30 PM: Lunch at the Park or Nearby
Suggestion: If you’re in a theme park, there are great options like Be Our Guest Restaurant (Magic Kingdom) or Mythos (Universal). For a nearby alternative, try Cowfish at Universal’s CityWalk for unique sushi and burgers.
Okay, this isn’t terrible. If you’re at one of the theme parks, have lunch at that theme park. Cowfish at Universal CityWalk is a short walk from the parks, so that’s actually a logical suggestion.
2:00 PM: Relaxation or Shopping
Suggestion: Take a break from the action. Head to Disney Springs or ICON Park for some light shopping and a ride on The Wheel, which offers stunning views of Orlando. Or If you love nature, visit Lake Eola Park in downtown Orlando for a relaxing stroll and swan boat ride.
Cost: $15 for a 30-minute swan boat ride at Lake Eola (hope you like pedaling!), $35 for a spin on The Wheel at ICON Park
Okay, so we just spent upwards of $119 for a single-day theme park admission and we’re leaving after half a day to spend more time in the car so we can go shopping or spend more money on other attractions. What a waste!
Drive time from Magic Kingdom: 16 minutes to Disney Springs, 21 minutes to ICON Park, 32 minutes to Lake Eola
Drive time from Universal: 23 minutes to Disney Springs, 11 minutes to ICON Park, 18 minutes to Lake Eola
Afternoon
3:30 PM: Explore Orlando’s Unique Side
Suggestion: Visit The Orlando Museum of Art or Leu Gardens for a cultural and serene experience. Alternatively, check out Gatorland for a quirky, family-friendly attraction with Florida wildlife.
Cost: $20 for the Orlando Museum of Art, $15 for Leu Gardens, $35 for Gatorland
More time in the car and more money spent. Seeing the theme here?
Drive time from Disney Springs: 36 minutes to Orlando Museum of Mart, 39 minutes to Leu Gardens, 23 minutes to Gatorland
Drive time from ICON Park: 22 minutes to Orlando Museum of Mart, 23 minutes to Leu Gardens, 21 minutes to Gatorland
Drive time from Lake Eola: 13 minutes to Orlando Museum of Mart, 11 minutes to Leu Gardens, 25 minutes to Gatorland
5:00 PM: Late Afternoon Drinks
Suggestion: Stop by The Boathouse at Disney Springs for waterfront views and a refreshing cocktail. You can even book an Amphicar ride for a fun experience!
Cost: $125 if you take an Amphicar ride
Wait, weren’t we possibly shopping at Disney Springs earlier? Why head back there? Are there no other places to have drinks that wouldn’t have us driving all over the place?
Drive time to Disney Springs: 33 minutes from the Orlando Museum of Art, 35 minutes from Disney Springs, 19 minutes from Gatorland
Evening
6:30 PM: Dinner with a View
Suggestion: Book a reservation at California Grill at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. Time it to catch the Magic Kingdom fireworks from the rooftop terrace.
If you’re already at Disney Springs for drinks why not have dinner at one of the 60 dining options there? That would just make too much sense, right?
Drive time from Disney Springs to the Contemporary Resort: 15 minutes
8:30 PM: Evening Entertainment
Suggestion: Watch the Disney fireworks or Universal’s Cinematic Celebration if still at the parks [EDITOR’S NOTE: It’s not]. Alternatively, enjoy a performance of Blue Man Group at Universal or Cirque du Soleil’s Drawn to Life at Disney Springs.
Cost: $TBD Blue Man Group (they’re re-opening in Orlando and ticket prices are not yet available), $75 for Cirque
But wait, weren’t we watching the Disney fireworks during dinner at The Contemporary? We should watch them again after dinner? Does this mean we should head to one of the other Disney theme parks? I’m so confused at this point!
Drive time from the Contemporary Resort: 26 minutes to Universal Orlando, 15 minutes to Disney Springs
Nightcap
10:00 PM: End the Day on a Relaxed Note
Suggestion: Grab dessert at The Toothsome Chocolate Emporium (CityWalk) or a gelato at Vivoli il Gelato (Disney Springs). Or stroll through the illuminated areas of CityWalk, Disney Springs, or Lake Eola to soak in the night vibes.
End the day on a relaxed note? Are they freaking kidding me? Are you exhausted from all the time spent in the car, because I know I am!
Drive time from Universal Orlando: 23 minutes to Disney Springs, 18 minutes to Lake Eola
So What Does the Day Look Like?
Okay, so there are multiple options for most timeframes, which means we can cherrypick them to plan our perfect day. I chose the options with the shortest travel time and/or the lowest cost. I didn’t include time spent on parking, parking fees, or the cost of meals. Get ready, because it’s a long (and costly) day!
- 7 AM Breakfast at Se7ven Bites
- drive 21 minutes to Universal Orlando (*parking fee)
- 8:30 AM Universal Orlando Admission $119
- walk 5 minutes to Universal CityWalk
- 12:30 PM lunch at Universal CityWalk
- drive 11 minutes to ICON Park
- 2:00 PM Ride The Wheel $35
- drive 21 minutes to Gatorland
- 3:30 PM Gatorland $35
- drive 19 minutes to Disney Springs
- 5:00 PM drinks at Disney Springs
- drive 15 minutes to the Contemporary
- 6:30 PM dinner and fireworks at the Contemporary
- drive 15 minutes back to Disney Springs
- 8:30 PM Cirque du Soleil Drawn to Life $75
- 10 PM Stroll through Disney Springs and have dessert
Start Time: 7 AM
End Time: 10:30 PM
Total Cost: $264 plus parking, gas, and meals
Total Drive Time: 1 hour and 42 minutes plus an additional 30 minutes (estimated) for dealing with parking
Conclusion
To be fair, all of the individual things that AI suggested are good suggestions. I love Leu Gardens, the Orlando Museum of Art has wonderful exhibitions, and Gatorland is just plain fun! It’s really the trying to cram all these things into one day that I take issue with. And yes, I know I asked it for “the perfect day”. But is the perfect day one that requires around two hours of drive time, costs a small fortune, and will leave you exhausted from running place to place to check items off a bucket list? I guess it’s possible for some people, but not for me, which is why I would never let AI plan a travel itinerary.
How Can You Use AI for Travel?
I would consider using AI to ask for suggestions of the best or most popular attractions in an area, or what the best (or worst) time of year to visit a destination is. Then do your due diligence to verify the accuracy. Because right now AI is a good starting point, but as I think this article proves, it’s definitely not foolproof.
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Lori Barbely
Hi, I’m Lori. But you can call me Lors. I’m a middle-aged New Jersey-born gal, currently based in Orlando, Florida. My background is in editorial travel photography and writing and I've been to more than 30 countries. I’m obsessed with tropical locales and my favorite city is Tokyo. Have camera, will travel! I’m a Disney adult, Lord of the Rings fan, certified crazy cat lady, and sushi addict! I hope this blog inspires your wanderlust. Feel free to follow me on Instagram for snippets of daily life on and off the road.
