Planning a holiday is exciting, but it can also be completely overwhelming. Comparing flights, finding affordable hotels, choosing what to see, and trying to fit it all into a budget can easily eat up hours.
This time, instead of doing it all manually, I decided to see if AI could plan the entire trip for me. I gave it my budget, travel dates, and interests, and within minutes, it created a full holiday itinerary.
Here’s exactly how I used AI to plan a complete budget-friendly trip from start to finish.
Picking the Right AI Tool
To start, I needed a tool that could understand complex instructions and pull lots of details together. I used ChatGPT, but you could also use Google Gemini or Microsoft Copilot in Word if you prefer. The key is using a tool where you can ask follow-up questions and keep refining the plan.
Before I typed anything, I wrote down the essentials: my travel dates, destination, rough budget, and what kind of activities I wanted. For this trip, I wanted a five-day city break in Europe, staying somewhere clean but affordable, with a mix of sightseeing, nature, and local food.
Writing a Clear Prompt
The results you get depend on the instructions you give. Instead of simply typing “plan my trip,” I wrote a full, clear prompt. It looked like this:
“Act as a travel planner. Plan a 5-day budget-friendly holiday to Lisbon, Portugal for two adults, with a total budget of £800, including flights, accommodation, meals, and activities. Suggest low-cost flights from London, budget hotels in safe areas, free or cheap activities, and places to eat. Include daily schedules with estimated prices.”
Within seconds, ChatGPT gave me a full five-day plan, including flight estimates, hotel suggestions, daily activity ideas, and restaurant recommendations. It even kept a running total to stay under my budget.
Refining the Plan
The first version was a great starting point, but it wasn’t perfect. This is where the real magic of AI came in — I could ask for instant tweaks instead of searching for hours. I asked follow-up questions like:
- “Can you make sure the hotel has a kitchen so we can cook some meals?”
- “Can you replace one of the museums with an outdoor activity?”
- “Can you find local markets or free cultural events during that week?”
Each time, the AI updated the plan immediately. It adjusted the hotel choice to include a kitchenette, swapped an expensive museum for a free botanical garden, and added a local food market on Saturday morning. It felt like working with a personal travel assistant who instantly understood my priorities.
Building the Budget Breakdown
I also asked the AI to make a budget table so I could see if the plan was realistic. It separated estimated costs into categories:
- Flights: £200
- Accommodation: £250
- Meals: £150
- Activities and transport: £200
This made it easy to see where I could cut back or spend a little more. For example, I decided to keep breakfasts simple and cook some dinners in the hotel kitchen, which freed up money for a boat trip on the final day.
Turning It Into a Usable Itinerary
Once I was happy with the plan, I asked ChatGPT to format it into a clean day-by-day itinerary. It created a simple table that listed:
- Morning activity
- Lunch suggestion
- Afternoon activity
- Dinner suggestion
- Estimated daily cost
I copied this into a Word document, added times for my actual flight bookings, and suddenly I had a polished itinerary I could share with my travel partner. It looked professional — and it only took about an hour from start to finish.
Checking and Booking
AI can’t book things for you, so I still had to double-check everything. I used Google Flights to compare the flights it suggested, Booking.com to confirm hotel prices, and TripAdvisor to read reviews. Most of the suggestions were accurate, though prices had shifted slightly.
The best part was that all the hard work of deciding what to book was already done. I just needed to click through and confirm things instead of researching from scratch.
How It Worked Out
Using AI completely changed the way I planned the trip. It saved hours of research and made sticking to a budget surprisingly easy. I didn’t have to bounce between dozens of websites, and I didn’t feel that usual stress of “what if I miss something important?”
On the trip itself, having a day-by-day plan made everything smoother. We still had flexibility to change things on the go, but having structure meant we never wasted time figuring out what to do each morning. And because the itinerary included local markets, parks, and free walking tours, we stayed on budget without feeling restricted.
Tips for Planning Your Own AI Holiday
If you want to try this yourself, here are a few quick tips:
- Be clear about your destination, budget, and interests in your prompt.
- Ask for price estimates so you can keep track of your budget.
- Request a combined table showing daily activities and costs.
- Double-check all links, prices, and reviews before booking.
- Build in some free time or flexible days for spontaneous exploring.
If you want to see other ways AI can save you time in daily life, read 10 Ways to Use AI to Save 10+ Hours a Week.
Final Thoughts
Planning a holiday used to feel overwhelming, but using AI made it simple, quick, and even fun. It helped me create a trip that stayed within budget without cutting out the experiences that make travel special. AI won’t remove the need to book things manually, but it takes away the hours of research and decision-making that usually make planning stressful.
If you want to get started, try our Beginner’s Guide to Using ChatGPT (Step-by-Step) or explore our list of Beginner-Friendly AI Tools: Five AI Tools Anyone Can Use. For an external resource to double-check your travel plans, visit UK Foreign Travel Advice for up-to-date safety and entry information.
