I asked Instinct to plan 2 trips for me — and it sucked all the joy out of traveling

I used Instinct's AI agent to plan both a work trip and a European vacation. For the business journey, the AI produced an extensive itinerary in under 10 minutes, yet it made an evident mistake by suggesting conflicting flight arrangements. Despite this, both the time taken and expense were identical to my own research.

When I asked Instinct for vacation suggestions, it took considerably longer and diminished my enthusiasm for travel. It proposed several cities, requiring me to narrow down the options before providing specific dates, accommodations, and transportation. Interestingly, the AI often suggested higher-priced hotels and transport options than I was able to find independently.

The AI's most advantageous feature was factoring in my carry-on size to avoid unexpected fees, but it still recommended a hotel that I found unappealing and charged more for Eurostar tickets than the company's own website. While the AI agent can be helpful for arranging less exciting travel, like a business trip, it falls short in providing inspiration for planning trips. The experience felt somewhat robotic and unfulfilling, and it's more enjoyable to personally book a vacation that sparks excitement.