Everyday Explorer

At the risk of making my blog obsolete before I have even really gotten started, I am going to write about using artificial intelligence (AI) to plan and book a trip. In my other life I am a training consultant, which is another area that is going to be disrupted by AI, so I have been researching and trying out how we can use these new tools to make our lives easier. I don’t want to spoil the ending but AI is very useful for planning not booking and finalizing. Think of it as a travel advisor instead of a travel agent. The Quest Begins with AI Travel Assistants My first step into this brave new world of travel planning was to dive into the realm of AI travel assistants. You’ve probably heard of them—think of Siri or Alexa, but with a knack for sniffing out the most exciting travel deals and experiences. I started by simply asking, “Where should I go on vacation?” The response was a digital smorgasbord of destinations tailored to my interests and budget. I felt like Ali...

Our first road trip, in the early 2000’s, happened almost by accident. We had taken some time off work to enjoy the summer with our young son but decided not to book anything. After the first day, I was bored and felt like we were wasting time. A friend from my running group had mentioned buying a place in a town where the mine had closed down, on Vancouver Island. I called her and asked if we could stay there. She said, “Sure, just leave $50 to pay the cleaner when you leave.” I looked up the ferry schedule, we packed up our camping equipment, because the drive was too far to make it in one day, and the next morning we hit the road. When to Embrace Spontaneity and When to Plan On that trip we found out we enjoyed and can endure long drives and there was no need to plan everything in advance. On the first day we made the 12 hour drive to the coast and happened to catch the last ferry to the island. Once we got to the island, we found a campground, which we later realized was right besi...

Accommodations are one of the biggest travel expenses and they have a huge impact on your trip experience. Choosing the wrong place can ruin a vacation. More expensive does not always mean better for you. This is an area of trip planning that requires a bit of a time investment and some research, but it pays off. In this post I share my method and tips to find the right place to stay for your next trip. Get ready to open up a few tabs in your browser. Defining Your Stay The important first step is to get an idea of what you want in a place to stay. Consider: – how many beds and/or rooms you’ll need. – where you want to be – does the location need to be near an activity or people you’re visiting – do you want to be in the middle of things or in a quieter location? – waterfront or a water view? The clearer you are on what is important to you for this trip, the easier it is to pick a place to stay. Amenities Matter In addition to where, figure out what ...

Getting a good deal on flights is key to an affordable vacation. Last year, fueled by a strong desire to break free from the monotony of road trips and pandemic restrictions, I embarked on a journey to find the perfect flight deal for a summer vacation. In this post, I’ll share my step-by-step process, tips for finding the best prices, and a thrilling success story that resulted in an unforgettable adventure to Fiji. Start with a flight search on Google Flights Begin your flight search on Google Flights , a powerful tool that provides a comprehensive overview of flight prices worldwide. Its user-friendly interface allows you to search specific locations or my favorite feature is EXPLORE which shows you the flight prices of destinations around the world. Other sites that compare prices are Skyscanner and Expedia . Price Tracking and Comparison Checking flight prices on different days and times is important because flight prices change all the time. In general, flight prices are c...