Travel Agents BLINDSIDED—Gen Z Picks ChatGPT

Passengers seated inside an airplane cabin

Generation Z trusts ChatGPT with their travel plans more than their own parents—ushering in a seismic shift that leaves traditional agents and word-of-mouth recommendations reeling in AI’s wake.

Story Snapshot

Gen Z and millennials now use AI tools like ChatGPT to plan vacations, while older generations rely on familiar methods.
AI-driven travel planning is mainstream, with over 40% of global travelers using such tools for price comparison, inspiration, and full itineraries.
Social media platforms like YouTube and TikTok rival family and friends as primary sources of travel inspiration among young Americans.
Trust in AI travel tools remains high, despite concerns about accuracy and a slight dip in comfort among the youngest users.

AI in Travel Planning: A Generational Divide That’s Redrawing the Map

Travel planning in 2025 no longer starts with a dusty guidebook or a call to a travel agent. According to a Talker Research survey of 2,000 Americans, Gen Z and millennials are handing the reins to artificial intelligence—specifically tools like ChatGPT—to map out their vacations. These younger generations are using AI for everything from comparing flight prices and hotels to generating day-by-day itineraries that once took hours of scrolling and cross-referencing. Meanwhile, Gen X and baby boomers remain loyal to traditional methods, leaning on personal recommendations and established online travel agencies. The result is a stark generational split: AI is not just influencing where young people go, but how and why they make those choices in the first place.

Gen Z’s comfort with algorithmic planning is rewriting the rules of travel, with social media now wielding as much influence as family and friends. TikTok and YouTube have become prime discovery grounds for the next big vacation spot, often outpacing word-of-mouth. This shift isn’t just anecdotal: survey data shows that AI-driven suggestions, curated in seconds, are edging out the recommendations that once came around the dinner table. The travel industry, ever competitive, is riding this wave, racing to embed AI systems that offer real-time updates and hyper-customized suggestions. Traditional players—travel agents, even some online booking sites—are scrambling to stay relevant as AI’s promise of convenience, personalization, and cost savings becomes too attractive for younger travelers to ignore.

From Guidebooks to Generative AI: Tracing the Evolution

Before the internet, travel planning was a tactile, analog affair—think phone calls to agencies, marked-up maps, and friendly advice scribbled on napkins. The 2000s brought a digital revolution, with online travel agencies and user-generated review platforms like TripAdvisor democratizing access. By the late 2010s, AI began to seep into the process, parsing massive datasets to recommend restaurants, hotels, and hidden gems. The real tipping point arrived between 2022 and 2024, when generative AI tools became widely available to consumers. By 2025, not only was AI able to suggest destinations, but it could generate full itineraries, compare prices in real-time, and even predict the best time to book. The historical trend is clear: each technological leap has made travel easier, but never as radically as this latest wave of AI adoption.

Talker Research’s 2025 findings confirm that over 40% of global travelers now use AI-based tools for trip planning, with adoption rates climbing fastest among Gen Z and millennials. In the US, 19% of travelers have used generative AI for at least one trip, and in France, the figure jumps to 30%. Still, there’s nuance—while use is up, comfort with AI among 18–24-year-olds actually dipped slightly year-over-year, from 47% in 2024 to 34% in 2025. Price comparison, destination selection, and full itinerary creation top the list of use cases, showing that AI isn’t just inspiring travelers but handling their logistics as well.

Winners, Losers, and the New Power Brokers in Vacation Planning

Travelers, especially the young and tech-savvy, are the immediate winners—scoring personalized, cost-effective trips with minimal effort. AI technology providers, including OpenAI, Google, and a raft of new travel startups, are capturing a rapidly growing market. Airlines, hotels, and tour operators are under pressure to integrate AI or risk being outflanked by more nimble competitors. Social media platforms, meanwhile, have cemented their role as taste-makers, turning content creators into key influencers of where and how Americans travel. For older generations and traditional travel professionals, the transformation is less rosy. As AI and algorithms take center stage, those reliant on old-school methods face the risk of obsolescence unless they adapt quickly.

Power is shifting fast. AI providers now shape the information travelers see, often reducing the influence of traditional agents. Social media, particularly TikTok and YouTube, is amplifying the reach of travel influencers, who increasingly shape not just inspiration, but actual bookings. The traveler, once a passive recipient of recommendations, now commands a suite of AI tools that tailor trips in real time—raising both convenience and new concerns about misinformation, privacy, and reliability.

What’s Next: AI as the Default, and the Risks That Come With It

The industry trajectory points to AI-driven travel planning as the new default, especially for the young. Experts predict that by the end of the decade, over 60% of travelers will use AI for at least part of their planning process. This shift brings economic benefits—greater efficiency, lower costs—but also disrupts traditional roles and raises regulatory questions. As AI tools become more deeply integrated, the need for oversight and accuracy intensifies. Misinformation or algorithmic “hallucinations” could derail trips or lead to costly mistakes, especially for those who trust AI too blindly. New jobs will emerge in AI oversight, digital content moderation, and specialized customer support, mirroring the rise of social media managers a decade ago.

For now, the American travel landscape is a tale of two worlds: one driven by the unshakable confidence of Gen Z in their digital co-pilots, and another clinging to the comfort of familiar, human advice. The AI revolution in travel is not just a passing trend—it’s a generational shift, remapping how, where, and why Americans explore the world. The only question left: will you trust the algorithm, or stick with Aunt Martha’s well-worn advice?