How To Tell If An AI-Generated Itinerary Is Actually Accurate

Check three things: whether every place named is real and searchable, whether prices and hours match what the venue itself publishes, and whether travel times between stops are realistic. A 2026 study that tested ChatGPT, Gemini, and Google's AI Mode against real itineraries found all three wrong often enough to matter, even when the plan looked polished.

Why a polished itinerary isn't the same as an accurate one

Sara Boisvert, Director of Marketing at InsureMyTrip, put it plainly after her company's researchers tested AI trip-planning tools: "The itineraries often looked polished and logical on the surface, which could make them feel reliable at first glance." The researchers' own conclusion was blunter -- closer inspection revealed that both big and small details were often inaccurate.

That gap between how a plan reads and whether it's actually right is the whole problem. A large language model writes fluent, confident sentences whether or not the underlying facts are correct -- fluency isn't evidence of accuracy, and there's no visual cue in the output that tells you which is which.

What actually goes wrong

The InsureMyTrip study found specific, checkable failures, not vague "sometimes it's wrong":

• Venues that don't exist or aren't what they claim to be -- including a recommended restaurant that couldn't be found at all, and Michelin ratings attributed to places that don't hold them.
• Prices that don't match reality -- the Jungfraujoch train in Switzerland was listed at $129--$258 across different tools, when the actual fare runs $342 or more.
• Itineraries that ignore physical limits -- steep gradients and altitude changes inadequately flagged for older or less mobile travelers, and travel times between stops that don't hold up in practice.

The three-point check to run yourself

Before you commit to any AI-generated plan -- ours or anyone else's -- run each stop through this:

• Does it exist? Search the exact name. A real place has an address, hours, and usually reviews.
• Does the price match? Check the venue's own site or a direct booking page, not just the AI's number.
• Is the timing realistic? Look up the actual travel time between consecutive stops -- not the straight-line distance.

What real verification looks like in practice

This is exactly the gap a verification step is built to close -- checking every recommended stop against a live source before it ever reaches you, and flagging anything that's changed since it was last confirmed. See a real example of that mechanic, with an actual itinerary and an actual flagged stop, on the how it works page.

Sources: Forbes: How Accurate Is AI For Planning Travel And Vacations? (InsureMyTrip study, Gary Stoller, Mar. 2026); NIST AI Risk Management Framework.