Large Language Models: Your New Digital Travel Companions

What Travel Advisors need to know about AI tools that research, write, and plan without coffee breaks

 

Written By: Tom Ogg, Co-Founder and Co-Owner – Travel Professional NEWS

A Travel Agent’s No-Nonsense Guide to AI Assistants

Remember when the most advanced technology in your office was that fax machine that only worked when you kicked it? Well, buckle up, because we’re about to introduce you to something that’ll make that fax machine look like a stone tablet.

 

 

What Are LLMs, Anyway?

Large Language Models, or LLMs, are essentially very sophisticated computer programs that can understand and generate human-like text. Think of them as interns who’ve read the entire internet, never sleep, don’t require coffee breaks, and won’t judge you for asking the same question seventeen times.

 

These AI assistants work by predicting what words should come next based on patterns they’ve learned from vast amounts of text. It’s like autocomplete on steroids, if autocomplete had read every travel guide, customer service manual, and marketing brochure ever written.

 

Why Should Travel Agents Care?

Here’s the reality: your clients are already using AI to research their trips. They’re asking ChatGPT about the best restaurants in Barcelona and getting itinerary suggestions from Gemini before they even contact you. Rather than competing with AI, smart agents are using these tools to work faster, smarter, and more creatively.

 

LLMs can help you draft personalized emails in seconds, generate social media content, research destinations you’ve never visited, translate client communications, create detailed itineraries, and brainstorm solutions for tricky travel requests. They’re not replacing you—they’re giving you superpowers.

 

While there are several more LLMs, let’s just talk about the major ones rather than ramble on about ones you may never run across.

 

 

 

The Major Players: A Scorecard

 

ChatGPT (OpenAI)

The granddaddy of the current AI boom and the one your nephew won’t stop talking about at family dinners.

 

Positives: ChatGPT is incredibly versatile and conversational. It’s excellent at creative tasks like writing marketing copy, drafting client emails, and brainstorming unique travel experiences. The paid version (ChatGPT Plus) includes web search and can analyze images, which is handy when clients send you photos asking “where is this?” The interface is clean and user-friendly, even for the technologically challenged among us.

 

Negatives: The free version’s knowledge cuts off in late 2023, so it won’t know about that new resort that just opened. It can be overly wordy, sometimes you ask for a paragraph and get an essay. It also occasionally “hallucinates” (fancy AI-speak for “makes stuff up”), so always verify important details like visa requirements or flight schedules.

 

 

Claude (Anthropic)

Positives: Claude excels at nuanced, thoughtful responses and tends to be more concise than ChatGPT. It’s particularly strong at analyzing documents. Upload a 50-page cruise contract and ask for the key points. Claude also has a reputation for being more careful and accurate, especially with factual information. The newest version handles complex reasoning tasks well, making it great for multi-step travel planning.

 

Negatives: Claude can be overly cautious sometimes, occasionally declining requests that other AI would handle. It’s also less flashy with features than competitors, fewer bells and whistles, more substance over style. Some users find it a bit too formal, though it loosens up once you get to know it. I favor Claude over all of the other LLMs simply because it has gotten to know my writing style and mimics it.

 

 

Gemini (Google)

Google’s entry into the AI assistant arena, with all the search power you’d expect.

 

Positives: Deep integration with Google services is the killer feature here. It can search Gmail, pull up Google Docs, and access Google Flights data seamlessly. For agents who live in the Google ecosystem, this is incredibly convenient. It also has strong multilingual capabilities, helpful when dealing with international clients or suppliers.

 

Negatives: The interface feels less polished than competitors, and responses can be inconsistent in quality. Privacy-conscious agents might worry about how much Google already knows about them. It sometimes feels like it’s trying to sell you something, which, fair enough, it is after all Google.

 

 

Perplexity

The new kid who actually did their homework and cites their sources.

 

Positives: Perplexity’s superpower is research. It searches the web in real-time and provides citations for every claim, making it ideal for fact-checking destination information, finding current travel advisories, or researching new properties. It’s like having a research assistant who actually shows their work. The answers are typically more concise and focused than other LLMs.

 

Negatives: It’s less conversational than competitors more encyclopedia, less chatty friend. Not as strong for creative tasks like writing marketing copy. The free version limits your searches, and the paid tier is another subscription to add to your growing list.

 

 

Grok (X/Twitter)

Elon Musk’s rebellious teenager of an AI, with real-time access to X/Twitter.

 

Positives: Grok has a personality and it’s more casual, sometimes sarcastic, and less filtered than other LLMs. It can access current information from X/Twitter, making it useful for real-time updates about flight delays, destination trends, or breaking travel news. If you want an AI with attitude, Grok’s your companion.

 

Negatives: You need X Premium to access it, which not everyone wants to pay for. The personality can be polarizing, sometimes you want professional, not snarky. It’s also the newest major LLM, so it’s still finding its footing and can be less reliable for complex tasks.

 

 

Meta AI

Positives: If you market heavily on Facebook or Instagram, Meta AI is right there in your apps. It can help generate post ideas, create images for social media, and answer questions without leaving the platform. The image generation feature is surprisingly capable for creating eye-catching travel content.

 

Negatives: It’s not as sophisticated as the other options for complex tasks. Privacy concerns loom large given Meta’s track record. The integration is convenient but also feels like Meta wants to keep you in their walled garden forever.

 

 

The Bottom Line

Each LLM has its strengths, and many savvy agents use several depending on the task. Use ChatGPT for creative marketing copy, Claude for analyzing complex documents, Perplexity for research, and Gemini for quick Google-integrated searches.

 

The key is experimentation. These tools are free or cheap to try, and they’re improving monthly. Your competition is already using them. The question isn’t whether AI will change travel advising, it’s whether you’ll be leading that change or catching up to it.

 

This is the first of a series of articles on AI. I will do my best to keep them short and to the point. I will also try to make them easy-to-understand and implement.