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Google Adds AI Trip Planning to Search, Maps, and Gemini

Google Adds AI Trip Planning to Search, Maps, and Gemini

Alicia Shapiro
March 28, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes

A cozy, sunlit workspace where a person is using a laptop and smartphone to plan a vacation. The laptop screen displays an AI-generated travel itinerary for Costa Rica using Google Search, while the smartphone shows hotel price tracking options. On the desk are travel essentials including a U.S. passport, a printed itinerary labeled “Google Costa Rica,” a notepad, a pen, coffee, and small potted plants. The scene reflects smart, tech-assisted vacation planning with a personal, organized touch.

Image Source: ChatGPT-4o

Google Adds AI Trip Planning to Search, Maps, and Gemini

Google is enhancing its travel planning experience just in time for summer, launching a set of new features across Search, Maps, and its Gemini AI assistant. The updates include AI-generated itineraries, hotel price tracking, and custom travel planners—all designed to simplify how users organize trips.

AI Itineraries in Google Search

Through AI Overviews in Search, users can now receive personalized vacation ideas and trip plans. By entering prompts such as “create an itinerary for Costa Rica with a focus on nature,” travelers will see a curated summary at the top of their search results, complete with photos, reviews, and an interactive map.

When users are ready to save their plan, they can:

Export the itinerary to Google Docs or Gmail
Save it as a custom list in Google Maps
This feature is now live in English for U.S. users on both mobile and desktop.

A desktop view of Google Search showing an AI-generated travel itinerary for Costa Rica with a focus on nature. The results highlight a visit to Arenal Volcano and Monteverde Cloud Forest, with an image of a mist-covered volcano and day-by-day travel suggestions. A sidebar includes related travel resources, and a mini-map shows selected locations such as Restaurante Arazá and Puentes Colgantes Arenal Mistico Park.

Google Search AI Itinerary for Costa Rica. Image Source: Google via Techcrunch

Gemini's Custom Trip Planners Go Free

Google is also expanding access to Gems, a feature in its Gemini AI assistant that allows users to create personalized AI agents. Now available to all users at no cost, Gems can function as a custom travel planner, offering destination suggestions and packing recommendations based on user preferences.

Hotel Price Tracking Comes to Google Travel

In a move to help users get better travel deals, Google is introducing hotel price tracking—a feature long available for flights. Users can now:

Track hotel rates for specific dates and locations
Apply filters such as star ratings or beach access
Receive email alerts when prices drop
This feature is rolling out globally on both desktop and mobile browsers.

A smartphone screen displaying Google’s hotel search interface for “hotels in Chicago,” with filters for dates, star rating, and price range. The “Track hotel prices” toggle is activated, and a highlighted result shows a hotel priced at $408 with a note confirming that price tracking is active for email updates. Visible hotels include the Waldorf Astoria, JW Marriott Chicago, and The Langham.

Google Hotel Price Tracking on Mobile. Image Source: Google via Techcrunch

Maps Gets Smarter with Screenshot Integration

To streamline planning, Google Maps is launching a new feature that turns vacation screenshots into actionable plans. When granted access to your photos, Maps will automatically identify places shown in your saved screenshots, allowing users to:

Review locations directly in the app
Save them to a map-based list for easy access
This feature is now rolling out in the U.S. for iOS users, with Android support coming soon.

What This Means

Google’s updates reflect growing competition in AI-assisted travel, as more users turn to tools like ChatGPT to plan trips. By integrating itinerary suggestions, real-time pricing alerts, and smarter map tools, Google is positioning its products as all-in-one vacation planning platforms—just as summer travel ramps up.

Editor’s Note: This article was created by Alicia Shapiro, CMO of AiNews.com, with writing, image, and idea-generation support from ChatGPT, an AI assistant. However, the final perspective and editorial choices are solely Alicia Shapiro’s. Special thanks to ChatGPT for assistance with research and editorial support in crafting this article.