Google Just Added Some Artificial Intelligence Features to Its Vacation Planning Tools
Summer is almost here—at least for those of us in the northern hemisphere—and Google has released some helpful updates to several apps to make your travel planning a little easier (and a little more reliant on artificial intelligence).
First, the AI reviews you’ve no doubt noticed at the top of Google search results are expanding to cover travel itineraries by region and country, as well as cities. All you have to do is request a plan for a specific location (such as the south of France) along with any requirements (such as having children or a certain budget), and the AI will do the rest.
You get daily information about where to go and what to do, and you can also view photos and reviews left by other users, and quickly share recommendations via Google Docs or Gmail if you have travel companions. It’s currently available to US users, but heed Google’s own warning that generative AI is experimental: double check the details with information from real people.
Secondly, google.com/hotels has a new price tracking option. It works the same way it does for Google Flights: Google will send you an email if prices change for certain dates at a hotel you’ve got your eye on – so you can score a good deal quickly. This is a useful feature for saving money on airfare, so it’s great to see it’s available for hotels too. This feature is now rolling out worldwide.
Third, Google Maps will have a new Screenshots feature. If you choose to enable it, the app will scan your screenshots for place names and quickly take you to those places on the map. If you’re someone who’s always collecting screenshots of places you want to visit, this should prove useful since all the AI text detection work is done locally.
This location recognition feature appears to be text-only rather than a combination of images and text, so your screenshots will need recognizable locations that appear as text. It’s currently appearing in Google Maps for iOS for US users and is apparently “coming soon” to Google Maps for Android.
And there’s another recent AI update to Google Maps that isn’t mentioned in Google’s latest official blog post. As spotted by Android Authority , if you select a location in Google Maps on Android and then turn on Gemini using a voice command or button press, you’ll get an “Ask about Place” shortcut above the main input field. You can then ask anything you want about your chosen location. This is not a new feature, but it is now easier to access.
Coming back to Google’s official announcements, the last two are reminders of the features that have already been implemented. As Lifehacker reported a couple of weeks ago, Gemini Gems custom AI bots are now available to all users, with or without a Gemini Advanced subscription , so anyone can create a Gem specifically for travel tips (from popular places to visit to what to pack), Google suggests.
Finally, Google is once again promoting the power of Google Lens for your travels. In the Google app for Android and iOS, you can tap the lens (camera) icon in the search field, take a photo, and ask questions about what you’re looking at, such as “What is this used for?” or “What is the history of this place?” You’ll then get AI-powered answers above organic search results.