This Family Travels the Globe for 12 Months, Guided by AI Travel Genius

Image generated with Ai

For the past year, Michael Motamedi, Vanessa Salas, and their two-year-old daughter have traveled around the world, relying on the AI travel expert GuideGeek to plan their itinerary. Starting in June 2023, the family visited Morocco, Spain, France, Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro, UAE, Maldives, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, and Curaçao, with AI guiding their choices every step of the way.

A survey conducted by Matador Network, GuideGeek’s parent company, revealed that over half of travelers, especially families with children, are likely to use AI for travel planning and booking this summer. Travelers can contact GuideGeek for free on WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook Messenger for complete itineraries or real-time travel advice. Since its launch 15 months ago, the AI has answered more than 7.7 million questions.

“Get creative and go beyond just asking for the best cocktails or tapas or whatever,” says Motamedi, who often asked GuideGeek to plan a day for him through the eyes of a famous person associated with the city he was visiting, such as Picasso or Dalí. He says open-ended questions can lead to fantastic discoveries you’d never think of — such as visiting the country of Montenegro.

“Montenegro was a total surprise from GuideGeek,” says Salas. “When GuideGeek picked it, we were both like, ‘What?’ But it was one of my favorite places we visited — beautiful, unassuming and not on any list I’ve ever seen.”

The AI also recommended memorable experiences such as falconry in Dubai’s desert, creating driftwood art in Curaçao after snorkeling, and trying eel soup on a remote Philippine island. Additionally, GuideGeek helped with everyday tasks like locating playgrounds for the couple’s daughter.

“As with any AI, you’re going to feel compelled to double check GuideGeek with Google,” says Motamedi. “But GuideGeek has gotten so accurate that we started just getting recommendations from it and diving in immediately. It has really freed us to be present with the places and people we’re visiting.”

GuideGeek now provides real-time updates on the status of recommended restaurants and attractions, including pricing and hours of operation. Through reinforcement learning from human feedback (RLHF), where curators monitored over 1.4 million conversations to train the AI and enhance user experience, GuideGeek has improved its accuracy from 85% to 98%. This high level of accuracy has made it a popular choice for partners seeking to engage with travelers.

“We’re launching custom versions of GuideGeek with DMOs all around the country — Illinois is the latest,” says Matador Network CEO Ross Borden. “Creators like Michael and Vanessa have been instrumental in road testing this technology and helping us fine-tune it to the point that travel brands across the world see it as a key part of their future.”

After their trip around the world, Motamedi and Salas have decided to return to one of their favorite stops on their journey for an extended stay: Barcelona.

“I love the food, and the ability to walk down the Gothic Quarter and get some chorizo and wine and just hang out with the people,” says Motamedi. “There’s so much more to discover in this city, and GuideGeek is going to continue to be a huge help.”

Motamedi and Salas have launched a podcast, “No Fixed Address: The World’s Most Extraordinary People,” featuring interviews with remarkable individuals they meet during their travels. Recent guests include a cuteness expert in Japan and Grammy-winner Macy Gray. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and follow Michael Motamedi on TikTok for more updates.