Sharing a short essay that arrived in my inbox today, courtesy of Dense Discovery — a newsletter about design, tech, sustainability and urbanism curated by Kai Brach, based in Melbourne, Australia. Do we travel for transformation or validation? It's always interesting to hear what thought leaders "outside" the travel industry have to say about the state of tourism, so I'm sharing Kai's article with his permission. There's a few good points in this piece, including how touristic travel (e.g. mass tourism) can import more culture to a destination than it exports. I also agree that seeking validation on social media is drowning out good quality travel content. There's some truth to Kai's point about escapism. Consider this: the biggest competitor to a travel agent is the electronics shop, where consumers can instead buy a new 50" flatscreen TV. In this scenario, which "escapism" is worse? Buying a new TV or booking a trip on a cruise ship? 😅 However, I don't believe that all trave...

The travel industry is going through a total metamorphosis, and our AI overlords are taking the wheel. AI is leading the pack in this uproarious transformation, revolutionizing how we are gallivanting around the globe. Let's take a lighthearted look at how AI and GPT are reshaping the travel industry and delivering experiences that'll make you say, "Are you kidding me?" 1. Personalized Travel Recommendations: They Know Me Better Than I Know Myself! Oh, great - now even machines are becoming nosy! AI-powered recommendation engines are turning into your personal travel stalkers, crafting suggestions based on your preferences, past escapades, and real-time context. GPT models have joined the fray, digging through user-generated content to find the quirkiest, most obscure travel recommendations that fit your peculiar tastes. The result? A tailor-made travel experience that makes you wonder if AI has been spying on you all along. 2. Intelligent Customer Service: Robots, Unite! Human...