Build a Real‑Time AI Travel Planner with ChatGPT, Google Gemini & Plugins
(Step‑by‑step guide, code snippets, and no‑code automations)
Introduction
Travel planning used to mean endless tabs, price‑watch spreadsheets, and last‑minute scramble when a gate changes. Now you can ask an AI to search flights, book hotels, suggest events, and push real‑time alerts—all from a single chat window. With ChatGPT’s plugin ecosystem, Google Gemini’s multimodal agents, and dedicated tools like TripPlanner AI, you can assemble a fully automated travel assistant today, without becoming a full‑stack developer.
In this article you’ll get:
- A quick comparison of the top AI travel assistants.
- Ready‑to‑run Python snippets that fetch flight prices and trigger notifications.
- No‑code Zapier/IFTTT flows for booking confirmations and gate‑change alerts.
- A complete, reproducible workflow you can deploy in minutes.
Quick FAQ
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Do I need to code? | No. All three platforms (ChatGPT, Gemini, TripPlanner AI) offer plug‑and‑play stores. A few lines of Python unlock custom price‑watching or data‑ enrichment, but you can also rely on Zapier/IFTTT for a pure no‑code solution. |
| Is my travel data safe? | Reputable services encrypt data in transit and at rest and let you delete histories with one click. When you call third‑party APIs (Skyscanner, Amadeus, Kiwi.com), verify their GDPR/CCPA compliance and only share the fields you actually need. |
| Can I auto‑book when a fare drops? | Yes. Combine a flight‑search API, a serverless function (AWS Lambda, Google Cloud Run, or Cloudflare Workers), and a messaging webhook (Telegram, Slack, or Discord). The function can either place the reservation automatically (via the OTA’s booking endpoint) or send you a confirm‑or‑skip prompt. |
Why Build an AI Travel Planner Right Now?
| Trend | Impact |
|---|---|
| +420 % surge in “AI travel planner” searches (Google Trends, Nov 2023 – Mar 2024) | Demonstrates massive user interest and a rapidly maturing market. |
| 94 % of pre‑COVID tourism levels restored in 2024 | Travelers now expect instant, data‑driven decisions. |
| Open APIs from Expedia, Booking.com, Amadeus, Sabre | Enable end‑to‑end automation of price discovery, inventory checks, and ancillary services. |
| Airlines’ AI upsell engines are live | A personal AI assistant can beat dynamic‑pricing bots by acting seconds before price hikes occur. |
Architecture Overview
User ⇄ LLM (ChatGPT‑4 / Gemini‑1.5) ⇄ Plugin / API ⇄ OTA / GDS ⇄ Notification Service
| Layer | Provider | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| LLM | OpenAI, Google | Parses natural‑language requests, generates API‑ready prompts, rewrites itineraries. |
| Plugin / Extension | ChatGPT Plugin Store, Gemini Tools, TripPlanner AI | Exposes OTA endpoints (flight search, hotel availability, car rentals) as simple function calls. |
| Data Sources | Skyscanner, Kiwi.com, Amadeus, Sabre | Real‑time price, seat‑map, and inventory data. |
| Automation Engine | AWS Lambda, Cloudflare Workers, Zapier, IFTTT | Runs price‑watch scripts, sends alerts, triggers bookings. |
| Messaging | Telegram Bot, Slack, Discord, SMS | Pushes gate‑change alerts, price‑drop notifications, and itinerary updates. |
Step‑by‑Step Build
1️⃣ Enable the required plugins
| Platform | How to enable |
|---|---|
| ChatGPT | Go to Settings → Plugins → Plugin Store, install Expedia, Skyscanner, and TripPlanner AI. |
| Google Gemini | In Gemini Chat, click Add Tool → Travel Assistant and grant API keys for Amadeus and Booking.com. |
| TripPlanner AI | Sign up at tripplanner.ai, generate an API token, and copy it to your environment (TRIPPLANNER_TOKEN). |
2️⃣ Create a cheap‑price‑watch Lambda (Python 3.11)
import os, json, requests, datetime
from aws_lambda_powertools import Logger
logger = Logger()
SKY_API = "https://api.skyscanner.net/apiservices/v3/flights/live/search/create"
API_KEY = os.getenv("SKYSCANNER_KEY")
THRESHOLD = float(os.getenv("PRICE_THRESHOLD", "150")) # USD
def lambda_handler(event, context):
payload = {
"query": {
"market": "US",
"locale": "en-US",
"currency": "USD",
"originPlace": {"iataCode": "JFK"},
"destinationPlace": {"iataCode": "LHR"},
"date": (datetime.date.today() + datetime.timedelta(days=30)).isoformat(),
"adults": 1,
"cabinClass": "economy"
}
}
resp = requests.post(SKY_API, json=payload,
headers={"x-api-key": API_KEY})
resp.raise_for_status()
data = resp.json()
price = min([c["price"]["total"] for c in data["itineraries"]])
logger.info(f"Current lowest price: ${price}")
if price <= THRESHOLD:
notify(price, data["itineraries"][0]["id"])
return {"statusCode": 200, "body": json.dumps({"price": price})}
def notify(price, itinerary_id):
telegram_token = os.getenv("TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN")
chat_id = os.getenv("TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID")
msg = f"✈️ Price alert! ${price} for JFK→LHR. Book now: https://skyscanner.com/itinerary/{itinerary_id}"
requests.get(
f"https://api.telegram.org/bot{telegram_token}/sendMessage",
params={"chat_id": chat_id, "text": msg}
)
Deploy:
sam build && sam deploy --guided
Set the environment variables (SKYSCANNER_KEY, PRICE_THRESHOLD, TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN, TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID) in the Lambda console.
3️⃣ Hook the Lambda into a daily CloudWatch Event (or Zapier schedule)
| Service | Steps |
|---|---|
| AWS | Create a Rule → EventBridge → Schedule → rate(6 hours) → target = your Lambda. |
| Zapier | New Zap → Schedule by Zapier → Every 6 hours → Webhooks → Custom Request → POST to the Lambda’s API Gateway URL. |
4️⃣ Build a “Ask‑ChatGPT‑to‑Book” flow
- Prompt (in ChatGPT):
Book a round‑trip flight from JFK to LHR departing 2024‑10‑15 returning 2024‑10‑22, economy, price ≤ $200. Use the Expedia plugin and confirm the booking once you find a match.
ChatGPT calls the Expedia plugin, returns a list of offers, and asks you to confirm.
Click “Confirm” → the plugin sends a POST to Expedia’s booking endpoint with your stored payment token.
Result: You receive a confirmation number in the same chat window.
5️⃣ Real‑time gate‑change alerts with Gemini
Gemini can ingest a flight‑status webhook (e.g., from FlightAware).
{
"flightNumber": "BA112",
"departureAirport": "JFK",
"scheduledTime": "2024-10-15T19:30:00Z",
"status": "Gate Change",
"newGate": "C23"
}
Create a Gemini Tool that maps this JSON to a natural‑language message:
def format_gate_change(event):
return f"🚨 Your flight {event['flightNumber']} from {event['departureAirport']} has moved to gate {event['newGate']} (scheduled {event['scheduledTime']})."
Gemini then pushes the text to your Telegram bot via the same notify function used above.
No‑Code Alternative (Zapier)
| Trigger | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Schedule (Every 4 h) | Webhooks – GET → Skyscanner price endpoint | Retrieve JSON with lowest price. |
| Filter (Only if price ≤ $150) | Telegram – Send Message | “Price drop! ✈️ $148 for JFK→LHR – click to book.” |
| New Message in Telegram |
Herramienta mencionada: GitHub Copilot
