Google tips

Good morning from Skift. It’s Wednesday, May 15. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

Google is diving head first into AI-powered trip planning. 

Alaska Airlines is testing an AI-powered flight search tool meant to inspire travelers during the early stages of trip planning and help them redeem loyalty points.

In April, Cooper Wallace, a nine-year-old boy from the U.K., went viral after winning the final of the Gull Screeching Championship. Despite seeming niche, the event had a huge turnout of visitors from all over Europe and led to a peak in searches on Google for the tournament and its main vocal activity.

Tripadvisor offered a muted outlook across its major businesses, and attributed the softness to changes in Google’s travel search results pages.

Floridians and those visiting the state now have a competitive alternative to road and air travel.

Trivago’s first AI-infused TV ad didn’t play well in Latin America so the Germany-based hotel price comparison site curtailed marketing investments in the region.

When it comes to favorite summer vacation destinations that require a passport stamp, Americans are, well, all over the map with their preferences, according to new findings from Google. Search data breaks down the most Googled international summer vacation spots by each U.S. state, and Italy emerges as the No. 1 sought-after summer vacation in the most states, according to Google Trends. Several Caribbean hotspots as well as some Canadian destinations, like Vancouver, Whistler, and Mont-Tremblant, are also on the leaderboard.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Thursday, April 18. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

Google said Wednesday that it is releasing new features that share options for traveling in ways that are more environmentally friendly.

Google has announced several new features for Google Maps and Google Search aimed at helping people find less carbon-intensive ways of traveling and commuting.

What’s more American than a road trip? Like blue jeans and apple pie, it's so embedded in the culture that travelers from around the world plan a road trip just to experience our open highways and byways. From the iconic Route 66 stretching across the heartland to the rugged beauty of the Pacific Coast Highway, the US has no shortage of scenic routes. What sets the American road trip apart is the sheer diversity of experiences on offer, from camping under a star-spangled sky to exploring epic parks like the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone. “Road trips offer an opportunity to venture out and connect with a multitude of people and experiences,” says Samantha Brown, the television host behind Samantha Brown’s Places to Love on PBS. At its most basic, Brown says, road tripping is about freedom.

There are endless tips out there to help you pack for an epic trip — from the type of luggage to use to maximize space to whether or not to bring packing cubes, right down to creating a personal lookbook. But there’s one packing hack going viral on TikTok that you need to see — and all it takes is an Excel spreadsheet.

Planning an accessible road trip is getting a little easier for people with disabilities. There are more resources created by and for the disability community, and the tourism industry is starting to recognize the value of accessible travel. As a disabled, chronically ill, neurodivergent person, I take road trips every year and have learned some tips and tricks along the way.

Astro-tourism is one of 2024's biggest travel trends, but with so many of the best stargazing places in the U.S. in the nation's west, a road trip is the easiest way to visit them.

If you're looking to get away this summer, you may find inspiration from Google Flights' list of the top searched destinations for the summer of 2024.

Sponsored listings on Expedia.com and Hotels.com are a “significant” portion of Expedia Group’s advertising business, and the company is considering ways to launch them for the first time on its vacation rental platform Vrbo, as well.

​​IHG Hotels & Resorts is planning to release a trip planning tool powered by artificial intelligence from Google. 

Have apps, will travel. We rely on apps for pretty much every facet of life, and when you’re on the road, having a few travel apps queued up can help save stress, time and money, and make your trip so much better in very simple ways.

Washington, DC combines the best of all worlds – a highly walkable grid system expertly designed by the French and a manageable Metro that connects travelers across the District and beyond.

The updates, currently available only in English within the U.S. for users enrolled in Search Labs, utilize content from various websites and user-submitted details on Google. Itineraries are informational only, with no option for direct booking. Users can export finalized itineraries to Gmail, Docs, or Maps.