Last updated on August 29th, 2025
How to tell what’s real or not
by Kathy Buckworth
On the surface, what’s not to like about AI? It seems to gather information from all over the internet and summarizes complex issues, and basically, well, writes itself. You can ask an AI engine anything…and so I did.
As a professional writer, I asked ChatGPT to describe my writing style.
“Kathy Buckworth writes with humorous clarity, relatable honesty, and practical purpose.”
It’s almost like AI knows I am human.
And it must be true because AI said it, right?
Not necessarily. Especially when it comes to getting a first-person description of travel destinations and experiences.
AI can’t take a red-eye flight, experience the wonder of a whale breaching in the ocean, or taste the mango plucked directly from a tree in the heart of Antigua.
Do travellers trust AI?
In July 2025, Booking.com released their Global AI Sentiment Report, which gathered insights from 37,000+ surveyed across 33 markets. The main objective of the study is to find out how people are using, trusting, and responding to AI, both in and outside of travel.
- 91% of global respondents say they are excited about AI and 79% are familiar with the technology, though levels vary across regions.
- Despite widespread enthusiasm, only 6% fully trust AI and the majority (91%) have at least one concern about its implications.
- Only 12% of consumers are comfortable with AI making decisions independently, highlighting a clear boundary when it comes to fully handing over control to automation.
- 89% of consumers want to use AI in future travel planning, with AI assistants (24%) now considered a more trusted source than travel bloggers (19%) or social media influencers (14%).
What’s real and what isn’t with AI in travel writing?
While we know anecdotally that many travellers are using AI to create travel itineraries, we also know that some of the information included can be wrong. It’s important to check back through the sources provided for accuracy and timeliness.
I reached out to Mohit Rajhans of ThinkStart.ca, a Canadian digital media and AI expert, to ask him how travellers can identify what is written by a real person, versus AI, and if it matters what the source is: a person or a bot’s compilation.
Q: Digital guidebooks are popping up everywhere. How is the average traveller supposed to spot what is AI written?
Mohit Rajhans: “Easy. Watch for the travel writing equivalent of a stock photo. I’ve got to be honest with you; I feel like travel writing and coverage is going to be one of the last to find major use of AI. AI copy just can’t help itself; it’s obsessed with those fluffy adjectives like “breathtaking,” “hidden gem,” “quaint cobblestone,” but it never actually tells you where to get the best late-night noodles or why those cobblestones should matter to anyone. If every line sounds like it’s been ripped from the same overly polished brochure, it probably has been.”
Q: Got any dead-giveaway phrases to look out for?
Mohit: “‘Nestled in the heart of…’ is basically the ‘once upon a time’ of soulless travel writing. Real people will argue for hours over which ramen shop actually slaps at 2 a.m. AI just loves those safe, generic phrases. If the write-up tiptoes around the details like bus numbers, local lingo, or even what the air smells like, you’re probably reading a robot’s homework.
Q: Budget tips can totally save or ruin a trip. How can we tell if the cost estimates are just AI smoke and mirrors?
Mohit: “First off, the internet is still very tricky to navigate if you don’t have a referral source. Honestly, double-check everything. Find a legit travel blog from someone who was just there, and cross-reference with a local pricing app, which might include metro fare calculators, restaurant menus on Google Maps, that sort of thing. If the AI says dinner costs the same in Tokyo and Toledo, you can bet it’s using old data sourced from an unnamed source.”
Mohit: “Watch out for copy and paste advice. If a guide treats tipping, clothing rules, or local taboos like they’re the same everywhere, that’s a huge red flag. People who’ve actually been there talk about cringeworthy moments like accidentally tipping in Osaka and getting side-eye from the waiter. AI leaves out the awkward stories; real travellers are full of them.”
Q: So, how do we use AI without getting totally played?
Mohit: “Treat AI like the intern who’s a whiz at crunching numbers but has never actually been out of the office to a sales conference. Get it to pull the logistics: train times, visa stuff, weather, but always check those facts against official sites or recent traveller posts. Let humans tell you where to go for the vibe, and let the bot sort out the schedules.”
Final words of advice
Mohit: “Triple-check your sources.
(1) AI for the basic structure,
(2) locals for the real-life flavour,
(3) recent travellers for the “is-this-still-true” gut check.
Mix those together and you’ll get advice that’s smart, relevant, and not just copied from some ancient database. Safe travels, and just remember, the algorithm might snag your ferry ticket, but only you can decide if the sunset was worth the hassle.”
AI is also creating unbelievable and unimaginable photos and videos, some of them are more obvious than others, for example, anything with a unicorn, but some are deceptive and are shared quite innocently. For example, there was a widespread video of a cruise ship supposedly dumping human waste directly into the water, which was AI-generated and unfortunately shared broadly.
In general, look for blurring or smoothness in the images, and contorted body images, as well as the likelihood of the situation captured in the photos and videos. Seeing is not believing, so make sure to check reliable news sources before sharing content.
Nothing will replace the value of a real person going to a travel destination and reporting back in the first person. Thinking of a trip? Make sure to search Journeywoman.com first, as our writers have been all over the world, with experiences that are likely to align with your travel goals, not an AI algorithm reach target.
Kathy Buckworth
Kathy Buckworth is an award-winning writer, spokesperson, content creator and media personality. She is the author of six non-fiction books and a member of SATW and TMAC and has been part of the Writers' Union of Canada for over 20 years .Kathy is the creator, host, writer and researcher for the Zoomer Radio show and podcast, Go-To Grandma, which launched in 2021. She has interviewed hundreds of guests, and the show is in the top three sponsored shows on Zoomer. She is also the co-host of the Elder Wisdom Podcast, which has recently reached 100,000 downloads.
This is good advice to help travelers detect generic AI writing. I find a lot of articles and “experts” are talking about using ChatGPT to plan the logistics and transit of a trip, which it might help with *generally*, however, my understanding is that it’s usually not pulling from real time info (unless you’re using deep research or agent mode -which most aren’t). So it could be making things up like train times or flight deals, and people don’t realize it.
There are a lot of helpful uses of AI, but it’s important to know what it can and can’t do well.
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Fantastic thank you! And more to come!