I asked ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini to do something I normally handle myself, and the results surprised me

Published Sep 20, 2026, 12:30 PM EDT Beginning his professional journey in the tech industry in 2018, Yash spent over three years as a Software Engineer. After that, he shifted his focus to empowering readers through informative and engaging content on his tech blog – DiGiTAL BiRYANi. He has also published tech articles for MakeTechEasier. He loves to explore new tech gadgets and platforms. When he is not writing, you’ll find him exploring food. He is known as Digital Chef Yash among his readers because of his love for Technology and Food. I usually enjoy planning trips myself. Finding the right places, mapping the route, checking hotels, and building a workable schedule is part of the fun. But this time, I decided to hand the entire job over to AI and see what happened. I gave three popular AI assistants the same real-world travel problem and let each one make its own decisions. I wasn't looking for a perfect itinerary or a simple list of tourist attractions. I wanted to see whether an AI could handle the small details that usually take me hours to figure out. The results were more different than I expected. Same prompt I used on every platform One weekend, three planners Plan a complete weekend road trip for 6 people from scratch. Do not ask me to choose a destination. Instead, select the destination yourself based on the details below and explain why it is suitable.We will travel from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, from 25 September to 27 September, using our own 7-seater car and driving ourselves. Our total budget is INR 15,000 per person (INR 90,000 for all six), covering fuel, tolls, parking, accommodation, food, activities, and other trip expenses.Choose a destination that makes sense for a short self-drive trip from Ahmedabad. Consider road distance, driving time, road conditions, September weather, sightseeing opportunities, accommodation, food, and how much time we will actually have at the destination.Create a realistic day-by-day itinerary, including departure and arrival times, driving routes, fuel and toll estimates, accommodation recommendations, meals, attractions, parking, and activity costs.Prioritize an enjoyable pace over seeing everything. Avoid excessive driving or cramming too many activities into one day.Also include what you would skip, potential problems, backup options, estimated total cost, and anything we should book in advance. Clearly distinguish verified information from estimates. Models I used ChatGPT GPT-5.6 Luna Gemini 3.8 Flash Claude Opus 4.8 Even though I didn't mention a destination in the prompt, all three models independently chose the same place. I've visited it multiple times myself, so it was easy for me to cross-check the details and see how accurate their recommendations actually were. ChatGPT offered a detailed plan Planned more than I expected ChatGPT immediately gave me the kind of response I would expect from someone who had actually sat down and planned the trip. It picked Udaipur and built the entire weekend around it instead of simply throwing a list of places at me. What stood out was the level of detail. The itinerary went beyond telling me where to go and broke the trip into manageable parts, making it easy to follow without constantly figuring out what should come next. I also liked how it handled the possibility of rain. Since we were traveling in September, it suggested alternative activities depending on the weather, which made the plan feel more practical and flexible. There were a couple of small things I would have changed. The toll estimate wasn't accurate. Also, ChatGPT played it a little safe with the accommodation budget. Given that I had INR 15,000 per person to spend, it could have suggested a better stay instead of trying to keep the entire trip comfortably under budget. Still, these were minor issues compared with how complete and usable the overall plan felt. Claude was the slowest Slower, but straightforward Claude was the slowest of the three to generate the response. The difference was noticeable when I ran the exact same prompt across all three platforms, with the other two already giving me their plans while Claude was still working. Once the response arrived, it also picked Udaipur, just like ChatGPT and Gemini. I liked that the response stayed focused instead of turning the itinerary into an overly long travel guide. It gave me the main information without adding too much unnecessary detail. The bigger issue was the budget. Since I know Udaipur fairly well, I cross-checked the accommodation costs Claude mentioned. The stay cost wasn't properly calculated, and some of the figures didn't seem to reflect what I would actually expect to pay for six people. Because of this, the final budget showed us saving almost half of the INR 90,000 I had allocated. That felt like a missed opportunity. With that much room in the budget, I expected Claude to build a more comfortable trip rather than simply keeping the total cost low. The rest of the plan was fairly straightforward and easy to understand. Gemini was proper with budget utilization It kept the trip nicely balanced Gemini was the second-fastest to respond, so I didn't have to wait long for the plan. Just like ChatGPT and Claude, it also picked Udaipur as the destination. Seeing all three models independently arrive at the same place was already interesting. The response itself was much more focused. It didn't go into the same level of detail as ChatGPT, but I still got the important information without having to read through a huge response. The itinerary was easy to scan and gave me a clear idea of how the three days would work. The accommodation suggestion was another strong point. The stay cost mentioned by Gemini was quite close to what I expected. It also handled the budget more naturally and didn't leave a huge amount unused. The toll calculation was accurate as well, which made the overall estimate more believable. Overall, Gemini kept things simple while still covering the important parts of the trip, and I found that approach quite useful. I might let AI plan the next one This experiment made me realize that I don't always need to handle every small planning task myself. AI can take a vague idea, work through the details, and turn it into something I can actually use. I still wouldn't blindly follow an AI-generated plan, especially when money, timings, or bookings are involved. But having three different starting points made the whole process much easier. For my next weekend trip, I’ll probably let AI do the heavy lifting and spend my time deciding what actually sounds fun.