Google to launch new features for vacation planning

Google is expanding the capabilities of its Search, Maps, and Gemini services to make summer travel planning easier. Some new features are powered by artificial intelligence and come amid the growing popularity of tools like ChatGPT to help with travel itineraries, TechCrunch reports.

How Google can help you plan your trip

The AI Overviews section (a quick overview of information at the top of the results page) now offers travel ideas for different regions and countries. For example, if you enter the query: "Create an itinerary for Costa Rica with a focus on nature", the system will generate a selection of recommendations. The user can then view photos, read reviews, and view locations on an interactive map.

If you are interested in a particular travel option, you can use the Export option to share your route via Google Docs or Gmail. You can also save your itinerary as a custom list in Google Maps. This feature is currently available for English-language queries in the United States, on both computers and mobile devices.

Google also provides free access to the Gems tool, which is part of the Gemini ecosystem. This feature allows users to create custom AI experts for any need, including travel planning. For example, users can now set up a virtual assistant to help them choose a vacation spot and recommend what to take on the road.

Google has long supported notifications for air travel discounts, and now a similar option is available for hotels. All you have to do is specify the dates and direction of your trip, and apply the necessary filters — from number of stars to beach access. If the room cost starts to drop, the system will email you a notification. This feature will be available worldwide this week for both mobile and desktop versions of the browser.

To help you keep track of ideas that you usually "remember" through screenshots, Google Maps can now analyze images in your gallery and identify places that might be interesting for a future trip. Users can view the detected locations, add them to a list, and see them on the map.

As a reminder, Google continues to develop its artificial intelligence technologies. The company released Gemini 2.5, which outperforms most competitors in coding, math and science.

We also wrote that Google continues to expand the capabilities of artificial intelligence in Gemini Live. Now it can "see" through your camera and smartphone screen and process requests in real time.