A Vision for the Future of Travel Booking

Image source: Ian Dooley via Unsplash

Travel planning and booking online sucks. 

Travel booking websites and apps have evolved into cluttered and difficult to navigate experiences. Poor user interfaces can lead to frustration and mistakes in the booking process, and deciding which of many options provide the best value or experience can be overwhelming. 

How has an interface and user experience like this become acceptable? 

It’s no wonder that such a terrible digital experience is fuelling the comeback of the Travel Agent. Recent data shows that over 50% of travellers are turning to travel agents for their booking needs born from the desire for hassle-free travel planning and the personalised touch that agents offer. 

So as legacy interface conventions stretching back almost two decades and outdated technical infrastructure continue to add complexity and drag to this broken user experience, we wondered what a digital travel booking platform would look like if we designed it from scratch, today. 

Simple

The first step, simplicity. How can we use the latest technology to remove all the unnecessary features from a future facing experience, making it as easy as possible for users to get what they need. 

Delightful 

Second, making it delightful. Using existing travel booking platforms is anything but delightful, so how can we create an interface and user experience that delights it’s users? 

Your Personalised Travel AIAgent 

Agent based systems that autonomously execute multi-step tasks and adapt to environmental feedback will be the foundation of the personalised travel assistant. Unlocking significant economic value for the user and for those organisations leading the way. 

Text-to-action capabilities are here, translating natural language into specific outputs, the result being your own personalised agent, or travel agent in this instance, ready to create whatever you envision. 

Your personalised travel agent will get to know you, know what you like, what budget you’re comfortable with and your preferences when traveling. A travel assistant that is online 24hrs a day, matching custom itineraries based on the information you feed it, whether that’s liking social posts, sharing articles or just talking to it. Your personalised travel agent will research locations and destinations, create personalized itineraries, find flight options, hotel options, car rentals, experiences and even book the whole trip for you. 

Introducing: Runaway 

Runaway is an AI-powered personal travel assistant that helps travellers discover and plan their perfect trip with ease, creating an effortless travel experience through advanced technology, personalisation and voice commands.

So how does it work? 

Conversational Search (Voice & Text) 

Say goodbye to dropdown boxes and messy screens full of filters and pop-ups. Just talk or type in sentences and your Runaway Assistant will organize the data for you, asking you to confirm at key stages. 

A Personalised Profile 

Just like you would with a travel agent, help your travel assistant understand who you are. Set up your profile with as much information as possible, share past trips, great experiences, your travel goals, likes and dislikes, where you like to go and what you like to do. 

Immersive Inspiration 

Connect Runaway to your world and it will get to know you. When you like a post on socials or see an article of a destination that inspires you – send it to Runaway and ask it to explore this destination for you. Discover new and exciting trips based on your preset and learned preferences. 

Itineraries curated for you 

Simply ask Runaway to build you trip itineraries, then sit back and let it do all the hard work. Runaway will research flights, accommodation, car rentals, and more, preparing detailed itineraries that are tailored to you and available to book. 

Personalisation & Customisation 

The future of travel lies in customisation and ease. Runaway envisions a world where planning a trip is seamless, offering users intuitive and adaptable experiences through AI. This ensures each trip is designed with personal tastes in mind. 

Runaway believes in elevating the travel experience by removing the hassle of planning. By combining AI with user data, they aim to redefine what it means to travel well, offering travellers the opportunity to explore without limitations. 

Express Booking 

Your Runaway assistant builds itineraries that are available and ready to book. When you’re ready, simply confirm that you want Runaway to book the trip for you, and it will be charged to your preferred payment method. You travel plans will be detailed in your trips and everything you need will be in this one place. 

Your personalised travel companion 

Choose your mood (relaxed, adventurous, cultural) and let Runaway customise activities and suggestions accordingly. Your virtual guide that offers real-time insights, historical facts, and local tips as you explore new locations.

Our vision for the future of travel booking is to bring simplicity and joy back to the process. Runaway represents a bold vision for the future, addressing the flaws of traditional platforms with AI-driven simplicity, personalisation, and convenience. Empowering travellers to explore the world without the usual stresses of organising trips. It exemplifies how technology can transform an outdated industry into one that’s intuitive, engaging, user-centric and ultimately, better.