ChatGPT Introduces Route Search for Trip Planning

Travel platforms Rome2Rio and Omio have added OpenAI features that allow users to look up routes, compare prices and check transport options through ChatGPT. The service displays trains, buses, flights and ferries together, so journey details can be viewed in one place. Instead of checking several booking sites, users can type a question in plain language and see available routes based on current timetable data.

The companies state that the system uses live transport data linked directly with providers rather than estimated results. Routes, schedules and prices come from existing services currently in operation. This makes connections easier to review, particularly where journeys include several changes or combine different types of transport within one trip.

Users can ask practical questions about journey duration, departure times or available routes between cities. According to the companies, access to live data may also help show other route options if disruptions affect part of a journey. This may be useful when travel depends on connections between different types of transport or when changes affect one part of the route.

Search results can also highlight places that are often overlooked when planning trips. Rail and coach services regularly connect large cities with smaller towns that can be reached within a few hours. Seeing these connections together can make it easier to include less obvious stops in a journey, especially when planning trips that involve several destinations instead of staying in one location.

Planning trips often requires checking information across different transport providers. Seeing route options together can make connections easier to review, particularly when journeys include transfers or unfamiliar routes. As more travel services add similar tools, preparing a trip may involve less switching between separate booking websites when comparing routes, travel times and available connections.