Mindtrip, the artificial intelligence-powered trip planning platform that had been available in closed beta, made its official consumer debut Wednesday.
“We believe that AI will become the new front door for many things we do in life, including travel planning, and we developed Mindtrip to cater to exactly how consumers travel today,” Andy Moss, CEO and founder of Mindtrip, said in a release.
The product is coming to consumers after about a year of work, Moss told PhocusWire. And while he and his team are looking forward to getting Mindtrip into users’ hands, he said this first foray is just the beginning.
“We think AI and travel is … still very much in the early innings,” said Moss.
Mindtrip combines conversational AI with visual travel content that is meant to cater to all kinds of travelers, whether they are detailed planners or operating on a whim. It’s meant to simplify the process from researching to booking to experiencing to reminiscing. And the technology generates more than just chat responses with items such as full itineraries, calendar appointments, open reservations, images and maps.
Subscribe to our newsletter below
Travelers can book hotels and flights directly on Mindtrip's platform through its partnership with Priceline. Users can also book independently using external links, but those bookings can still be imported to Mindtrip itineraries. Similarly, Mindtrip partners with Viator for booking and content around tours and activities. Mindtrip also plans to partner with more booking agents for other activities, such as concerts and sporting events in the near future.
“We have taken the advancements of ChatGPT and combined it with rich travel content from thousands of sources – to create the most accurate and engaging travel platform available today,” said Moss. “It’s thrilling to be a part of an all new solution that not only will make spreadsheet travel planning a thing of the past, but one that is destined to make a wealth of travelers' dream vacations a reality.”
Users visit the Mindtrip website to take a “travel persona quiz” and to chat with Mindtrip’s AI. The conversations can range from general inquiries to specific queries with answers from a database spanning destinations across 30 countries. With around 6 million points of interest, Mindtrip has also used AI to summarize existing reviews for a top-level look at what travelers might be deciding to book.
In seconds Mindtrip generates a tailored, bookable itinerary that can be edited and shared with family and friends.
“[The fact that it is] editable is really unique because travel is fluid,” said Michelle Denogean, the chief marketing officer for Mindtrip. “You might book parts of your trip today and then over the course of months add things and be inspired by things and want to change it or edit it.”
Also during travel, users should be able to see what’s happening the following day according to their itinerary, with ticket information and more stored in Mindtrip. And Mindtrip remains functional and useful after travel too. Mindtrip users should be able to track expenses, “scrapbook” their travels and publish about their experiences for others to see within the Mindtrip community.
Ahead of its public debut, Mindtrip had already generated interest. The startup received $7 million in seed funding led by Costanoa Ventures in September. And industry leaders have shown curiosity around its functionality too. Founder and CEO of Magpie Travel Christian Watts recorded himself using Mindtrip in beta and shared it on LinkedIn, naming the platform among his top three travel discovery tools.
While Mindtrip is currently a website, a mobile application is a stop on its roadmap, Moss said. And it’s free to use for travelers - the company’s revenue model is based on affiliate relationships with booking platforms.
As far as the long-term, Moss, who had successful exits from Roadster with Denogean and independently from ShopStyle, said the team at Mindtrip is aiming to “build something big.”
“The travel industry hasn't actually seen that much innovation in the last 15 [to] 20 years,” said Moss, pointing to Airbnb as an exception. He said with the whiplash-inducing pace at which AI is advancing that “once you have a platform like this, then [it] opens up the next level of … opportunities.”