How to use Google’s AI Mode to visualise your travel plans this holiday
The feature is currently rolling out to users of Google Search on desktop as part of a broader AI overhaul intended to make planning, researching, and booking trips more intuitive.
Google is expanding the capabilities of its Search AI Mode with a new feature designed to help travellers better plan and visualise their upcoming trips.
The tool, known as Canvas in AI Mode, allows users to generate personalised travel itineraries that incorporate flights, hotels, maps, activities, and real-time information, all in a single interactive space.
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The feature is currently rolling out to users of Google Search on desktop as part of a broader AI overhaul intended to make planning, researching, and booking trips more intuitive.
Google says the travel-planning tools rely on Gemini-powered results and a new visual workspace inside Search.
To begin, users enter a query in Google Search describing their travel plans.
For example: “Plan a 5-day trip to Cape Town, South Africa with beaches, art museums, and affordable hotels.”
When using AI Mode, Google generates a rich summary of options for the trip, including recommended routes, stay options, and activities, and prompts users to click “Create with Canvas.”
The Canvas interface opens in a side panel and serves as a workspace where Google compiles travel options along with images, maps, reviews, and booking links.
This includes: Flight and hotel options drawn from Google Travel tools, photos and ratings from Google Maps and local guides, suggested activities, organised by location and time and links to relevant web pages for more detailed information
Unlike standard AI answers, Canvas is persistent: users can return to the workspace later, edit it, or revise their queries to refine results.
The Canvas interface updates dynamically as users ask follow-up questions, such as: “Show cheaper hotels near museums”, “Add local restaurants with vegetarian options” and “What’s the best way to get from the airport to the city centre?”
The system can adjust itineraries, swap out lodging options, or suggest alternate neighbourhoods based on preferences, making it especially useful for budget management and travel trade-offs.
Google is also enabling booking directly from AI Mode, through partnerships with platforms such as Booking.com, Priceline, and Expedia.
Users will soon be able to reserve flights, hotels, and even restaurants without leaving the tool.
This marks a shift toward what the company calls “agentic planning,” where generative AI not only suggests but also executes tasks.
Google’s new travel features are initially available in Search Labs, with the Canvas interface launching first on desktop before heading to mobile worldwide.
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