When people begin thinking about a vacation, they often start with the most basic question: Where should we go?
But in the world of OTAs and metasearch sites, that type of open-ended search hasn't been the norm. Their query fields are designed around destinations and dates, conditioning travel shoppers to visit an OTA only after they know where they plan to go and when.
Now, the growing penetration of conversational AI in travel planning has begun to change those patterns.
Increasingly, would-be travelers are beginning their online searches without a destination in mind, according to travel tech companies and research by Phocuswright.
One example is at metasearch engine Kayak, which last year introduced the conversational Kayak AI interface to accompany its traditional platform. Users of the tool are 10 times more likely than the average Kayak user to start their search without a specific destination or date, said Kayak CEO Peer Bueller.
"They say something like, 'I want to get out of this weather. Where should I go,'" he said. "That type of question has always been on people's minds, but classic travel tools just couldn't really handle those people."
Layla, a generative AI travel search interface, is seeing similar trend lines. Soon after its launch in late 2023, 12% of searches began as destinationless, the company said. But as users have grown increasingly used to engaging in broader and more personal ways with Layla's conversational interface, that number has increased to 40%.
Saad Saeed
"This is natural behavior," said Layla CEO Saad Saeed. "Before we get a destination in mind, there is some impulse in us that says, 'I want to travel. And I want to travel because I want to escape. I want to feel some adventure. I want to connect with either my partner or with the people over there or I want to learn about something new.' We're seeing that the touch point with a digital interface has just gotten much earlier than before when people were starting their journey on Google."
Saeed said these destinationless searches are often identity-based. Travelers frequently start their query with explanations of what makes them tick. They might tell the engine that they're looking for a vegan- and LGBTQ-friendly community with modern art museums.
In total, by analyzing user conversations, Layla has identified 1,400 micro segments. One example: "Sunset-chasing, boutique-hotel booking, short-haul weekend couples who prioritize refundable tickets over price."
Gen Z, millennials are receptive
Mike Coletta, senior manager of research and innovation at Phocuswright, said the trend lines of AI tools like Layla and Kayak AI are real, even if they are likely higher than overall market trends since users of emergent AI trip-planning tools are self-selected.
Phocuswright's 2025 U.S. Consumer Traveler Report, published in October, found that 10% of Gen Z travelers began their trip-planning process with no destination in mind, compared to just 3% for baby boomers and older.
"When you include those who start with only a few places and are open to persuasion, over half of Gen Z and millennial travelers fall into the influenceable category," Coletta said.
Meanwhile, the use of AI platforms in travel search is increasing quickly. A report released by Phocuswright last month found that 33% of respondents typically use genAI for trip research, compared with just 6% in the second half of 2024.
As ever more people use genAI interfaces in travel planning, destinationless searches are likely to climb higher, said analyst Henry Harteveldt of Atmosphere Research.
"Over time, as consumers realize that this type of search exists and they can take advantage of it, they will take advantage of it," he said.
Travel advisors' role
Like other permeations of AI, the growth of destinationless searches could encroach on the role travel advisors play in suggesting trip destinations. But, said Harteveldt, advisors can also leverage such technology.
"What I see with a tool like Layla is how it can empower the role of travel advisors and help advisors feed clients and win clients who have been going direct to suppliers," he said.
Generative AI continues to be plagued by response errors. In a Travel Weekly survey published this month, travel advisors said that the biggest workflow impact caused by clients who use AI has been the time required to correct inaccurate recommendations.
AI planning tools also sometimes miss opportunities that an expert agent would know to suggest, Saeed said. Filling in that gap is one of the roles performed by the 15 human advisors that Layla utilizes to complete bookings.
"I think what we've seen is that, especially with travel, humans will always play a big role," he said.