16 Jun A tailor-made private trip versus AI
I have just returned from guiding a tailor made private trip for two lovely guests which was a real pleasure. This couple want hiking to be part of their retirement plans. So we started with an experience for them to see how they liked it.
AI is on the lips of many industry colleagues, as well as the idea that some are using AI to produce trip itineraries. Being on the ground, guiding trips that I have planned for clients, I feel I am in a good position to comment.
The trip that I just finished is good example as to why a tailor made private trip versus AI is different and why AI cannot create the same experience.
Savouring surprises
Recently in the Alps we have had some pretty severe end-of-season storms. These saw a lot of trees fall onto trails. Many small streams have also appeared on trails and completely washed out areas following heavy rainfall. While some of these are documented online, many are not. In response, our team personally went to check a lot of trails to be able to decide which were in a good enough condition to hike with clients. Naturally, we love this part of the job, as we like the surprises. For us this is the beginning of the difference between a tailor-made private trip versus AI
Computers don’t get vertigo
Many of the trails in Switzerland involve sections where the drop-off can be very intimidating. This makes them unsuitable for a hiker with a fear of heights, as was the case with this trip. Because the locals are accustomed to the environment the descriptions of the trails online do not always take this into consideration, unless it is an extreme case. For someone with vertigo it often does not take much of a precipice to feel uncomfortable.
Human preparation vs AI
To summarise, we hiked three different routes before this trip and discounted all three. Reasons included the state of the trail, the intimidating landscape and the prevalence of ticks. So we struck these hikes off the list immediately. We eventually settled on a hike that was scenic, not too difficult but still offered a good dose of cardio. This is what we call attention to detail, and something we see as more than necessary to get the quality of tailor made private hiking for our type of clients. Who are our sort of clients? People who work hard and deliver excellence in their professions so they deserve at least that when they travel and take time for themselves.
Alterations on the fly
No AI itinerary can change in response to on-the-day weather changes. This is why tailor-made trip planning does not stop on arrival day. During this trip things changed dramatically. The couple had originally wanted to hike alone. This is not something that we do often because the trails can be much more challenging than expected if not adjusted to the ability of the clients and the weather that affects the terrain. This situation changed 45 minutes before the first hike started. So we changed things again on the fly. On a guided hike we can take a path that is not clearly marked: something particularly enjoyable if the conditions are right… and they were.
Tailored daily
The weather on this trip was eclectic. We started with snow and a cool breeze at altitude and finished with a sweltering 30 degree day. This meant daily itinerary changes. The snow at altitude meant that the glacier hiking would have been uncomfortable and the heat meant that we needed to find a hike with a lot of shade. These decisions were taken the evening before the day of each hike. We love this changing landscape of situations in the Alps and that is why we create tailor-made private guided hiking trips.
We simply want our clients to have the best experience possible, which means the right one for the day, the conditions and the client. What we have noticed with the AI itineraries is that they are proposing the tourist attractions, the trials that are easily accessible and hence crowded. AI cannot get you on to quieter trails or more challenging routes as AI cannot yet replace the human factor or constantly take into account the ever-changing variables.
This may change, but today is not that day, as we like to say.
Warm regards from the mountains,
Danielle