Quick answer: use AI to research and get inspired, then bring in a South Pacific specialist to make sure the trip is actually bookable, realistically paced, and right for you.

A few weeks ago, a mom reached out to me because an AI chatbot told her to.

She was planning a trip to American Samoa with her kids and wanted real support along the way, someone who could help her navigate a destination where flights are limited and options are few. When she asked AI for help, it recognized this wasn’t a trip to figure out alone and suggested she find a travel advisor. It couldn’t find anyone who specializes in American Samoa specifically (it’s about as niche as destinations get), so it pointed her to me instead, someone it had flagged as knowledgeable about South Pacific travel more broadly. American Samoa isn’t my specialty, but I do know how to support travel in remote areas and a parent navigating a destination where the logistics take real planning.

Around the same time, a couple planning their honeymoon in French Polynesia had a similar experience. They’d been using AI to explore ideas, and by the time we got on a call, they already had a list of smart questions ready and a good sense of what working with an advisor should look like.

More and more of you are starting your trip research with AI, and that’s a good thing. Here’s how I’d recommend using it, and where I can pick up from there.

What AI Is Good At

If you’re staring at a map trying to figure out whether Australia, New Zealand, or French Polynesia is the right fit for your trip, AI is a useful place to start. It’s fast at:

• Generating a broad list of things to see and do so you’re not starting from zero
• Comparing destinations side by side
• Sketching a rough shape for your trip, a starting outline rather than a finished plan
• Helping you figure out what kind of trip you even want before you’ve talked to anyone

Used this way, AI shortens the overwhelming part of planning. I use it this way myself.

Where I Come In

Half of what AI recommends for a South Pacific trip is exactly what I’d recommend too. It’s good at the what: the hikes, the snorkeling spots, the resorts worth considering.

Where I come in is the how. Which specific tour is actually worth booking versus the one that looks good on paper but wastes half your day. What to skip entirely. How to organize your tours – so you’re not getting back late at night and need to get up early the next day.

I’ve been a professional travel advisor for four years, but I was organizing complicated group travel for over a decade before that, long before it was ever my job. I’m a Virtuoso-affiliated advisor with specialist certifications in Tahiti, New Zealand, and Australia. None of that matters as much as this, though: I know these things because I’ve actually been there, not because I’ve read about them.

If You’re Content Booking On Your Own, One Thing Still Worth Double Checking

The one place I’d still verify anything AI gives you is transportation. It tends to assume flights connect the way they do between major hubs, and a lot of the South Pacific doesn’t work that way.

This isn’t only true for the small islands, either. There are only three direct flights a week between Cairns and Perth for example, despite both being major Australian cities. If a plan assumes you can hop between two places whenever you like, it’s worth confirming the actual schedule before you build a day around it.

It also may underplay how a tour involving a 2 hour drive there and back actually fits into your itinerary.

The Part AI Can’t Do, Ever

Here’s the part AI can’t do, and it’s the part I care about most: it doesn’t know you.

It doesn’t know that you’re traveling solo and want to feel confident, not anxious, about doing it alone. I’ve traveled solo to a lot of places myself, and I know what it’s like to want to feel supported without losing the sense of freedom that made you want to go solo in the first place.

It doesn’t know what it’s actually like to travel with kids: how much time to build in between things so nobody melts down, which amenities actually matter versus which ones are just marketing, or whether a hotel room’s layout will feel comfortable for your family or leave everyone tripping over each other. That comes from having stood in those rooms myself, not from a listing.

And it doesn’t know which places are warm toward LGBTQ+ travelers versus which ones just say so. In Bora Bora, there are only a handful of resorts to choose from, and I’ve stayed at every one. The ones with local staff tend to have a warmth you can feel the moment you arrive. One of my favorites is led by a wonderful trans concierge manager who sets the tone for the whole property. The resorts that fly in staff from elsewhere can feel colder, even when the view is just as beautiful. That’s not something a listing tells you. It’s something you learn by going.

Where to Go From Here

Use AI to build your wish list, get a feel for the islands, and start dreaming. Then bring that list to me, and we’ll turn it into a trip that actually works: timed right, priced right, and built around who’s actually going.

If an AI chatbot already sent you my way, request a consult and consider this the second half of the conversation it started!

Questions I Get Asked A Lot Early On

When’s the best time of year to go? This is one of the questions I hear the most, and it’s also a good one for AI. Weather and seasons are consistent, well documented information. Just keep in mind “best” isn’t one answer for a place this size. The right season for one activity isn’t always the right season for another, even within the same country, so it helps to be specific about the destination and what you want to do there when you ask.

What about things like currency, tipping, or cell service? This comes up early and often, and it’s a fine one to start researching with AI to get a general idea. Once we’re working together, I’ll walk you through the specifics for your actual trip: where to get cash out, what to do about cell service, tipping norms for where you’re headed, that kind of thing. Think of AI as the quick primer and me as the detailed brief.

What are the best things to do? AI is a good starting point here too, and a lot of what it suggests overlaps with what I’d tell you. The difference usually shows up in the details: which tour operator is actually worth booking, what time of day to go, and what’s popular but not worth your time.

How do I know if a destination is LGBTQ+ or family friendly, or just marketed that way? That’s where firsthand experience matters. I’ve been to these properties myself and can tell you what it’s actually like, not just what the website says.