Experience Seamless Travel with Mindtrip: Your Ultimate AI Travel Agent

Once upon a time, booking flights and accommodations meant relying on travel agents to handle everything—from reservations to recommendations on activities and dining. But with the rise of the internet, travelers gained the power to book their own flights, find lodging through platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo, and discover local hotspots through social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Travel became increasingly self-service.

However, a group of 12 seasoned entrepreneurs saw an opportunity to streamline the trip planning and booking process into one cohesive platform—without the need for traditional travel agents. Enter Mindtrip, an innovative new service that harnesses the power of AI and recently secured $7 million in seed funding from Costanoa Ventures. Their goal? To capture a share of the 10% of the economy devoted to travel and hospitality.

Leading Mindtrip is CEO Andy Moss, a successful entrepreneur known for building and selling companies like Roadster, FabKids, PopSugar, and ShopStyle. He is joined by Roadster co-founder Trey Matteson and Garrick Toubassi, who previously led Gmail's engineering team at Google and was an early adopter of AI and large language models.

Together, they recognized the escalating interest in travel discussions on platforms like ChatGPT and saw the potential to elevate it further. Natural language offers an intuitive approach to organizing travel: users can ask questions and get tailored answers, while an advanced AI system provides images, maps, availability, and booking details.

“One of my co-founders said: ‘Andy, what I really miss is having a travel agent. Twenty years ago, there was someone who helped us plan our trips,’” Moss shared, emphasizing the insight behind their idea. “And then, this light bulb moment just clicked.”

Moss provided a preview of the software’s minimum viable product (MVP), which looked remarkably impressive. The pilot data for testing included the Hawaiian Islands, and in real-time, the AI crafted a trip almost identical to one I had organized for my 40th birthday—except this time, it took seconds rather than hours, simplifying the booking and planning process. In essence, it was one of the most impressive AI demonstrations I’ve seen, featuring an intuitive interface that outshines many text-heavy platforms today.

Mindtrip generates detailed travel itineraries from mere chat prompts. It will enter public beta by the end of 2023, allowing users to create and organize trips by asking questions, complemented by imagery, geographical information, and availability related to potential destinations.

It caters to travelers inspired by platforms like TikTok and Instagram, meticulous planners who enjoy organizing every detail, and adventurous souls who appreciate a well-laid plan. “The concept behind Mindtrip is to leverage ChatGPT's natural language while providing an engaging consumer interface that seamlessly integrates maps, data cards, and flight schedules, taking users through the complete booking experience,” said Moss.

Mindtrip aims to offer an AI-powered assistant that delivers comprehensive travel data, including maps with suggested attractions, availability for bookings, and curated recommendations for restaurants and activities—all integrated into a personalized itinerary.