Carly Quellman, aka Carly Que, is a multimedia strategist and storyteller at the intersection of technology and the humanities, investigating how perspective can enhance, rather than overstimulate, the world. She can be found online and near the closest south-facing window in Los Angeles.
If you're planning to travel for Memorial Day, you're not alone -- record crowds are expected to be traveling over the long holiday weekend. That means you need a good way to plan your route to avoid the worst of the traffic congestion. If you're anything like me -- you really like road trips, but you really don't like planning ahead.
Every road trip I've spontaneously taken has spiraled into anxiety because of the minute detail of planning. My brain immediately jumps to all of the bad things that could happen while on the trip, so why not plan for the road trip ahead of time?
A friend sent me a list of different artificial intelligence tools they used to make trip planning easier. This list included Curiosio, an AI trip planning tool that provides a map, budget and calculated trip length for you within seconds. My ears perked up imagining its potential output speed.
My nonnegotiables for an AI trip planner list includes a bright and accessible interface, little to no fees and inspiration for my upcoming trip. Curioso delivered.
The tool was created by Vas Mylko and Roman Bilusiak to support solo, budget conscious and multi-stop travelers seeking personalized road trip experiences that feature cost breakdowns and flexible itineraries.
The free, AI-powered platform offers features like route optimization, detailed itineraries with maps, cost and time breakdowns and detailed guides to destinations.
Between its Geek, Travel and Beta modes, Curiosio compiles quite a few tools to help navigate and embellish your getaway, regardless of what kind of adventure you're going on.
What I particularly enjoyed about Curiosio was the focus on road trips instead of trying to be an all in one travel planner. I also enjoyed its country-specific branding includes a hot air balloon adorned with each nation's flag, and its typeface that is reminiscent of an Indiana Jones PC game. With many sleek, yet sterile, tech brands on the market, I thought this gave the website a sweet touch.
Let's first break down the three modes within Curiosio: Travel, Geek and Beta.
Travel Modeis for on the go travelers or busybodies who want a simplified, real time guide. Needless to say, this is the category I fall into. Here you can follow your itinerary with directions and context-aware tips. This is perfect if you want hands off the wheel type of support.
There's also Geek Mode, for the detail driven, perfectionist folks who want control over every detail of their trip. Direct that friend or partner over to this mode so they can put all that energy in Curiosio, and not on you. Here you can customize routing, add filters and use logic to the best of your planning ability.
And lastly, Beta Mode, is for the innovative, experimental type who not only thrives off novelty, but loves diving into a new thing before anyone else. Here you can get access to AI enhancements (and bugs) but also try out new features. At the time of writing, Curiosio was developing its membership to focus on the travel experience.
This is how to use Curiosio's travel tool:
Curiosio is simple, yet ideal tool for independent travelers who crave flexibility, customization and a touch of adventure -- especially those planning multi-stop road trips.
I see it as a great fit for digital nomads, couples, small groups or anyone taking a chaotic road trip with family who want a streamlined way to map out detailed itineraries without relying on prepackaged tours.
If you're someone who enjoys the planning process but wants help optimizing routes while also discovering hidden gems, Curiosio can be a time saving, dopamine-boosting tool. It's also particularly useful for travelers who are budget conscious but still want well rounded travel experiences with context tailored to the places they're going. I found the tool easy to navigate and it definitely helped me save time.
Now, Curiosio might not be the best choice for travelers seeking all-inclusive vacations, group tours or very spontaneous getaways. If you prefer to book flights and resorts, or if your travel is centered around staying in one city the entire time, the platform's road trip focused approach may feel unnecessary and somewhat rudimentary.
It's safe to say that if you're seeking an easy, functional and road trip focused AI tool to both support and speed up your planning process, Curiosio is a simple, yet functional option.
Planning in seconds is an ideal type of compromise. Now If only it could pack for me, too.
