The Human Touch in the Age of AI Travel
Why genuine connections and local insight will always outshine algorithms
Artificial Intelligence is rewriting the way we find, filter, and book travel. It promises a world where your preferences are learned, your itineraries assembled in seconds, and your confirmations sent before you’ve finished your coffee. The technology is powerful, and at Whalley & Ross we are excited about how it can enhance what we do. But here’s the truth: no matter how intelligent the system, it will never replace the quiet, deeply human art of knowing a traveller and their journey inside out.
A Whalley & Ross set-up in the remote Peruvian mountains.
We don’t hide from AI. It helps us refine logistics, anticipate needs, and even analyse past projects to better understand what our clients value. It will make certain processes invisible - removing friction from bookings, flagging new flight options in real-time, and streamlining pre-travel preparation. The aim is not to replace the human touch, but to amplify it, so that our time is spent where it matters most: with our clients, and with the people around the world who make their trips exceptional.
That’s where the difference lies. We are not just experts in destinations; we are experts in people. We know our clients well enough to understand when they want to get gloriously lost in a new city, and when they’d rather be met at the airport and whisked straight to a waiting suite. We know who prefers a perfectly timed museum tour, and who prefers to wander until they stumble upon a courtyard café. Those details don’t come from a form field - they come from relationships built over time, conversations that reveal more than they intend, and an ability to translate those subtleties into a seamless journey.
Equally, we know our network. The right guide is not just someone who speaks the language and knows the history; they are someone whose personality will resonate with yours. The chef who invites you into their kitchen in Sicily, the skipper who times your arrival in a hidden cove to coincide with the golden light, the art historian who shows you the city as if you’ve known each other for years - these are connections we have built in person, often over many years. They are the difference between a good trip and one you’ll talk about for a lifetime.
This is not to say we dismiss the efficiencies of technology. Quite the opposite. The future we see is one where AI handles the background noise so we can focus entirely on the music. Where automation ensures your car is waiting, your check-in is seamless, and your favourite champagne is chilled - while the human touch ensures that the driver knows to take the scenic route, the suite has the best morning light, and the champagne is poured at just the right moment.
There is also the matter of surprise - and here, too, the human touch is irreplaceable. AI can suggest what you might like based on what you’ve liked before. But that runs the risk of narrowing your world to safe repetitions: one flawless beach holiday endlessly replicated until the spark fades. Our role is to protect you from that comfort trap. We know when to gently push you toward something unexpected - a side trip, a hidden gallery, a table in a restaurant you’d never have found yourself - because we understand how much joy comes from the unplanned, the imperfect, and the serendipitous.
As more of the travel world automates, the luxury space will only grow more valuable for its humanity. High-touch design is not about doing everything by hand; it’s about knowing exactly where the hand matters most. In our world, that means human connection at every point where it can make the difference between ‘great’ and ‘unforgettable’.
AI will be a tool we use to enhance this - not a replacement for it. And that’s the point. The magic of travel is not in the efficiency of getting from A to B, but in how you feel once you’re there. The right guide, the perfect table, the door that opens because of a relationship years in the making - that is what turns a trip into a story worth telling. And for that, there is no substitute for the human touch.
