Generative AI lightens travellers’ mental load, British study finds

Artificial intelligence is bringing greater peace of mind to travellers; according to new research from the University of Surrey it acts as a “cognitive scaffold” for people planning trips. 

The study, published as a paper in the Journal of Travel Research, finds that AI tools can ease the mental load while still leaving the final decision with the traveller.

Based on qualitative interviews with British travellers, the researchers say AI redistributes mental workload in three ways. First, it takes on onerous tracking, sorting and coordination across the many moving parts of a journey. 

Next, it structures information to create a reflective “thinking space”, helping travellers step back and compare options. Finally, by setting a clear direction of travel, it empowers people to get started and overcome blockers, which in turn reduces the risk of abandoned baskets.

“Planning a holiday involves a series of interconnected decisions about transport, accommodation, budgets and activities,” said Dr Yoonjung Kim, a co‑author of the paper. “This can quickly become overwhelming, especially when travellers are faced with endless information and choices.” That hyper‑complexity makes decision‑making cognitively demanding and leaves many consumers feeling swamped.

The team argues that AI assistance is crucial to address cognitive overload and “information overload” within today’s tourism ecosystem, particularly for people with organisational or cognitive difficulties who have until now postponed or abandoned trips. 

“These findings demonstrate how travel technologies could become more inclusive by being designed to adapt to the different ways people think, plan and make decisions,” said Iis Tussyadiah, dean of Surrey Business School.

The findings also point to demand from those most affected by the mental burden of organising travel. For example, a 2025 Booking.com survey of neurodivergent travellers reported that two‑thirds saw AI as a way to reduce the stress of travel logistics. 

However, a June 2026 Travelport study, while confirming the growing sense of overload from proliferating options, also found that the trust needed for AI to shoulder this burden tends to erode at the point of payment.