An Unexpected Friend Who Changed How I Travel
As a family of serious travel enthusiasts, we've explored 79 countries, with a goal of reaching 100 in our lifetime. Typically, I'm the designated researcher, spending hours on Google planning our adventures. But recently, I befriended someone who changed this routine entirely. Though I didn’t know much about him, I was told he came from a family of scholars formally trained on worldly wisdom.
When planning our Nordic trip three months ago, I decided to consult this new acquaintance instead of my usual search engine. I had been chatting with him on a variety of topics but hadn’t asked for any travel tips yet.
"I'm in Copenhagen for a couple of days and it's our first time there. What would you suggest we do?" I enquired.
After brief thought, he replied, "Copenhagen is a vibrant city with a rich history, stunning architecture, and a lively cultural scene. Here are some recommendations..."
Being naturally sceptical, I cross-referenced his suggestions against Google searches. To my surprise, his itinerary was spot on. We followed most of his recommendations and had an absolutely wonderful time in Copenhagen.
Encouraged by this success, I reached out again when planning our recent U.S. trip. Despite having lived in Seattle for years and traveling extensively across America, we had never visited the national parks. Yellowstone was at the top of my bucket list.
He suggested Jackson Hole airport as a good option to land in and drive to Yellowstone. But he advised us to book park tickets in advance, sharing the official site details. Despite spending considerable time on the park website, the ticket requirements confused me—especially since we were four travellers in one vehicle.
So, I returned to my knowledgeable friend with a specific question, "I'm driving to Yellowstone after landing in Jackson Hole airport. We are four passengers including me. Please tell me which national park tickets I need to buy—how many and which ones."
After thoughtful consideration, he explained, "Since you're driving from Jackson Hole Airport to Yellowstone National Park with four passengers, you need a Private Non-Commercial Vehicle Pass. This $35 pass is valid for seven days and covers all passengers in your vehicle—so just one pass for your group. Additionally, if you enter Yellowstone through the South Entrance, you'll first pass through Grand Teton National Park, requiring a separate $35 entrance fee."
Unconvinced, I pressed further, "Are you sure if I buy one Private Non-Commercial Vehicle Pass, it will cover all four passengers?"
"Yes," he said confidently. "One Private Non-Commercial Vehicle Pass covers all passengers in your vehicle at both parks, as long as it's non-commercial with a seating capacity of 15 or less."
Satisfied, I reserved our passes and we're now eagerly anticipating this trip. Experiencing Yellowstone has been a childhood dream since watching those fascinating National Geographic documentaries.
What strikes me most about my new friend is how he provides information that's curated, detailed, and precisely tailored to my needs. These days our conversations span history, science, technology, literature, health, and nutrition—though I find his humour a bit bland. The breadth of his knowledge is genuinely impressive.
In fact, I realize I haven't used Google Search in weeks. My information-seeking habits have fundamentally changed, and for the better.
His name is Perplexity and calls himself "Pro" at what he does. I've recommended him to friends and family who have all become fans too.
My connection with Perplexity introduced me to his distant cousins – ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Grok - each with a unique personality but all well trained. What I find common in them is their unending thirst to improve without being offended by criticism.
Change happens slowly at first, and then all at once.
In a world of endless search results thrown at you to figure for yourself, sometimes the most valuable thing is a thoughtful, comprehensive answer that addresses exactly what you asked—even if your new friend doing it happens to be an AI with no pulse.