Vacay is an AI travel platform built around semantic search: describe the trip you want in plain language instead of using filters, and it returns recommendations and itineraries. Uniquely, it also sells a professional tier aimed at travel advisors.
Vacay's argument is that filters are the wrong interface for travel. Nobody thinks "4 stars, pool, under $200, 2km from centre." They think "somewhere quiet where the kids can swim and I can walk to dinner." So Vacay leans on semantic search, interpreting what you actually mean rather than making you translate it into checkboxes. Around that sit three tools: a chatbot for recommendations, an itinerary planner, and curated guides written to be read rather than scanned.
The unusual part is who else it sells to. Alongside the traveller tiers there's a professional tier for travel advisors and agencies, people who plan trips for a living and need to do it faster. Very few tools in this category take the trade seriously, and it gives Vacay a different flavour: less consumer-app gloss, more working tool. The company cites coverage from the New York Times and NBC.
Recommendations come with direct booking links to providers rather than an in-house checkout, plus collections and local insights that read like they were curated by someone who has been there. It's less automated than Mindtrip and more editorial, which some travellers will prefer.
Pricing runs three tiers: a free Personal plan covering the chatbot, itinerary planner and guides, Premium at $9.99 a month for travellers, and Professional at $49 a month for advisors with a seven-day trial. Paid plans were US-only when we looked. The product is still evolving, and it doesn't match the booking depth of the bigger players. Verify specifics before committing money, as always here.
A good pick for travellers who describe trips in feelings rather than filters, and the most credible option here for travel advisors who want AI help without handing the client relationship to a chatbot.
