YourTour.com has brought an interesting concept to travel that seems like it could really stick: suggested tour. No, this isn’t a bag of canned packages from a tour company, it is the sort of custom itinerary you and your significant other have probably spent hours across days or weeks toiling over: where to go, where to stay, what to do.

Artificial intelligence (in a travel agent)
Artificial intelligence (in a travel agent)

The concept is simple: Select a basic destination (Italy, France, Florida …) and hit the “go” button. It builds you a suggestion, then lets you tweak either specifics (pick a different hotel) or — better — a few levers like how much relative interest you have in “Nature & Environment” vs. “Culture & Restaurants” or “Fun & Entertainment,” and some other things. Then you can hit the “Rebuild My Tour” button. It starts with default values of all of them the same to give you a sense of the best opportunities at the target destination.

If it sounds silly, give it a chance. I thought it’s much more like getting advice from a real travel agent who knows much more about what people usually like than what makes you different — until you start giving them feedback.

Good stuff! Try it and let me know what you think.