I asked ChatGPT for unique travel tips and hacks. Some were decent — others were absolutely bizarre.

• I asked ChatGPT for its best travel tips and tricks in hopes of learning something new.
• Some of the AI chatbot's tips were practical, like using a packing app, while others were unhinged.
• It suggested I put tea bags in shoes, leave my phone at home, and navigate crowds with a hula hoop.

After using ChatGPT to try to plan my recent trip, I wondered if it could help me hack my travels further.

I asked the AI bot to tell me some travel tips and tricks I hadn't seen yet.

The first list of tips ChatGPT gave me was pretty standard: Roll your clothes, use packing cubes, download offline maps. Nothing I didn't already know from TikTok, travel blogs, or experience.

So, I asked for more unique tips. Then I asked it again.

That's when things got interesting. ChatGPT's suggestions ranged from surprisingly practical to absolutely unhinged.

'Pack a power strip'

On a recent trip to Switzerland, I was traveling with a laptop, a phone, an external phone battery, AirPods, and a camera with its own battery, so a power strip wasn't a bad idea. I would need to do a lot of recharging.

Verdict: I almost took this advice, but my suitcase was already quite full, and I wasn't sure whether my American power strip would be safe to plug into a Swiss outlet.

I'm no electrician, and I don't like to experiment with currents. Still, this seems like a good idea for domestic travel.

'Bring a reusable shopping bag'

ChatGPT suggested I pack a reusable bag and use it for souvenir and grocery shopping while abroad.

This tip seemed reasonable and practical, especially for traveling to places that no longer provide plastic bags.

Plus, many brands make reusable bags that fold up flat and small, so it wouldn't take up a lot of space in my bag.

Verdict: I'm doing this next time I go on a trip.

'Use packing apps'

I'd never heard of any packing apps before, but ChatGPT recommended PackPoint. I tried it before a recent trip to visit family.

PackPoint asks how many days you're traveling, where you're going so it can check the weather, and what activities you'll do there.

It has preset packing lists to add if you're planning to go to the gym, go camping, or hit the beach, for example.

PackPoint's preset lists made me chuckle a bit. It suggested I pack a casual watch and a formal watch since I'd be working while traveling. It also wanted me to bring shorts even though it's winter.

But you can customize the default lists for a one-time payment of $3.

After paying, I removed items I don't pack, like a "printed trip itinerary" and added my own essentials, like face masks and a water bottle.

Verdict: I like making lists and usually craft a fresh packing list every time I travel. But it seems helpful to use my customized list of essentials as a starting point whenever I go on a trip.

This app might actually save me some time on future trips.

'Silicone Cupcake Liner Cord Organizer'

My phone charger, laptop chargers, and other cords can definitely get tangled in my bag.

ChatGPT suggested I get my cords under control by placing each of them in a silicone cupcake liner.

Verdict: My laptop chargers were too big to fit in cupcake liners.

I also didn't quite understand how this would work since my other cords would just be jostled out of the cupcake liners as they moved around in my backpack.

This seems like a waste of time.

'Travel Without a Phone'

This is where ChatGPT's tips started to go too far for me.

Here's how ChatGPT explained itself: "Rely on paper maps, physical guidebooks, and conversations with locals to navigate and explore."

I love using paper maps and chatting with locals for directions and advice. However, I don't love being out and about by myself with no phone in a new country where I don't speak the language.

Verdict: I would not voluntarily try this. That said, I did recently fly from New York City to San Francisco without a phone after mine was damaged.

It meant a lot of standing in line with no podcasts to listen to, no videos to watch, and no games to play. It wasn't ideal.

'Travel Without Luggage'

"Try traveling with just a small backpack or daypack," ChatGPT said. "Challenge yourself to be minimalist and purchase what you need along the way."

I always try to pack light, but it seemed difficult to have no luggage at all. Plus, buying essentials along the way instead of packing them doesn't seem financially practical.

Verdict: This is a similar vibe to the no-phone suggestion. No, thank you.

'Rubber Doorstop Alarm'

Here's one for people who have watched too many hotel break-in demos on TikTok: Wedge a doorstop under the closed door of your hotel room.

ChatGPT says doing so can prevent the door from opening if someone tries to enter. Presumably, you'd also hear the door trying to be pushed open.

The bot also suggested buying a portable door alarm.

Verdict: This wasn't necessarily a bad safety tip. Some hotel rooms already come with doorstops, so I'll probably try this next time I travel alone.

It might even become part of my routine, alongside checking for bedbugs.

'Balloon Navigation'

This one is a wild ride.

Here's what ChatGPT said: "Tie a helium balloon to your suitcase to easily spot it on the baggage carousel. Bonus: It adds a touch of whimsy to your luggage."

Verdict: I don't think the TSA would like this one.

Even if they let me check a bag with an inflated balloon tied to it, I'd be surprised if the balloon made it through the baggage handlers and to my final destination still inflated.

'DIY Phone Stand'

ChatGPT instructed me to make a phone stand out of my sunglasses.

"Fold the arms of the sunglasses to create a stable base, allowing you to watch movies hands-free," it explained.

I wasn't sure how to do that, but I tried at least five different ways of folding my glasses.

I think the phone was too heavy — it kept immediately sliding down, flopping over, or causing the glasses to collapse under it.

The best I could achieve was a very slight elevation.

Verdict: This seems worse than what I normally do to prop up my phone, which is lean it against a water bottle or something else heavy.

Maybe ChatGPT thought this would help me watch movies during flights, but it doesn't change the fact that I'd still have to bend my neck to look down at the phone on the tray table.

'Aromatherapy Socks'

The bot suggested packing tea bags with "pleasant scents" in your socks and shoes to "keep things fresh."

I've never really had a problem keeping shoes fresh in my luggage. If anything, the dirty laundry that builds up over a week or more of travel is what needs freshening. Still, I gave this one a shot.

I put a sprig of rosemary in one of my gym shoes and two mint tea bags in another. I also put a sachet filled with lavender in a third shoe.

A few days later, I pulled the shoes out of my suitcase and did a smell test. They still had the faint gym-shoe smell like before, but now with mint.

Verdict: This was a waste of two perfectly good tea bags.

'Hula Hoop for Personal Space'

Here's a great way to blend in with the locals, courtesy of ChatGPT: "Pack a collapsible hula hoop to create a personal space barrier in crowded places. Simply spin it around you, and voila—your own bubble of personal space!"

Verdict: This is a joke, right?

Overall, I think all the best travel hacks have already been discovered

In the end, I wouldn't use most of these wacky suggestions.

I might keep the packing app and carry a folded-up shopping bag with me, but that's nothing revolutionary.

ChatGPT's ideas led me to the conclusion that all the good travel hacks are already out there. As far as I (and ChatGPT) can tell, there are no more secrets to uncover.