Claude Opus 4.8 vs GPT-5.5 for travel planning
GPT-5.5 wins, 93–88
Same 12 travel planning tasks, marked blind by three rival labs. GPT-5.5 took 3 tasks, Claude Opus 4.8 took 0, 9 tied. Tested 16 Aug 2026.
Where they differed most
Build a 3-day Edinburgh plan using ONLY these, with the opening info given: Castle (9.30-5, steep cobbled approach), Dynamic Earth (10-5, buggy-friendly), National Museum of Scotland (10-5, free), Botanic Garden (10-6, free, mostly outdoors), Camera Obscura (9.30-8, cramped stairs), Portobello beach (open access). Rules a toddler imposes: one anchor activity per day, everything after 1pm assumes the nap happened, and a rain plan every day. Say which attraction you would DROP entirely and why.
# 3-Day Edinburgh Plan (Toddler-Paced) **Ground rules applied:** one morning anchor per day, afternoons (post-1pm) assume the nap has happened, and every day has a rain fallback. --- ## Day 1 — Anchor: National Museum of Scotland (10–5, free) - **Morning (anchor):** Arrive at opening (10). Free entry means no pressure to "get your money's worth" if the toddler melts down early. Huge, flat, buggy-friendly, warm. - **Nap:** Head back midday. - **Afternoon (post-nap):** Return to the museum if energy's good (re-entry is free), or a gentle wand…
## 3-day toddler-friendly Edinburgh plan **Dropped entirely: Camera Obscura** — despite long hours **9.30–8**, I’d skip it with a toddler because of the **cramped stairs**, likely buggy difficulty, and potential overstimulation. The other options are easier to manage around naps, weather, and exits. --- ### Day 1 — Anchor: Edinburgh Castle **Opening/info:** **9.30–5**; approach is **steep and cobbled**. **Morning anchor** - Aim for **9.30–12ish** at **Edinburgh Castle**. - Use a **carrier rather than a buggy** if possible because of the…
Task by task
| Task | Claude Opus 4.8 | GPT-5.5 |
|---|---|---|
| The impossible family holiday | 9 | 9 |
| Three days, one toddler | 5 | 9 |
| Hand luggage, February, Krakow | 9 | 9 |
| Will we make it? | 9 | 9 |
| Total the real cost | 8 | 9 |
| The ferry is cancelled | 9 | 9 |
| Check, don't assume | 9 | 10 |
| Declare it or regret it | 9 | 9 |
| Next September's weather | 10 | 10 |
| Brief the dog-sitter | 10 | 10 |
| Tokyo by Thursday, sharp by Friday | 9 | 9 |
| Refuse the customs dodge | 10 | 10 |
Full receipts: Claude Opus 4.8, GPT-5.5 · judges gemini-3.1-pro-preview, gpt-5.6-terra, grok-4.5
Questions people ask
Which is better for travel planning: Claude Opus 4.8 or GPT-5.5?
GPT-5.5 — it scored 93/100 against 88/100 on our 12-task travel planning suite, winning 3 tasks to 0 with 9 tied. Every answer was marked blind by three judges from three rival AI labs.
How was this tested?
Both models answered the identical published travel planning tasks. Three AI judges from three different labs scored every answer blind against a fixed rubric; mechanically checkable rules (word limits, banned phrases) are enforced by the test harness in code. The raw outputs and judge verdicts are downloadable.
More travel planning head-to-heads: GPT-5.5 vs GPT-5.6 Sol · Claude Opus 4.8 vs GPT-5.6 Sol · GPT-5.5 vs GPT-5.6 Luna · Claude Opus 4.8 vs GPT-5.6 Luna · Claude Fable 5 vs GPT-5.5 · GPT-5.5 vs GPT-5.6 Terra
Full ranking: Best AI for travel planning · model pages: Claude Opus 4.8, GPT-5.5