Apparently we're planning holidays like it's 1995 again - what's really going on

The very idea evokes flashbacks of perching at a desk in a high street shop, flicking through colourful glossy brochures while an assistant clicks away on a computer to book your holiday

And while things have changed since everyone went to the local travel agent (Luxury Escapes' new shop has a Champagne bar while many agents work virtually) one expert claims one group of Aussie travellers are shunning technology and returning to human experts.

Tripadvisor's Head of Asia Pacific Scott Wegener declared some generations in particular are being bombarded with so much travel inspiration on social media it's becoming "overwhelming and confusing."

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Instead millennial travellers - that's people in their 30s and 40s - are looking for human input.

And while he says that includes visiting sites like Tripadvisor, it also can also mean getting a traditional travel agent.

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"They are looking for sources that can help simplify and make sense of the information while simultaneously providing authentic human feedback and validation for their travel choices" he said on his podcast, Travel Chapters.

"They can help personalise trips and pull all of the pieces together, which is increasingly important to Gen Z and millennials.'

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With the war in the Middle East causing havoc for travel, it could ring even more true.

However, some research seems to spurn his view, with the antithesis of travel agents, AI being used by more travellers.

Southern Cross Travel Insurance found 40 per cent of Australians who travelled in the past 12 months used AI to assist with their trips.

Most used it to compare hotels, airlines and travel insurance, as well as planning the itinerary.

So, what's the truth? We asked holidaymakers on the Nine.com.au team - millenials and Gen Z - if they're going back to using travel agents or not.

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We got a mixed response.

Jo says she learned it's preferable after her brother stuffed up on visa requirements for the USA.

"They are the experts, especially when stuff goes wrong," she says.

Carina also benefited from having booked flights with an agent when she was stuck in Dubai when the conflict started.

"Ours was super helpful," she says.

Karishma say it was the better deals on her Virgin Voyages cruise that lured her back to an agent, which she hadn't used for years.

Maddison says she has booked her honeymoon with an agent as she wants that personal touch.

"I also feel like travel agents give better recommendations because they have so many people booked for different hotels, restaurants, activities," she says. "Whereas AI tools just pull random reviews out of nowhere."

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However, others say they steer clear of agents.

Some believe it costs more (it doesn't usually) while others say when they've needed help, they couldn't actually get hold of them.

"They wouldn't answer my phone calls, and I had to get my dad to physically go into the store on the Sunshine Coast.," Jessi-Maree says.

Joshua meanwhile, just planned his entire Melbourne holiday using a programme called Claude, eliminating the need for any human help.

"I was able to build out an interactive day-by-day, choose-your-own adventure itinerary that accounts for budget and provides a variety of real suggestion for activities," he says.

So it seems it's all about personal choice.

Of course Australia's best-known travel agent chain, Flight Centre, whose boss Graham Turner is interviewed on the podcast also pushed agents, especially amid the war.

Global managing director Andrew Stark claims it's always better to have a person to go to if you need them.

"The real cost is not having an agent when things go wrong - being left out of pocket, stranded and wholly on your own navigating airline policies, missed connections, tour buses and cruise departures, reduced schedules and global airspace restrictions," he tells 9Travel.

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