Founder & AI Travel Lead
Federico S.
Founder of MonkeyTravel. Italian-born, builds AI tools for travel planning and writes about Italy, Southern Europe, and the AI side of trip design.
About Federico
Federico is the founder of MonkeyTravel. He grew up between Rome and Milan, then spent the last decade in product roles building consumer software in London, Berlin, and Lisbon. He started MonkeyTravel after watching too many friends spend entire Sunday afternoons tab-juggling between Booking.com, Google Maps, and Reddit threads — and getting to the airport with itineraries that fell apart by Day 2.
He writes mostly about Italy (which he knows well enough to be opinionated about), the AI tools reshaping how people plan trips, and the engineering tradeoffs that decide whether an AI itinerary is useful or hallucinated. He's been to most of Western Europe by train, half of Southeast Asia by motorbike, and no, he doesn't think AI will replace travel agents — he thinks it will replace the bad ones.
Areas of expertise
Posts by Federico

5-Day Puglia Itinerary 2026: Bari, Salento & Trulli | MonkeyTravel
Plan 5 perfect days in Puglia with this day-by-day itinerary. Bari, Polignano, Alberobello, Lecce, and Salento — where to eat, beaches, and real budgets.

7-Day Sardinia Itinerary 2026: Costa Smeralda, Ogliastra & South | MonkeyTravel
Plan 7 perfect days in Sardinia with this day-by-day itinerary. Cagliari, Villasimius, Ogliastra, Costa Smeralda, and Alghero — beaches, budgets, and practical tips.

5-Day Italy Itinerary 2026: Rome, Florence & Day Trip Guide | MonkeyTravel
Plan 5 perfect days in Italy with this day-by-day itinerary. Rome, Florence, and Venice or Amalfi Coast — real prices, train times, and local restaurant picks.

New York 5-Day Itinerary 2026: Day-by-Day Guide | MonkeyTravel
Plan 5 perfect days in New York with this day-by-day itinerary. Real 2026 prices, subway routing, restaurant picks, and smart neighborhood grouping across Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Travel Planning Overwhelm? Let AI Handle It | MonkeyTravel
47 open tabs, conflicting reviews, and analysis paralysis? Learn how AI trip planners cut through the noise and plan your vacation in minutes, not weeks.

How AI Is Actually Changing Travel Planning in 2026 | MonkeyTravel
42% of travelers used AI tools in 2025. But what does AI trip planning actually look like? What it does well, where it fails, and how to use it smartly.