Save hours on your travel planning using AI (Steal my ChatGPT Prompt)

Save hours on your travel planning using AI (Steal my ChatGPT Prompt)

Go travelling, it’ll be fun they said…

Then BOOM, you have a new part time job just researching the next steps of your trip

In a month of travelling, I’ve already asked

• How do we get there?

• Where are we going after?

• What do you want to do there?

Multiple times a day…

There are so many details, so many questions and so many possibilities. If you don’t have a way of planning these details

Planning your trips can be:

• time consuming

• stressful

• draining

Not to mention a trigger for arguments if you and your partner have different ideas about things (I’ll touch on this later) Or, it can be something you actually look forward to seriously.

Planning travels can be hard

Especially if you like to know the details about what you’re doing…

Lauren and I are travelling south east Asia for the next 18 months

We’re currently in Thailand for another month and a bit

Then we’re going to

• Bali

• Vietnam

• Cambodia

• Wherever we end up next

  
  

The next places aren’t planned out yet

As of right now, we (just about) have an itinerary for Bali and our next month in Thailand

Which i made using this AI planning tip you’ll learn about in a few minutes

During this trip I’ve come to realise that there’s an infinite number of options about:

• What to do

• Where to go

• How to get there

  
  

and so on…

Then you have pass these details through a filter…

• Time available

• Your preferences

• Budget constraints

All of which can flip your plan on it’s head in seconds

Tips for effective Travel planning

I believe in keeping things loosely planned

We don’t need to know our itinerary down to the minute

But we do need to think about what we want, and get clear about that FIRST

I’ll give you an example from some of our travel preferences/criteria:

• Accommodation Budget: Under £500 per month, stay in Airbnbs, preferably for 30 days to get the monthly discount

• Must-Have Amenities: Air conditioning, reliable Wi-Fi, comfortable workspace, kitchen facilities, proximity to cafes and restaurants

• Stay in locations for 15-30 days to get cheaper accommodation

• area must be safe, have some things to do around it like local attractions

• Use 12.go to travel between locations, try to get pick-up and drop-off transfers to make moving between places simpler

• End the trip in a place with an international airport - like Bangkok (to avoid trying to get there in a rush or doing lots of travelling to catch a flight)

P.S I can’t imagine Thailand heat without air-con, the heat is INTENSE here.

We all have different preferences, but being clear about them will avoid arguments later

Questions to highlight your travel preferences:

• What type of accommodation do you prefer?

• What type of activities are you interested in?

• What is your overall budget and how will you allocate it across accommodation, food, activities & transport

• What must-have amenities does your accommodation need?

• Do you have any dietary restrictions or preferences?

• Do you prefer direct flights or are you okay with layovers?

• Are there specific attractions you MUST do?

• How long do you stay in each location?

  
  

Once you have your preferences, you can plan, research and think about things with those in mind

This makes the decision making process easier and more efficient

Managing Travel with a partner

Going travelling and thinking it’ll just be a breeze with no hard moments is delusional

It doesn’t matter if you’re solo, or in a group

You’re in a new part of the world

Doing things that you’ve never done before

You find yourself in completely new situations all the time

It’s supposed to be challenging, sometimes uncomfortable

But there are some things you can do to make make it as smooth as possible

Communication tips:

• Discuss preferences and priorities BEFORE you start planning

• Check in with each other regularly and adjust plans as needed

• Compromise on major decisions to ensure that you’re both satisfied

  
  

Planning Together:

• Use shared documents (like google docs, iPhone Notes) or planning apps (Notion, Asana) to collaborate on your itinerary

• Assign tasks to each other based on each persons strengths and interests

• Split the workload evenly to avoid tears

You and your partner might have different ideas about what your trip will be like

If things don’t match either of your expectations, it might create tension or unnecessary discomfort and arguments

Try to get as aligned as you can possible be before you even start travelling

Bonus Travel planning tip:

Travel planning shouldn’t be done by accident. You need to be intentional about it.

It’s best to block off some time each week to do it, completely focused and without distractions

We decided yesterday that we should do two hours, two times per week to tackle all of the little bits of research and admin that need to be done. We will do this together on the weekend.

How AI can Simplify Travel Planning

Lauren said to me yesterday “we’re going to Indonesia in less than 2 months and nothing is planned”

I started looking at Airbnb’s, and I was like shit, I actually know nothing about this place

If you need to learn about a place, plan a trip, and make it meet your preferences. I’ve got you.

My simple 3 step system to travel planning

(When I know absolutely nothing about the place)

1. Visit Youtube.com

• Search a country name

• i.e ‘Indonesia backpacker trip’

• I watch on 2x speed to see a lot quickly

• Open google docs or your notes app

• Shortlist locations and activities that look cool

1. Deep dive

• Search locations on Airbnb to check the quality for my budget

• Shortlist locations and activities that look cool

• Find answers to specific questions on Reddit

1. ChatGPT Magic 🪄

• Use my prompt to create a travel plan brief aligned with your preferences

• Use the brief to guide your planning (and ensure you’re on the same page with your partner)

• Get key information about the place, key attractions, weather details, safety and locations you haven’t considered

  
  

How to use the ChatGPT Travel Planner Prompt

Copy Paste the prompt below into ChatGPT

Tips:

• Add your own trip details after the ‘=’ sign

• Add your own preferences or edit mine to make it more accurate

Ask ChatGPT questions based on the answer if gives you to get the info you need

Copy the prompt

[Country]=
[arrival airport] =
[Start Date]=
[Total Duration]=
[Onward Travel]=
[Preferred region 1]=
[Preferred region 3]=
[Preferred region 2]=

Our travel Preferences:

- Work Schedule: 4-6 hours in the morning
- Accommodation Budget: £450 per month, stay in Airbnbs, preferably for 30 days to get the monthly discount
- Must-Have Amenities: Air conditioning, reliable Wi-Fi, comfortable workspace, kitchen facilities, proximity to cafes and restaurants
- Stay in locations for longer to get cheaper accomodation, area must be safe, have some things to do around it like local attractions
- End the trip in a location with major transport hub, we will need an international airport to fly out from, we are flying to [Onward travel] from [Country]
- Daily routine, morning work and gym, afternoon explore local attracttions and evening, relax or visit local areas for food

I'm planning a trip to [Country] starting on [Start Date]. The total duration of the trip is [Total Duration] days, divided into stays in different regions. We will arrive at [arrival airport]

Please provide a detailed travel planning brief including essential details (Give a detailed summary at the top, list the locations we have chosen, offer some suggestions on alternative locations and then Group each of the information sections per location), location information, transportation, accommodation options, safety of this area plus safety tips, local activities, whether it will meet total monthly budget of around £1200 for two people, daily routine, local highlights, and a sample itinerary. Include general knowledge and need-to-know information such as local customs, weather, or time of year details.

Here's the breakdown:

Preferred Regions and Duration:

1.[Preferred region 1]
2.[Preferred region 2]
3.[Preferred region 3]

Add some suggestions for regions or locations I may have not considered and give me some of the benefits and disadvantages of going there that are worth knowing about, include how we would travel there and any considerations we need to make for this place