Episode Details
Back to EpisodesVacation Planning with AI
Description
272: Vacation Planning with AI
In this episode one Vacation Planning with AI, Meryl discusses using AI tools like Claude, ChatGPT, Copilot, and others to plan their upcoming summer road trip out west in their Sprinter van. She shares her experience asking the AI for suggestions on stops, restaurants, activities and more along their route through states like Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma and others before arriving at Capitol Reef National Park.
She also covers using AI to plan a hypothetical trip to Boston with kids aged 6, 9 and 14, asking for child-friendly museum recommendations under $40 total, outdoor activities, novels/websites to prepare them for the trip, and more.
Key Topics:
- Using different AI tools like Claude, Anthropic, ChatGPT, Copilot to plan a road trip
- Asking for stop suggestions with specific interests like hiking, cycling, kayaking, historic sites
- Getting restaurant recommendations for certain cuisines and price ranges near highways
- Planning a family trip to Boston with age-appropriate activities under a budget
- Requesting book/website recommendations to prepare kids for the Boston trip
- Tips for crafting effective prompts when using AI for planning
In Summary: Meryl summarizes the pros and cons of using AI for vacation planning based on her experience:
Pros:
- Using it as a family activity to introduce kids to AI
- Finds unique suggestions you may not have considered
- Provides a lot of relevant information in one place (activities, restaurants, books, websites)
- Allows for very specific queries (price ranges, cuisine types, interest filters)
- Good for getting a jumpstart on planning
Cons:
- Some responses were completely off-base or useless
- Incorrect information given at times (e.g. non-existent books)
- Still has limitations, paid versions likely much better
- Requires learning how to craft effective prompts
If you want to follow along on Meryl’s real trip out west, you can do that by following show sponsor FundaFunda Academy’s Instagram account – https://www.instagram.com/fun