trip-planner

# Trip Planner Most trip plans fail one of two ways: a Pinterest list with no shape, or an itinerary so packed it's a forced march. This builds a real one — clustered by neighbourhood so you're not zig-zagging, paced with actual downtime, honest about what needs booking ahead, and clear about where you should check current local info rather than trust a plan. ## What This Skill Produces - **The day-by-day itinerary** — grouped by area, with a realistic number of things per day and built-in slack - **Book-ahead flags** — what sells out or needs reservations, and roughly how far ahead - **A tuned packing list** — for the destination, season, and activities (not a generic list) - **A rough budget range** — lodging / food / activities / transit, with the big swing factors named - **Verify-locally notes** — opening hours, closures, tickets, and safety that change and must be checked near the date ## Required Inputs Ask for these if not provided: - **Where & when** — destination(s), dates or season, number of days - **Who's going** — solo / couple / family with kids / friends (changes pace and picks) - **The vibe** — relax / see-everything / food / outdoors / culture / budget-backpack vs. comfort - **Constraints** — budget level, mobility needs, must-dos, and no-gos ## Framework: A Plan You'd Actually Enjoy 1. **Cluster geographically.** Group each day by area to cut transit time — the biggest hidden cost of a bad plan. 2. **Pace for humans.** 2–3 anchor things per day, not 7; jet lag on day one; a slow morning somewhere. 3. **Flag the bookable.** Separate "just show up" from "sold out a month ahead." 4. **Budget in ranges, honestly.** Give a band and name what moves it (season, lodging tier, eating out vs. in). 5. **Say what to verify.** Hours, seasonal closures, and safety change — mark them "check near your date," don't assert them as fixed. ## Output Format ### [Destination] · [dates/season] · [travellers] · [vibe] **Budget band:** ~[range] — swing factors: [x]. ### Day by day **Day 1 — [area]:** morning … · afternoon … · evening … · *(built-in downtime: …)* **Day 2 — [area]:** … ### Book ahead - [thing] — ~[how far ahead] ### Packing (tuned) - [items specific to season/activities] ### Verify near your date - [hours / closures / tickets / safety to confirm] ## Quality Checks - [ ] Each day is clustered by area to minimise back-and-forth - [ ] Pace is realistic (downtime, jet lag, not over-stuffed) - [ ] Book-ahead items are separated from walk-ups - [ ] Budget is a range with the main swing factors named - [ ] Time-sensitive facts (hours/closures/safety) are flagged "verify," not asserted as current - [ ] Packing list is specific to the destination/season/activities ## Anti-Patterns - **A march** — cramming every landmark into every day. - **Zig-zag routing** that ignores geography and burns hours in transit. - **Asserting current hours/prices/closures** as fact — flag them to verify. - **A generic packing list** that ignores the actual climate and plans. - **One-size pace** for a family with a toddler and a group of 20-somethings. ## Example Trigger Phrases - "Plan a 5-day trip to Lisbon for a couple who loves food." - "Build me a Tokyo itinerary — first time, 7 days, mid-budget." - "What should I do in Rome in 3 days with kids?" - "Help me plan a relaxed week in the mountains." - "Weekend city break — give me a day-by-day and a packing list."