trip-planner

name	trip-planner
description	Generate personalized packing lists and pre-trip task lists for travel. Uses weather forecasts to recommend appropriate clothing and gear. Integrates with Google Calendar to identify schedule conflicts before departure. Use when user says "plan a trip", "packing list", "I'm traveling to", "trip to [destination]", or "what should I pack".

Trip Planner Skill

This skill generates customized packing lists and pre-trip preparation checklists based on your destination's weather, trip duration, and calendar.

Configuration

• Weather helper: ~/.claude/skills/trip-planner/weather_helper.py
• Packing template: ~/.claude/skills/trip-planner/packing_template.md
• Calendar helper: ~/.claude/skills/daily-planning/gcal_helper.py (shared)
• Output location: ~/obsidian/Working Memory/

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when the user:

• Says "plan a trip", "packing list", "I'm traveling to [place]"
• Asks "what should I pack for [destination]"
• Mentions upcoming travel and needs preparation help
• Wants to check calendar conflicts before a trip

Workflow

Step 1: Gather Trip Details

Use AskUserQuestion to collect essential information:

Required:

• Destination (city/country)
• Departure date
• Return date

Optional (ask if not clear from context):

• Trip type: Business or Leisure?
• Flying or driving?
• International travel?
• Will there be a pool/gym at accommodation?

Example:

Questions to ask:
1. Where are you traveling to?
2. What are your travel dates (departure and return)?
3. Is this a business trip or leisure?
4. Are you flying?

Step 2: Fetch Weather Forecast

Run the weather helper to get forecast data:

python3 ~/.claude/skills/trip-planner/weather_helper.py "DESTINATION" --json

Example:

python3 ~/.claude/skills/trip-planner/weather_helper.py "New York City" --json

Parse the JSON output to extract:

• Temperature category (freezing/cold/cool/mild/warm/hot)
• Rain likelihood
• Snow likelihood
• Packing recommendations

Display a summary to the user:

Weather Forecast for New York City
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Cold weather expected. Temps: 32°F - 45°F (0°C - 7°C)
Rain likely (60% chance)

Recommended: Winter coat, warm layers, umbrella, waterproof shoes

Step 3: Calculate Trip Duration

From the dates, calculate:

• Number of nights
• Clothing quantities using these rules:
  • Underwear: nights + 1
  • Socks: nights + 1
  • T-shirts: min(nights, 5)
  • Pants: ceil(nights / 3) + 1

Step 4: Check Pre-Trip Calendar

Use the shared calendar helper to fetch events in the days leading up to departure:

~/.claude/skills/daily-planning/venv/bin/python3 ~/.claude/skills/daily-planning/gcal_helper.py events DEPARTURE_DATE

Also check the day before and day of travel:

~/.claude/skills/daily-planning/venv/bin/python3 ~/.claude/skills/daily-planning/gcal_helper.py events DAY_BEFORE

Identify:

• Meetings that might conflict with packing time
• Commitments that need rescheduling
• Tasks that must be completed before leaving

Step 5: Generate Packing List

Read the template and substitute values:

cat ~/.claude/skills/trip-planner/packing_template.md

Template variables to replace:

• {{NIGHTS}} - number of nights
• {{DESTINATION}} - destination city
• {{START_DATE}} - departure date
• {{END_DATE}} - return date
• {{WEATHER_SUMMARY}} - from weather helper
• {{UNDERWEAR_COUNT}} - calculated (nights + 1)
• {{SOCKS_COUNT}} - calculated (nights + 1)

Conditional sections to include/exclude based on:

Condition	Include Section
temp_category in [freezing, cold]	COLD_WEATHER items
temp_category in [cool]	COOL_WEATHER items
temp_category in [warm, hot]	WARM_WEATHER items
rain_chance > 30%	RAIN_LIKELY items
trip_type == business	BUSINESS_TRIP items
flying == true	FLYING items
international == true	INTERNATIONAL items
nights > 3	NIGHTS_GT_3 items
nights > 5	NIGHTS_GT_5 items

Step 6: Add Calendar Conflicts Section

Replace {{PRE_TRIP_CALENDAR}} with:

• List of events 3 days before departure
• Flag any that might need attention

Example output:

## Calendar Conflicts to Resolve

**Dec 10 (3 days before):**
- 10:00 AM - Team standup
- 2:00 PM - Client call (may need to reschedule?)

**Dec 11 (2 days before):**
- All day clear - good for packing prep

**Dec 12 (day before):**
- 9:00 AM - Dentist appointment
- Pack in afternoon

Step 7: Add Destination Tips (Optional)

For common destinations, add relevant tips to {{DESTINATION_TIPS}}:

New York City:

- Layer! Subways & indoors are warm
- You'll walk 10+ miles/day — comfy shoes matter
- Apple Pay works on the subway
- Times Square is crowded — locals avoid it

International:

- Check visa requirements before travel
- Notify bank of travel dates
- Download offline translation
- Screenshot important confirmations

Step 8: Write Output File

Write the generated packing list to Obsidian:

~/obsidian/Working Memory/Trip - {{DESTINATION}} ({{START_DATE}}).md

Example filename: Trip - NYC (2025-12-15).md

Step 9: Summary

Display completion summary:

Trip Planning Complete!
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Destination: New York City
Dates: Dec 15-20, 2025 (5 nights)
Weather: Cold (32-45°F), rain likely

Created: Working Memory/Trip - NYC (2025-12-15).md

Key items flagged:
  ✓ Winter coat & warm layers
  ✓ Umbrella & waterproof shoes
  ✓ Business attire (3 button shirts)

Pre-trip calendar:
  ⚠️ Dec 14: Client call at 2pm - resolve before packing

Open the file in Obsidian to review and check off items as you pack!

---

Quick Reference

Weather Helper Commands

# Basic forecast (human readable)
python3 ~/.claude/skills/trip-planner/weather_helper.py "Paris"

# JSON output for parsing
python3 ~/.claude/skills/trip-planner/weather_helper.py "Tokyo" --json

# With date range
python3 ~/.claude/skills/trip-planner/weather_helper.py "London" --start 2025-01-15 --end 2025-01-20

Temperature Categories

Category	Temp Range (°F)	Packing Focus
Freezing	≤32°F	Heavy coat, layers, boots
Cold	33-45°F	Winter coat, sweaters
Cool	46-60°F	Light jacket, layers
Mild	61-75°F	Light layers, versatile
Warm	76-85°F	Light clothing, sun protection
Hot	>85°F	Minimal clothing, lots of sunscreen

Clothing Quantity Formula

Item	Formula	Example (5 nights)
Underwear	nights + 1	6 pairs
Socks	nights + 1	6 pairs
T-shirts	min(nights, 5)	5 shirts
Pants	ceil(nights/3) + 1	3 pants
Button shirts	3 (if business)	3 shirts

---

Example Usage

Example 1: Weekend Business Trip

User: "I have a business trip to Chicago next week, flying out Monday returning Wednesday"

Actions:

1. Fetch weather for Chicago
2. Calculate 2 nights → 3 underwear, 3 socks, 2 t-shirts, 2 pants
3. Include BUSINESS_TRIP sections (button shirts, dress shoes)
4. Include FLYING section (passport reminder)
5. Check calendar for Sunday/Monday conflicts
6. Generate: Working Memory/Trip - Chicago (2025-12-08).md

Example 2: Long Vacation

User: "Planning a 10-day trip to Hawaii in January"

Actions:

1. Fetch weather for Hawaii (likely warm/mild)
2. Calculate 10 nights → 11 underwear, 11 socks, 5 t-shirts
3. Include WARM_WEATHER sections (shorts, sandals, sunscreen)
4. Include HAS_POOL section (swim trunks)
5. Exclude COLD_WEATHER sections entirely
6. Check week before departure for conflicts
7. Generate: Working Memory/Trip - Hawaii (2025-01-15).md

Example 3: International Business

User: "Flying to London for meetings, Dec 20-27"

Actions:

1. Fetch weather for London (likely cold/cool in December)
2. Calculate 7 nights
3. Include BUSINESS_TRIP + INTERNATIONAL + FLYING sections
4. Add passport validity reminder
5. Add UK-specific tips
6. Generate: Working Memory/Trip - London (2025-12-20).md

---

Notes

• Weather forecasts are most accurate 3-5 days out; for trips further out, treat as general guidance
• The template is customizable — edit packing_template.md to add personal items
• Calendar integration requires the daily-planning skill to be set up
• Output files use Obsidian checkbox format for easy tracking