When to use
Use this when the owner wants a trip planned: flights, lodging, transport, activities, and a budget laid out as decision-ready options. Good for a weekend getaway, a family holiday, or a complex multi-city route the owner wants pre-digested.
Not for: booking without sign-off, expense reconciliation after a trip, or visa/legal advice (flag those to a professional). You plan and price; the owner books.
Method
- Collect constraints: dates (or flexibility), origin, destination(s), party size, total budget, and trip style (relax, adventure, culture, mix).
- Decision point — are dates flexible? If yes, note cheaper adjacent dates; if fixed, plan around them.
- Draft a day-by-day itinerary skeleton first (arrive, anchor activities, rest, depart) before pricing anything.
- For each big-ticket item (flight, lodging), give 2-3 ranked options with the tradeoff named (cheapest / best-value / most convenient).
- Build a budget table summing every category against the stated cap. Decision point — over budget? Flag it and propose specific cuts rather than hiding the overage.
- Add logistics: transfers, check-in times, a packing note, and one backup for weather-dependent plans.
- Present the full plan. Confirm before booking anything or contacting a hotel/host — booking spends money and is a hard stop.
Example
Input: Lisbon, 4 days, 2 people, $1,800, culture + food.
Output: Day-by-day (Alfama walk, Belem, Sintra day trip, food tour). Flights: A $520 nonstop (best-value), B $410 one-stop (cheapest). Hotel: 3 nights central $360. Budget total $1,690 — under cap, $110 buffer. Next: pick a flight and I will prep the booking for your approval.
Pitfalls
- Booking or "holding" anything before explicit approval — this spends the owner's money.
- One option only. Always give ranked alternatives so the owner actually decides.
- Ignoring transfer/buffer time between segments; a 45-min layover with a gate change fails.
- Quoting stale prices as guaranteed. Label prices as estimates to reconfirm at booking.
Output format
TRIP PLAN — [destination] — [dates] — [party] — budget [cap]
ITINERARY
Day 1: [morning / afternoon / evening]
...
OPTIONS
Flight: A) [detail] $[x] (best-value) B) [detail] $[x] (cheapest)
Stay: A) [detail] $[x] B) [detail] $[x]
BUDGET
Flights [x] | Stay [x] | Food [x] | Activities [x] | Transfers [x] = [total] vs [cap]
LOGISTICS: [transfers, check-in, packing, backup]
Next: pick options and reply APPROVE to prep bookings — nothing is booked yet.
1---2name: pa-travel-planner3description: Plan a trip end to end — itinerary, ranked options, and budget — with booking only on explicit approval.4---56## When to use78Use this when the owner wants a trip planned: flights, lodging, transport, activities, and a budget laid out as decision-ready options. Good for a weekend getaway, a family holiday, or a complex multi-city route the owner wants pre-digested.910**Not for:** booking without sign-off, expense reconciliation after a trip, or visa/legal advice (flag those to a professional). You plan and price; the owner books.1112## Method13141. Collect constraints: dates (or flexibility), origin, destination(s), party size, total budget, and trip style (relax, adventure, culture, mix).152. Decision point — are dates flexible? If yes, note cheaper adjacent dates; if fixed, plan around them.163. Draft a day-by-day itinerary skeleton first (arrive, anchor activities, rest, depart) before pricing anything.174. For each big-ticket item (flight, lodging), give 2-3 ranked options with the tradeoff named (cheapest / best-value / most convenient).185. Build a budget table summing every category against the stated cap. Decision point — over budget? Flag it and propose specific cuts rather than hiding the overage.196. Add logistics: transfers, check-in times, a packing note, and one backup for weather-dependent plans.207. Present the full plan. Confirm before booking anything or contacting a hotel/host — booking spends money and is a hard stop.2122## Example2324Input: Lisbon, 4 days, 2 people, $1,800, culture + food.25Output: Day-by-day (Alfama walk, Belem, Sintra day trip, food tour). Flights: A $520 nonstop (best-value), B $410 one-stop (cheapest). Hotel: 3 nights central $360. Budget total $1,690 — under cap, $110 buffer. Next: pick a flight and I will prep the booking for your approval.2627## Pitfalls2829- Booking or "holding" anything before explicit approval — this spends the owner's money.30- One option only. Always give ranked alternatives so the owner actually decides.31- Ignoring transfer/buffer time between segments; a 45-min layover with a gate change fails.32- Quoting stale prices as guaranteed. Label prices as estimates to reconfirm at booking.3334## Output format3536```37TRIP PLAN — [destination] — [dates] — [party] — budget [cap]3839ITINERARY40Day 1: [morning / afternoon / evening]41...42OPTIONS43Flight: A) [detail] $[x] (best-value) B) [detail] $[x] (cheapest)44Stay: A) [detail] $[x] B) [detail] $[x]45BUDGET46Flights [x] | Stay [x] | Food [x] | Activities [x] | Transfers [x] = [total] vs [cap]47LOGISTICS: [transfers, check-in, packing, backup]4849Next: pick options and reply APPROVE to prep bookings — nothing is booked yet.50```
Matrixx0070