mickpletcher Travel Research Skill
Intent
Use this skill when the user is not ready for a full itinerary yet and needs stronger destination research first. The goal is to compare places honestly, surface tradeoffs early, and identify the best fit before handing off into travel-planning or travel-itinerary.
Use When
- The user wants to compare destinations, regions, or trip styles
- A trip idea is still in the research phase and the right destination is not settled
- The user needs deeper analysis of climate, seasonality, training value, crowds, budget, or travel friction
- The best next step is to narrow choices before building a day by day plan
Do Not Use When
- The destination is already chosen and the user needs a full itinerary
- The request is mainly about booking specific flights, hotels, or transport
- The user wants a finished travel budget and execution plan more than research
- The question is a quick one off logistics check that does not need structured comparison
Research Priorities
Always judge options against Mick's actual travel preferences:
- solo travel by default
- private rooms only
- BNA as the home airport unless otherwise stated
- value optimized, not backpacker cheap and not luxury
- preference for active trips, endurance anchors, and good photo worthy experiences
Focus on what materially separates one option from another:
- total trip cost and daily spend
- weather and season fit
- live or current flight pricing, weather normals, and crowd levels when available
- event or activity alignment
- transit complexity
- travel friction score across visa effort, flight routing, and in-country transport difficulty
- crowd pressure
- safety and scam friction
- visa or border hassle
- how well the destination fits the stated trip goal
Workflow
- Identify the trip goal first.
- Determine the comparison set:
- user supplied destinations
- a region shortlist
- best fit suggestions if the user only gives goals and constraints
- Build a direct scorecard for each option.
- Pull live or current data when the request depends on timing-sensitive facts:
- flight pricing from available public search results or user-provided fare data
- weather normals from reliable climate or weather sources
- crowd levels from seasonality, event calendars, booking pressure, or current travel sources
- If live data is unavailable, label estimates clearly and explain what source or assumption was used.
- Calculate a travel friction score for each destination from:
- visa or entry effort
- flight routing difficulty from BNA unless another origin is stated
- in-country transport difficulty
- Explain the tradeoffs in plain language, not tourism fluff.
- Call out strong and weak fit areas:
- budget fit
- climate fit
- activity fit
- logistics fit
- travel friction fit
- pace fit
- value for the stated season
- Recommend the best option and at least one fallback.
- State the next practical move:
- deeper research
- move into
travel-planning - move into
travel-itinerary
Scoring Weight Presets
Different trip types should not weight the scorecard the same way. Apply the preset that matches the trip goal and say which one was used:
| Dimension | Endurance training | Sightseeing | Remote work | Budget recharge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Activity fit | 35% | 15% | 10% | 10% |
| Climate | 25% | 15% | 10% | 20% |
| Budget | 15% | 20% | 20% | 35% |
| Logistics / friction | 15% | 25% | 25% | 20% |
| Value for season | 10% | 25% | 35% | 15% |
For mixed-goal trips, blend the two closest presets and note the blend. The weighted score feeds the Overall column; never let a destination win on vibe while losing on every weighted dimension.
Comparison History
Treat prior research as reusable instead of rebuilding it:
- when the user references an earlier comparison, ask for or reuse that output as the baseline and only refresh the timing-sensitive columns: flights, crowds, seasonal value
- when producing a substantial comparison, note at the end that the scorecard can be saved to Obsidian or notes for reuse, and offer a compact save format on request
- if a saved comparison is more than a season old, refresh live data before standing behind its recommendation
Shortlist Handoff
When research concludes, end with a handoff block that travel-planning or travel-itinerary can consume directly without re-deriving anything:
SHORTLIST HANDOFF
Pick: [destination] | Window: [dates or month] | Style: [trip style preset]
Why it won: [one line]
Locked assumptions: [origin airport, budget band, solo, private rooms]
Carry-forward facts: [flight range found, daily spend estimate, friction score, must-book items]
Next skill: travel-planning [or travel-itinerary if dates and route are already firm]
Comparison Framework
For each destination, check:
- best travel window for the stated goal
- worst travel window and why
- current flight price range or clearly labeled estimate
- weather normals for the target month or season
- crowd level for the target month or season
- likely flight friction from BNA
- local transport simplicity
- visa or entry effort
- travel friction score
- private room lodging value
- food cost and quality
- training or adventure opportunities
- scenic or content capture value
- overtourism pressure
- common traveler mistakes
When relevant, also compare:
- event calendars
- altitude or terrain
- rental car need
- ferry or rail usefulness
- remote work practicality
- carry only practicality
Output Format
Use this structure for substantial comparison requests:
TRIP GOAL:
[What the user is trying to optimize for]
OPTIONS:
- [Destination A]
- [Destination B]
SCORECARD:
| Destination | Budget | Climate | Activity | Logistics | Value | Overall |
|---|---:|---:|---:|---:|---:|---:|
LIVE DATA SNAPSHOT:
| Destination | Flight Pricing | Weather Normals | Crowd Level | Source / Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Destination A] | [Current range or estimate] | [Temp / rain / season note] | [Low / Medium / High] | [Source or assumption] |
| [Destination B] | [Current range or estimate] | [Temp / rain / season note] | [Low / Medium / High] | [Source or assumption] |
TRAVEL FRICTION:
| Destination | Visa / Entry | Flight Routing | In-Country Transport | Friction Score | Notes |
|---|---:|---:|---:|---:|---|
| [Destination A] | [1-5] | [1-5] | [1-5] | [Avg or weighted score] | [Main friction point] |
| [Destination B] | [1-5] | [1-5] | [1-5] | [Avg or weighted score] | [Main friction point] |
DESTINATION NOTES:
[Destination A]
- Best for:
- Watch for:
- Best season:
- Poor season:
- Estimated daily spend:
- Live data confidence:
- Travel friction:
[Destination B]
- Best for:
- Watch for:
- Best season:
- Poor season:
- Estimated daily spend:
RECOMMENDATION:
[Best choice and why]
RUNNER UP:
[Fallback and why]
NEXT STEP:
[Move into travel-planning or request deeper research on one option]
Constraints
- Do not give generic top ten destination lists
- Make comparisons explicit and decision oriented
- Prefer practical travel friction over postcard descriptions
- Use current sources for flight pricing, weather normals, and crowd levels when the user asks for a live decision or a dated trip window
- Clearly label live data, estimates, assumptions, and stale or unavailable data
- Score travel friction separately from overall appeal so a beautiful destination with hard routing does not look easier than it is
- If the user gives weak input, propose a short relevant comparison set instead of pretending certainty
- Hand off to
travel-planningonce a destination is chosen
References
shared/skill-standard.mdclaude/skills/travel-planning/SKILL.mdclaude/skills/travel-itinerary/SKILL.md
Help And Examples
Use this skill when the user needs to decide where to go before planning the trip in detail.
Minimum useful input:
- a destination shortlist or a trip goal
- rough date window
- budget or style constraints if known
Example prompts:
Use travel-research to compare Madeira, Girona, and Mallorca for a spring cycling trip from BNA.
Research the best October solo trip options for hiking, good weather, and strong USD value.
Compare Japan and Portugal for a two week active trip with good food, easy logistics, and private room lodging.
Validation Checklist
- The comparison focuses on real tradeoffs instead of generic destination blurbs
- The output reflects Mick's travel constraints and preferences
- The recommendation is clear and justified
- Live data is included or missing live data is clearly labeled
- Travel friction includes visa effort, flight routing, and in-country transport difficulty
- The next step points to planning or itinerary work, not more vague brainstorming