Plan a week in Japan's countryside with ChatGPT in 6 hours instead of 18

Try it yourself

What you get

A day-by-day itinerary that fits your interests and pace, with towns, activities and regional food to try.

Tools

• ChatGPT (author used GPT-4)
• Google Maps, to check routes and hotels

Time / cost: About 6 hours of planning vs about 18 for a previous trip she planned by hand (per author)

Steps

1. Ask the assistant to interview you before suggesting anything: nature or culture, pace, rural or urban, season, food, transport.
2. Iterate until you have a route, then adjust it around your real arrival airport.
3. Pin every stop in Google Maps and check the drive times yourself.
4. Book hotels near each stop, and ask for backup options in case a booking falls through.

Copy-ready prompt

I want to plan a [length] trip to [country/region], [dates or season]. Before suggesting anything, ask me up to 6 questions about my interests (nature vs culture, activity level, rural vs city, food, transport, budget). Then propose a day-by-day route starting from [arrival airport] with: towns, one active and one relaxing option per day, regional food to try, estimated travel time between stops, and a backup option for each night. Flag anything that needs booking ahead.

Prompt written by AgentPlays from the source. Fill in the [brackets] and approve before anything is sent or bought.

Watch out: The author found ChatGPT's drive-time estimates were wrong. Check routes and opening hours yourself.

Proof / source

Detailed write-up The traveler's own detailed blog post, comparing the trip with one she planned by hand.