You might remember me talking about our extensive travel plans for 2023 a few blog posts ago. An unbelievable amount of time goes into planning a good trip – watching scads of YouTube videos, reading travel blogs, articles, etc.
Travel, especially overseas, is expensive and you’re never quite sure if you’ll make it back to that particular destination so it’s important to make the most good memories for your buck.
Yesterday, I finally got access to the AI Chatbot everyone is talking about these days, ChatGPT. Since travel is in the forefront of my mind currently I decided this is the subject matter I’d use for my inaugural test.
I began with the prompt:
Build me a seven day itinerary for Ireland in September.
Following was ChatGPT’s response:
Sure, here's a seven day itinerary for Ireland in September:
Day 1: Dublin
Arrive in Dublin and spend the day exploring the city. Visit the famous Trinity College and see the Book of Kells. Take a stroll through St. Stephen's Green Park and have a pint of Guinness at the Guinness Storehouse.
Day 2: Wicklow Mountains and Glendalough
Take a day trip to the Wicklow Mountains and visit the stunning Glendalough, a monastic site that dates back to the 6th century. Take a hike through the beautiful mountains and enjoy the breathtaking views.
Day 3: Cork
Travel to Cork, a charming city in the south of Ireland. Visit the famous English Market and explore the narrow streets of the historic city center. Stop by the iconic St. Fin Barre's Cathedral and end the day with a pint of Murphy's Irish Stout.
Day 4: Ring of Kerry
Take a scenic drive around the Ring of Kerry, a stunning route that offers spectacular views of Ireland's rugged coastline. Visit the picturesque towns of Killarney and Kenmare, and stop at the historic Muckross House and Gardens.
Day 5: Dingle Peninsula
Explore the Dingle Peninsula, another stunning area in the southwest of Ireland. Take a boat tour to see Fungie, a resident bottlenose dolphin, and visit the ancient beehive huts at the Gallarus Oratory.
Day 6: Cliffs of Moher and Galway
Travel to the Cliffs of Moher, one of Ireland's most famous natural landmarks. Take a stroll along the cliffs and enjoy the stunning views of the Atlantic Ocean. End the day in Galway, a lively city known for its traditional music scene and colorful streets.
Day 7: Connemara
Take a day trip to Connemara, a stunning region in the west of Ireland. Visit Kylemore Abbey, a beautiful 19th-century castle, and take a walk through the rugged countryside. End the day with a pint of local beer at a traditional Irish pub.
This itinerary should give you a taste of the best of Ireland in a week. However, feel free to modify it to suit your interests and preferences. Enjoy your trip!
Having already done the research for this trip, I figured it might be a good test of the proficiency of the AI. Aside from at least one glaring error (did you find it?), ChatGPT did an amazing job of piecing together a well-balanced seven day trip to the Emerald Isle.
After this first experiment with Ireland I was hooked and had the AI create sample itineraries for a four day trip to Montreal and a ten day trip to London. I also asked for restaurant recommendations for Montreal and was equally impressed. The results get remarkably better the more specific your prompts are.
The results aren’t always perfect as the Fungie reference above illustrates (the dolphin died in October of 2020) but they’re good enough to be a competent starting point for a fabulous vacation.
If I would’ve begun planning these trips using ChatGPT it would have saved me many hours of research. I won’t make that mistake again going forward.
With as quickly as this AI is developing I wouldn’t be surprised if soon you’ll be able to type your travel dates in the prompt and the AI will find you the cheapest flights and best available accommodations as well as be able to lock in all of those reservations for you. What an amazing world we live in.
T R A V E L - T I P
Now we’re going to go from the most to the least technologically advanced travel tip you can imagine. This leather valet tray from Gustin has been my faithful travel companion all over the world these past few years. The snaps on the valet tray release so it packs perfectly flat when you’re traveling.
When you get to your travel destination you simply secure the four snaps and you instantly have a tray to empty the contents of your pockets into every night. When you’re in unfamiliar surroundings and suffering from jetlag it’s easy to lose things. The valet try is a great way to insure all of the important and valuable things you carry every day stay with you.
The valet tray is currently out of stock at Gustin but similar ones can be found elsewhere online.
All for now. Trust your instincts, invest in you, live boldly, and take chances.
~Eric Vance Walton~
(Gif sourced from Giphy.com. Photos are original.)
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