Trip planning can quickly become overwhelming with so many details to juggle. When traveling abroad, you may face unfamiliar dynamics, such as navigating transportation, handling currency, or choosing between an Airbnb and a hotel.

ChatGPT is a powerful tool to help simplify the process, letting you tailor prompts to your specific needs and destination. Below are some ChatGPT prompts to make your travel planning easier and more stress-free. Each prompt will build upon the previous one as you are gaining more information.

This initial stage is all about brainstorming and dreaming, exploring different cities to visit, activities to try, and figuring out what makes the most sense based on your personal interests.

“Here’s my dream vacation for [insert city, country] I like [insert interests] and want my trip to be [relaxing/adventurous/or both etc.], and I have [X days]. Plan my trip around that.”

This prompt is great to use if you know that you want to go to a specific country but aren't sure which cities to visit, as this will narrow it down for you.

"You are the top travel agent for [city, country]. What do you recommend I do for my trip?”

This is a great prompt to narrow down the previous answer.

“What are the overrated places or activities I can skip in [city, country], and what underrated ones should I do instead? Include reasoning.”

This prompt allows you to work through what sights may be tourist traps or truly not worth the hype, while alos providing off the beaten path sites you may have not come across.

Based off the recommendations provided, input the activities you want to do, how long each should take, and how much time you need in between. Then, specify whether you want a relaxed schedule or a jam-packed one. This will provide a more realistic schedule based off your interests.

After deciding what you’d like to do, reviewing your budget and logistics can help refine or expand your itinerary.

“Help me set a realistic daily budget for [country/city] based on food, lodging, transport, and activities. Then include insights on where to splurge and where to save."

This prompt will help provide an estimate of local prices for activities and food.

“Create a [insert month/year] savings plan and budget breakdown leading up to my trip to [country].”

Sometimes the hardest part of planning a trip is the money, but with ChatGPT you can create the perfect budget-saving plan.

“Here are the countries/cities I want to visit: [list]. What’s the cheapest and most practical way to travel between them?”

Multi-city or multi-country travel can feel overwhelming when figuring out travel routes via plane, train or boat, but by inputting your plans and letting ChatGPT do the hard work, you’ll save time.

Once you've figured out your locations, you can prep ideas on where to eat and your packing list.

“Based on the cities you provided, recommend good places to eat that aren’t too crowded. Focus on local spots, hidden gems, and authentic eateries over tourist-heavy restaurants.”

Crowded tourist spots can make a vacation feel underwhelming, while exploring local gems gives you a more authentic experience and a chance to discover more neighborhoods.

“Make me a packing list for [country], plus a checklist of things to do in the final days before my trip."

ChatGPT will tailor your packing list to include location-specific essentials, so you’re prepared for the climate, culture, and activities of your trip.

In the end, using ChatGPT as your travel assistant can take much of the stress out of planning and leave more room for excitement. From shaping your dream itinerary and avoiding tourist traps to building a realistic budget and even fine-tuning your packing list, these prompts help you organize every stage of your trip with ease.

Whether you’re exploring one city or hopping across countries, ChatGPT gives you a personalized, flexible way to prepare, so you can focus less on logistics and more on creating memorable experiences.