AI Prompt Engineering for Travel Planners
- Joe
- Feb 20
- 6 min read
Why AI Won’t Steal Your Job Anytime Soon
Let’s address the elephant in the room: Is AI going to replace travel advisors? In short, no—because your clients come to you for that personal touch and industry expertise that a machine can’t replicate. Sure, AI is advancing at a rapid clip (by the time you read this, it might have learned to fold your laundry or even run for local office), but it’s still just a tool. Your clients crave the human connection, the nuance of a well-crafted itinerary, and the on-the-ground insights that only you can offer. AI is a powerful co-pilot for research and brainstorming, but you’re still firmly in the pilot’s seat.
The Art of the Prompt—How to Ask AI for the Best Results
If you’ve ever typed a question into ChatGPT or Claude and gotten a half-baked answer, you already know that AI is only as good as the prompt you feed it. Think of prompts like instructions for a personal chef: if you just say, “Make me dinner,” you might end up with a sad bowl of plain noodles. But if you say, “I’d love a spicy Thai curry with a side of jasmine rice, made with fresh veggies, and not too heavy on the coconut milk,” you’ll probably get something worth Instagramming.
Provide Context and Client Details
AI thrives on context. The more details you give, the more specific and relevant the output. For instance, if your client is a 50-year-old retiree who loves luxury cruises, fine dining, and hates walking long distances, don’t just type “7-day Mediterranean itinerary.” Instead, say something like:
“Create a 7-day Mediterranean cruise itinerary for a 50-year-old retiree who loves upscale dining, prefers minimal walking tours, and enjoys evening entertainment on board. They have a budget of around $5,000 and want to visit at least three different ports in Italy and Greece.”
This level of detail helps the AI tailor its suggestions more closely to your client’s needs. You can always refine from there.
Use Step-by-Step Prompts
Sometimes, it helps to break your requests into steps. Rather than asking the AI to generate an entire itinerary in one shot, start by asking for a list of the top destinations that fit your client’s criteria. Then, ask for the must-see attractions in each destination. Finally, piece those attractions into a day-by-day plan. By guiding the AI step by step, you’ll often get a more coherent and organized final itinerary.
Here's a great starter prompt you can cut and paste into ChatGPT/Claude or any of them. This works for any subject, not just travel.
ChatGPT Ultimate Prompting Guide
Tone: Specify the desired tone (e.., formal, casual, informative, persuasive).
Format: Define the format or structure (e.g., essay, bullet points, outline, dialogue).
Act as: Indicate a role or perspective to adopt (e.g., expert, critic, enthusiast).
Objective: State the goal or purpose of the response (e.g., inform, persuade, entertain).
Context: Provide background information, data, or context for accurate content generation.
Scope: Define the scope or range of the topic.
Keywords: List important keywords or phrases to be included.
Limitations: Specify constraints, such as word or character count.
Examples: Provide examples of desired style, structure, or content.
Deadline: Mention deadlines or time frames for time-sensitive responses.
Audience: Specify the target audience for tailored content.
Language: Indicate the language for the response, if different from the prompt.
Citations: Request inclusion of citations or sources to support information.
Points of view: Ask the Al to consider multiple perspectives or opinions.
Counterarguments: Request addressing potential counterarguments.
Terminology: Specify industry-specific or technical terms to use or avoid.
Analogies: Ask the Al to use analogies or examples to clarify concepts.
Quotes: Request inclusion of relevant quotes or statements from experts.
Statistics: Encourage the use of statistics or data to support claims.
Visual elements: Inquire about including charts, graphs, or images.
Call to action: Request a clear call to action or next steps.
Sensitivity: Mention sensitive topics or issues to be handled with care or avoided.
Ask for Verification and Sources
AI models are known to “hallucinate,” meaning they can make up facts or provide outdated information. To mitigate this, ask the AI to provide sources or disclaimers. For example:
“Based on your suggestions, which official tourism websites or reputable travel guides can confirm these attraction details? Please list the sources.”
If the AI doesn’t provide credible links, that’s your cue to do some old-fashioned Googling (remember that?) to verify the info. Remember: the AI’s creativity is a feature, but it once directed me to an Alcoholics Anonymous building instead of an attraction. Or maybe it was telling me something?
Integrating Client Interviews and Transcripts for Context
By now, you know how crucial it is to feed AI detailed context about your client. One powerful way to do this is by transcribing your client interview calls and using that text as the foundation of your prompt. Many tools exist to help you transcribe audio files, such as:
Imagine this scenario: You have a 30-minute interview call where the client gushes about their dream of sipping wine in Tuscany, learning to make pasta, and then somehow also wants to visit the Greek islands in the same trip. (We’ve all had those clients, right?) Instead of taking hasty notes and risking missing something important, you can have the call transcribed and feed key excerpts directly into ChatGPT or Claude. For instance:
“Based on the following transcript from my client, craft an initial 10-day Italy-Greece itinerary. Please note their preferences for wine tasting, cooking classes, and minimal travel between destinations.”
And boom! The AI has actual quotes from your client to work with, ensuring the suggestions are laser-focused on what they truly want.
Quality Control—Because AI Doesn’t Know Everything
Look, AI is cool and all, but it doesn’t know everything. And even if it did, it might still make stuff up just to seem helpful. This is why you should always verify the information it provides, especially if it’s critical to your client’s trip. Some best practices:
Double-Check Dates and Timetables: Make sure the train times, museum hours, and tour schedules the AI suggests are accurate.
Confirm Pricing: AI can throw out price estimates, but it’s up to you to confirm the actual costs.
Use Your Own Expertise: If something seems off—like a recommendation to visit an outdoor market at midnight—trust your gut. AI doesn’t always know local customs or real-world logistics.
Keep an Eye on Travel Advisories: Always check government travel advisories and official tourism boards for the latest info on safety, entry requirements, or COVID-related restrictions.
Pro Tip: Make sure you're using an LLM that has access to the web. If it doesn't, you could be getting old info. So, as of this writing, it usually looks like a little globe icon.
The Search Icon you should make sure is highlighted.
Wrapping It All Up (and Why You’re Still the Star of the Show)
The bottom line: AI is a tool—a powerful one that can save you time, spark new ideas, and help you create more personalized itineraries. But it’s not a magic wand that replaces human expertise. Your clients aren’t looking for more technology; they’re looking for someone who gets them, who can hold their hand (virtually or literally) through the entire process, and who can pivot when unexpected hiccups arise.
If you approach AI with the mindset of a collaborator rather than a competitor, you’ll find it elevates your work rather than undermines it. By mastering the art of the prompt—providing context, specifying your needs step by step, and verifying the results—you’ll get the best out of tools like ChatGPT and Claude. Throw in the personal insights you gain from talking to your clients (and maybe a well-placed snarky comment to keep them on their toes), and you’ve got an unbeatable combo.
So, keep doing what you do best: making clients happy, crafting unforgettable journeys, and being the travel guru they rely on. Let AI handle the grunt work of initial research, while you handle the magic. Because in the end, nobody’s going to remember that ChatGPT suggested a cute coffee shop in Rome—they’re going to remember the person who actually got them there, safe and sound, and with a story to tell when they come home.
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