Using AI to Plan Road Trips
Discussion
I don't know if this is really worthy of a thread but I am getting itchy again for a decent road trip. I am a bit of a technical dinosaur but, in an attempt to get current I have been taking a more serious look at AI and how it helps planning, trying to understand if it is actually any good! I probably am opening myself to some ridicule here from those who really know this stuff, but thought it might be useful to share my thoughts as I learn this.
What I have discovered is the output is only as good as the input (otherwise known as "the prompt"). You need to be really specific when you need specific responses, and you need to tell it when you need it to be a bit more thoughtful and produce responses based on its own delving into the web. I tried ChatGPT and Claude (I only heard of Claude because of a video I watched):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fI8ygOauNNA&t=...
ChatGPT was very stutters - would often stall and get stuck, which I have learned is normal, but it is access queue to the resources to do what I wanted it to do. When it did work though, it did seem to be a bit more free thinking and offering ideas that I maybe had not thought of. ChatGPT seems to remember everything as well, and does get a bit disconcerting that you are type talking to a machine when it does seem very human-like.
Claude however was far smoother, and soon was guiding me to the questions I needed to ask. When it did stall it quickly recovered and carried on. But remember - you need to ask it what you want to know - be specific. That took a while to properly understand what it needs. When you get that right, and it has taken me a while, it is amazing.
Now I wanted to challenge it - and made up a fictitious road trip to undertake next year.. and for the past week have been refining and fettling the text of the prompt. My final version of that fictitious prompt is as follows:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/18lZRHR-A_NMyHEgGK...
Now, remember I said it was unnerving - because I kept asking almost the same question I felt sorry and kept apologising. It responds appropriately and gives a much more humane feel that simply google does. I have written the prompt as a template. Claude did suggest adding the line about attending races or sporting events - which ChatGPT didn't.
When I started this, I knew I wanted to make a map of the trip, and knew little of Google Maps, and also Google My Maps, but My Maps is really quite powerful. The CSV formats I ask for are then copied onto Numbers and then I can export into a CSV file which can be imported into Maps. Excel I could not get to work properly - (I did say I was a dinosaur) so Numbers is far simpler and obviously does what I need it to do. You can of course just copy the CSV outputs into Excel (i think).
An example of one of the CSVs is here - if you copy it all, you can paste into Numbers and it works a treat: https://claude.ai/public/artifacts/db0bb5eb-ce9c-4...
So, what you need:
A Google Account for My Maps.
Word (or whatever text editor you can fettle the prompt on) - easier than doing it in the chat box.
A free account with ChatGPT or as I recommend, Claude. (my issues with ChatGPT could well be and most likely are user caused!!).
Numbers.
5 minutes (not even 5 mins) after clicking "go" with that prompt, it spat out a response here:
https://claude.ai/public/artifacts/8534aa3b-3d8d-4...
- with other "artefacts" (clickable or rather copyable files) such as the CSV files and a PDF. Except it is not a PDF - not quite. I have learned it is a .md file (no idea what that was but I think it is a digital framework for a PDF), and I use a free converter to convert into a PDF.
Converter: https://www.pdfforge.org/online/en/markdown-to-pdf...
And the final output PDF: https://drive.google.com/file/d/18lZRHR-A_NMyHEgGK...
There is a lot of info in the output (and all available via normal research - the point being it collates and tabulates quickly) and PDF which would take ages when researching. Is it accurate? No idea, but it looks good. A couple of the map markers were thrown off but I think user error rather than duff data. I don't think the driving plan is too efficient - I would probably tweak and do just the coast rather than a x-country leg - to break up that day 8 Key West to Tallahassee. Or that needs a final bit of refining in the prompt. I am also not sure re mileages quoted, but Maps sorts that bit out.
Conclusion - when used properly and with thoughtful prompts, this AI lark is a game changer. What has taken me a week or so to learn (as a dinosaur I learn by trial and error as watching videos all seem to be a foreign language!). I also think Claude is worth subscribing to - especially if you do a lot of this sort of thing - it is supposedly very good at coding). Its answers are great too - really interactive. A con with Claude is when you start a new conversation, it does not remember the previous one, which can get frustrating. ChatGPT remembers everything, even conversations from days ago.
Anyway - hope this helps!
What I have discovered is the output is only as good as the input (otherwise known as "the prompt"). You need to be really specific when you need specific responses, and you need to tell it when you need it to be a bit more thoughtful and produce responses based on its own delving into the web. I tried ChatGPT and Claude (I only heard of Claude because of a video I watched):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fI8ygOauNNA&t=...
ChatGPT was very stutters - would often stall and get stuck, which I have learned is normal, but it is access queue to the resources to do what I wanted it to do. When it did work though, it did seem to be a bit more free thinking and offering ideas that I maybe had not thought of. ChatGPT seems to remember everything as well, and does get a bit disconcerting that you are type talking to a machine when it does seem very human-like.
Claude however was far smoother, and soon was guiding me to the questions I needed to ask. When it did stall it quickly recovered and carried on. But remember - you need to ask it what you want to know - be specific. That took a while to properly understand what it needs. When you get that right, and it has taken me a while, it is amazing.
Now I wanted to challenge it - and made up a fictitious road trip to undertake next year.. and for the past week have been refining and fettling the text of the prompt. My final version of that fictitious prompt is as follows:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/18lZRHR-A_NMyHEgGK...
Now, remember I said it was unnerving - because I kept asking almost the same question I felt sorry and kept apologising. It responds appropriately and gives a much more humane feel that simply google does. I have written the prompt as a template. Claude did suggest adding the line about attending races or sporting events - which ChatGPT didn't.
When I started this, I knew I wanted to make a map of the trip, and knew little of Google Maps, and also Google My Maps, but My Maps is really quite powerful. The CSV formats I ask for are then copied onto Numbers and then I can export into a CSV file which can be imported into Maps. Excel I could not get to work properly - (I did say I was a dinosaur) so Numbers is far simpler and obviously does what I need it to do. You can of course just copy the CSV outputs into Excel (i think).
An example of one of the CSVs is here - if you copy it all, you can paste into Numbers and it works a treat: https://claude.ai/public/artifacts/db0bb5eb-ce9c-4...
So, what you need:
A Google Account for My Maps.
Word (or whatever text editor you can fettle the prompt on) - easier than doing it in the chat box.
A free account with ChatGPT or as I recommend, Claude. (my issues with ChatGPT could well be and most likely are user caused!!).
Numbers.
5 minutes (not even 5 mins) after clicking "go" with that prompt, it spat out a response here:
https://claude.ai/public/artifacts/8534aa3b-3d8d-4...
- with other "artefacts" (clickable or rather copyable files) such as the CSV files and a PDF. Except it is not a PDF - not quite. I have learned it is a .md file (no idea what that was but I think it is a digital framework for a PDF), and I use a free converter to convert into a PDF.
Converter: https://www.pdfforge.org/online/en/markdown-to-pdf...
And the final output PDF: https://drive.google.com/file/d/18lZRHR-A_NMyHEgGK...
There is a lot of info in the output (and all available via normal research - the point being it collates and tabulates quickly) and PDF which would take ages when researching. Is it accurate? No idea, but it looks good. A couple of the map markers were thrown off but I think user error rather than duff data. I don't think the driving plan is too efficient - I would probably tweak and do just the coast rather than a x-country leg - to break up that day 8 Key West to Tallahassee. Or that needs a final bit of refining in the prompt. I am also not sure re mileages quoted, but Maps sorts that bit out.
Conclusion - when used properly and with thoughtful prompts, this AI lark is a game changer. What has taken me a week or so to learn (as a dinosaur I learn by trial and error as watching videos all seem to be a foreign language!). I also think Claude is worth subscribing to - especially if you do a lot of this sort of thing - it is supposedly very good at coding). Its answers are great too - really interactive. A con with Claude is when you start a new conversation, it does not remember the previous one, which can get frustrating. ChatGPT remembers everything, even conversations from days ago.
Anyway - hope this helps!
Writing an essay to find a few suggestions seems a bit more of an effort than just googling 'good roads in Florida' or 'craft beer tallahassee' (google will even tell me I am spelling that wrong).
I find planning a trip is an important part of the holiday, and I might not be interested if any of the run of mill suggestions an AI is going to pick up from other people's reviews.
I find planning a trip is an important part of the holiday, and I might not be interested if any of the run of mill suggestions an AI is going to pick up from other people's reviews.
This piqued my interest as I'm planning a 2 to 3 week southern USA road trip for next year, starting in Nashville, big loop via Memphis, Dallas / Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio, Houston. Interests for us are music, bbq and general sightseeing.
Whilst I want to have a bit of flexibility in the trip, I think this could be a great help in making sure the basics are covered.
Whilst I want to have a bit of flexibility in the trip, I think this could be a great help in making sure the basics are covered.
hacksaw said:
This piqued my interest as I'm planning a 2 to 3 week southern USA road trip for next year, starting in Nashville, big loop via Memphis, Dallas / Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio, Houston. Interests for us are music, bbq and general sightseeing.
Whilst I want to have a bit of flexibility in the trip, I think this could be a great help in making sure the basics are covered.
I've taken your idea and plugged it into Grok, take a look.Whilst I want to have a bit of flexibility in the trip, I think this could be a great help in making sure the basics are covered.
Me and the good lady are considering this
https://grok.com/share/bGVnYWN5_f974a518-1fb8-4468...
I think the best idea would be some kind of collation / indexing on this sub-forum.
When I was planning my South West USA National Parks roadtrip, I managed to dredge up a good 10 - 15 threads on here that were all relevant. The problem was in identifying any potentially relevant threads - some were Route 66 focused, some were Vegas focused and others were non-specific. All the ones I found were useful but they took some searching for. I ended up copying and pasting all the relevant posts into tabs in Excel, deleting all of the padding and then ended up with a very long list of places to visit / stay / eat / avoid.
By actually reading each thread in detail, I was able to identify the posts where it looked like the recommendations of the poster were worth listening to and it was only those posts that I pasted into Excel. I'm not sure how AI can give you that level of critical review that's aligned to your own specific preferences and nuances that you're not really aware of until you see them written down.
Making it easier to find interesting / relevant threads, in bulk, would be very useful.
When I was planning my South West USA National Parks roadtrip, I managed to dredge up a good 10 - 15 threads on here that were all relevant. The problem was in identifying any potentially relevant threads - some were Route 66 focused, some were Vegas focused and others were non-specific. All the ones I found were useful but they took some searching for. I ended up copying and pasting all the relevant posts into tabs in Excel, deleting all of the padding and then ended up with a very long list of places to visit / stay / eat / avoid.
By actually reading each thread in detail, I was able to identify the posts where it looked like the recommendations of the poster were worth listening to and it was only those posts that I pasted into Excel. I'm not sure how AI can give you that level of critical review that's aligned to your own specific preferences and nuances that you're not really aware of until you see them written down.
Making it easier to find interesting / relevant threads, in bulk, would be very useful.
Indeed. AI is likely to just give you a politely reworded suggestion based on the top rated restaurant on TripAdvisor, whereas finding a review from a real person with similar interests is much better.
Perhaps the AI prompt needs to be 'find me reviews from people who have done a road trip from X to Y'.
Perhaps the AI prompt needs to be 'find me reviews from people who have done a road trip from X to Y'.
I did a road trip down through France and Spain a couple of weeks ago.
I would simply ask Chat GPT (paid version) find me good driving roads between A and B, no motorways.
It came up with some amazing roads that I would have struggled to find by a cursory glance at Google Maps and the Google maps link. It definitely exceeded my expectations and I will be doing it again.
I would simply ask Chat GPT (paid version) find me good driving roads between A and B, no motorways.
It came up with some amazing roads that I would have struggled to find by a cursory glance at Google Maps and the Google maps link. It definitely exceeded my expectations and I will be doing it again.
One thing I have noticed with Claude, and I would assume would be much of a muchness with most of these, is the route seems a bit bizarre, and not following geographically what I was expecting. Case in point, I did prompt a similar tour of New Jersey, and he suggested Philadelphia to Trenton to New Brunswick to Atlantic City then to NYC... whereas I would have thought Philadelphia to Atlantic City, to Trenton, To New Brunswick to NYC would be more "efficient".
So I challenged - asking why?
He gave a very comprehensive rationale as to why he did what he did... (his) Geographic efficiency, experience crescendo, reduced driving between stops, and accom strategy with a flow factor of Historical > Cultural > Modern, vs (mine) backtracking inefficiency, energy flow, accom challenges, and photography considerations.
Now I am not sure all of that is quite accurate but there is a couple of bits I had not considered, and would relate to from our trip last year.
I know it is not the 100% solution (I suppose it could be), but does pull together a lot of info quickly. With the integration into Google Maps, I think I can get the route I plan into the Nav into the car (I need to learn that bit). I also know there is a lot of pleasure in doing the research from scratch... but thin of this way as a colossal head start!
So I challenged - asking why?
He gave a very comprehensive rationale as to why he did what he did... (his) Geographic efficiency, experience crescendo, reduced driving between stops, and accom strategy with a flow factor of Historical > Cultural > Modern, vs (mine) backtracking inefficiency, energy flow, accom challenges, and photography considerations.
Now I am not sure all of that is quite accurate but there is a couple of bits I had not considered, and would relate to from our trip last year.
I know it is not the 100% solution (I suppose it could be), but does pull together a lot of info quickly. With the integration into Google Maps, I think I can get the route I plan into the Nav into the car (I need to learn that bit). I also know there is a lot of pleasure in doing the research from scratch... but thin of this way as a colossal head start!
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