Travel Planning Skill

Intent

Plan solo travel with destination fit, logistics, budget, preferences, booking triage, and itinerary handoff.

Use When

• The user explicitly asks for travel-planning.
• The request matches the triggers or workflow described below.
• The task benefits from a reusable, structured output instead of a one-off answer.

Do Not Use When

• Do not use for live booking, legal visa advice, medical travel advice, or broad research better handled by travel-research.
• Required context is missing and cannot be reasonably inferred.
• A more specific skill in this repo is a better match.

Workflow

1. Identify the exact task and available source material.
2. Apply the domain rules and output format in this skill.
3. State assumptions, uncertainty, and missing inputs clearly.
4. Return the requested artifact, recommendation, or review in a practical format.
5. Check the result against the validation checklist before finishing.

Produces personalized, opinionated travel plans for Mick Pletcher. Every output should reflect his specific constraints and preferences — never produce generic tourist recommendations.

Who This Is For

Mick Pletcher — Automation Engineer, endurance athlete, and adventure traveler based in Nashville, TN. Visited 33+ countries, targeting 50. Summited Kilimanjaro. Background in competitive cycling and triathlon. Pursues geographic arbitrage and early retirement.

Travel style: Solo by default. All itineraries, budgets, and logistics are planned for one person unless Mick explicitly states otherwise. Do not suggest group tours, couples packages, or shared activities framed for multiple people. When Mick mentions a travel companion for a specific trip, note it and adjust accordingly but do not assume it carries over to other trips.

Hard Constraints (Never Violate)

Travel Preferences

Accommodation style: Boutique hotels, guesthouses, locally-owned properties. Avoid large chain hotels unless price/location is overwhelming.

Pace: Active and structured, not leisurely. Mick covers a lot of ground. Plan for full days.

Food: Street food and local spots over tourist restaurants. No dietary restrictions.

Transport: Train or ferry over flying when it's feasible and interesting. Renting a car is fine for rural/off-grid destinations.

Experiences over things: Prioritize events, physical challenges, cultural immersion over museums and shopping.

Social media documentation: Mick documents trips publicly on Facebook and X — good photo/video opportunities matter.

What Claude Should Do When This Skill Triggers

1. Identify the trip type

Determine whether this is:

• Event-anchored (Tour de France, Running of the Bulls, a race, a summit attempt) — build the itinerary around the event dates, work outward
• Destination-driven (exploring a country or region) — anchor around an endurance activity if one fits
• Logistics query (flights, visas, border crossings, ferries) — answer precisely and completely
• Comparison query (choosing between destinations or trip styles) — score options against budget, training goals, climate, interests, and trip friction

Also infer the best trip style preset when the user does not name one:

• Endurance travel — training camps, races, mountain routes, trail access, recovery support
• Sightseeing — landmark density, walkability, culture, food, and easy logistics
• Remote work — Wi-Fi reliability, workspace fit, quiet lodging, time-zone practicality
• Minimalist carry-only — light packing, laundry access, transit simplicity, compact gear needs

2. Build the itinerary structure

For multi-city trips, produce a day-by-day breakdown:

• City/location per day
• Accommodation type and price range (in USD)
• Key activities (endurance anchor highlighted)
• Meals worth noting
• Transport between cities with method, duration, and cost
• Any booking lead time warnings (events, permits, popular routes)

When the request is still in the planning phase, separate what should be locked in now from what can wait:

• Book now — flights, event entries, permits, high-demand lodging, rental cars, or transit that sells out
• Research later — restaurants, optional excursions, backup stops, and lower-risk local details

If the user asks for a finished itinerary or is ready to move from planning into execution, hand off into a day-by-day itinerary structure directly instead of repeating abstract planning notes.

3. Budget estimate

Always produce a trip total with a per-day breakdown:

• Flights (BNA routing, round trip)
• Accommodation (nightly rate × nights)
• Food (realistic daily spend for the destination)
• Transport (intercity + local)
• Activities and entrance fees
• Buffer (10%)

Flag when a destination has strong USD purchasing power.

For destination comparison requests, also provide a simple scorecard that covers:

• Budget fit
• Training fit
• Climate fit
• Interest fit
• Transit simplicity
• Overall recommendation

4. Logistics flags

Proactively surface:

• Visa requirements for US passport holders
• Booking windows (what needs to be reserved months ahead)
• Peak season/crowd warnings
• Ferry or border crossing logistics
• Phone/SIM recommendations
• Currency situation

Also include planning risk notes when relevant:

• Transit complexity
• Safety or scam pressure
• Visa friction
• Overpacked itinerary risk
• Seasonal crowd or pricing pressure

Add seasonal guidance that states when the destination is:

• Great value
• Crowded
• Expensive
• Poor value for Mick's stated goals

Add packing and gear suggestions tied to the trip style. Focus on what changes because of the trip, not a generic packing list.

Active Trip Context

When Mick mentions a specific upcoming trip, load the relevant reference file if one exists. For trips without a reference file, research inline and apply all hard constraints and preferences.

Current reference files:

• references/europe-2026.md — Summer 2026 Spain / Morocco / Portugal trip
• references/colorado-2026.md — Summer 2026 Colorado 14ers + Theodore Roosevelt NP

For any new destination not covered by a reference file, proceed using the hard constraints and preferences defined above. Do not treat this skill as limited to documented trips.

Output Format

For full itinerary requests:

TRIP: [Name / Dates]
TRIP STYLE: [Endurance / Sightseeing / Remote Work / Minimalist Carry-Only / Mixed]
TOTAL BUDGET ESTIMATE: $X,XXX

BOOK NOW:
- [critical reservations]

RESEARCH LATER:
- [lower urgency items]

DAY-BY-DAY:
Day 1 – [City]: ...
Day 2 – [City]: ...

BUDGET BREAKDOWN:
- Flights (BNA → X → BNA): $
- Accommodation (X nights): $
- Food (avg $/day × days): $
- Transport: $
- Activities: $
- Buffer (10%): $
TOTAL: $

LOGISTICS FLAGS:
- [Visa / booking windows / warnings]

RISK NOTES:
- [Transit / safety / visa / pacing / crowd notes]

PACKING AND GEAR:
- [Trip specific gear, clothing, or carry strategy]

For single-destination or activity queries:

Answer directly and concisely. No need for full itinerary format unless asked.

For budget comparisons:

Side-by-side table with per-day costs and totals.

For destination comparison requests:

Use this structure:

DESTINATION COMPARISON

OPTIONS:
- [Destination A]
- [Destination B]

SCO