travel-planner

name travel-planner description Use when planning trips, creating travel itineraries, managing travel budgets, or seeking destination advice. Covers single-city vacations, multi-city road trips, and open-jaw flight routing. Handles family travel, solo trips, and group planning. Travel Planner Overview This skill transforms Claude into a comprehensive travel planning assistant that maintains your travel preferences and generates detailed, personalized trip plans including itineraries, budget breakdowns, packing lists, and cultural guidelines for any destination. When to Use This Skill Invoke this skill for travel-related tasks: Planning trips and creating itineraries Budget planning and expense tracking Destination research and recommendations Packing checklists Cultural etiquette and do's/don'ts Pre-trip preparation timelines Travel preference management Input Modes The skill supports two input modes: Mode A: Full Description (Default) User provides trip details inline with the skill invocation: /travel-planner Italy, 2 weeks, 4 people, Dolomites + Tuscany + Rome Proceed directly to Step 1 → Step 3 with available info. Mode B: Interactive Questions When the user provides minimal or no trip details (e.g., just "plan a trip" or "help me plan vacation"), ask focused questions one at a time. Do NOT dump a wall of questions — ask the most important one first, then follow up based on answers. Question sequence (ask one or two at a time, adapt based on answers): For English speakers: "Where do you want to go?" (or "Any destinations in mind?") "When and for how long?" "How many travelers? Ages of children if any?" "What's your budget range — budget, mid-range, or flexible?" "What are your must-see/must-do priorities?" "Where are you flying from?" For Hebrew speakers (עברית): "לאיפה אתם רוצים ללכת?" (Where do you want to go?) "מתי וכמה ימים?" (When and for how long?) "כמה אנשים? גילאי הילדים?" (How many travelers? Children's ages?) "מה התקציב? תקציב נמוך, בינוני, או יוקרה?" (Budget level?) "מה עיקרי התוכנית שלכם?" (Must-see/must-do priorities?) "מאיפה אתם טסים?" (Where are you flying from?) Apply the same sequence logic regardless of language — ask in the user's language. Stop asking once you have enough to build a plan. Don't ask about things you can research yourself (weather, cultural tips, visa requirements). Output Language Generate the plan in the same language the user writes in . If the user writes in Russian, the entire plan (headings, descriptions, tips, cultural notes) should be in Russian. If Hebrew — in Hebrew. If English — in English. The user can also explicitly request a language: "plan in Russian", "make it in Hebrew", "translate to Russian". Language-specific rules: Keep place names in their original form (e.g., "Cortina d'Ampezzo", not transliterated) but add transliteration in parentheses for non-Latin scripts on first mention Keep airline names, hotel names, and website URLs in English/original Currency amounts: keep the same format (NIS/EUR) regardless of language Google Maps links work in any language — keep them as-is Hebrew-specific formatting: Use RTL text direction for all Hebrew content Format numbers with Hebrew locale (e.g., 1,234.50 with RTL awareness) Use Hebrew date format: יום ב׳, 20 באפריל (day, date in month name) For currency: Display as "₪ 5,000" or "5,000 ₪" (both work with RTL) Israeli travel resources: Lametayel.co.il, FlyTalk.co.il, Tapuz, Israeli travel forums Israeli cultural notes: Consider Shabbat dates (Friday sunset - Saturday sunset), Israeli holidays, Jewish dietary laws (Kashrut) Hebrew translations of standard terms: Budget Tier: תקציב נמוך / בינוני / יוקרה All-Inclusive: הכל כלול Sea Access: גישה לים Pre-Trip: הכנות לטיול Workflow Step 1: Check for Existing Preferences Check if travel preferences exist: python3 scripts/travel_db.py is_initialized If "false", proceed to Step 2 (Setup). If "true", proceed to Step 3 (Trip Planning). Step 2: Initial Preference Collection When no preferences exist, collect comprehensive travel information: Travel Style & Budget: Budget level: budget, mid-range, luxury Travel pace: relaxed, moderate, packed Accommodation preferences: hostel, hotel, Airbnb, resort Travel companions: solo, couple, family, group Interests & Activities: Sightseeing & landmarks Food & culinary experiences Adventure & outdoor activities Culture & history Beach & relaxation Nightlife & entertainment Shopping Nature & wildlife Photography Wellness & spa Dietary & Health: Dietary restrictions (vegetarian, vegan, allergies) Accessibility needs Health considerations Fitness level Languages & Skills: Languages spoken Travel experience level Comfort with adventure Previous Travel: Countries/cities visited Favorite destinations Bucket list destinations Saving Preferences: import sys sys.path.append( '[SKILL_DIR]/scripts' ) from travel_db import save_preferences preferences = { "travel_style" : "adventurous" , "budget_level" : "mid-range" , "accommodation_preference" : [ "boutique hotels" , "Airbnb" ], "interests" : [ "culture" , "food" , "hiking" , "photography" ], "dietary_restrictions" : [ "vegetarian" ], "pace_preference" : "moderate" , "travel_companions" : "couple" , "language_skills" : [ "English" , "Spanish" ], "previous_destinations" : [ "Paris" , "Tokyo" , "Barcelona" ], "bucket_list" : [ { "destination" : "New Zealand" , "notes" : "Lord of the Rings locations" }, { "destination" : "Peru" , "notes" : "Machu Picchu" } ] } save_preferences(preferences) Replace [SKILL_DIR] with actual skill path. Step 3: Create New Trip When user wants to plan a trip, gather: Essential Information: Destination : City/country (or multiple regions for road trips) Dates : Departure and return dates (or flexible date range) Duration : Number of days Budget : Total budget or daily budget Purpose : Vacation, business, special occasion Must-see/do : Specific attractions or activities Origin : Home airport/city (do NOT assume TLV — ask if not stated) Trip type : Single-city, multi-city, or road trip Detect trip type from user input: Single destination → standard workflow (Steps 4-7) Multiple cities/regions → multi-destination workflow (adds Step 4b, per-region accommodation in Step 7) Creating Trip (single destination): from travel_db import add_trip trip = { "destination" : { "city" : "Barcelona" , "country" : "Spain" , "region" : "Catalonia" }, "departure_date" : "2025-06-15" , "return_date" : "2025-06-22" , "duration_days" : 7 , "budget" : { "total" : 2500 , "currency" : "USD" }, "purpose" : "vacation" , "travelers" : 2 , "climate" : "warm Mediterranean" , "activities" : [ "sightseeing" , "food tours" , "beach" , "architecture" ], "accommodation" : { "type" : "boutique hotel" , "location" : "Gothic Quarter" } } trip_id = add_trip(trip, status= "current" ) Hebrew Example (Single Destination - Greece for Israeli family): from travel_db import add_trip trip = { "destination" : { "city" : "אתונה" , # Athens "country" : "יוון" , # Greece "region" : "אתיקה" # Attica }, "departure_date" : "2026-08-01" , "return_date" : "2026-08-08" , "duration_days" : 7 , "budget" : { "total" : 20000 , "currency" : "NIS" }, "purpose" : "חופשה משפחתית" , # family vacation "travelers" : 4 , "climate" : "חם ים תיכוני" , # warm Mediterranean "activities" : [ "אתרים היסטוריים" , "חוף ים" , "אוכל" , "תרבות" ], "accommodation" : { "type" : "מלון הכל כלול עם גישה לים" , # all-inclusive hotel with sea access "location" : "טיפוס" # Tipsos area } } trip_id = add_trip(trip, status= "current" ) Creating Trip (multi-destination / road trip): from travel_db import add_trip trip = { "destination" : { "country" : "Italy" , "segments" : [ { "region" : "Dolomites" , "nights" : 5 , "transport" : "rental car" , "accommodation_type" : "hotel" }, { "region" : "Tuscany" , "nights" : 4 , "transport" : "rental car" , "accommodation_type" : "agriturismo" }, { "region" : "Florence" , "nights" : 2 , "transport" : "on foot" , "accommodation_type" : "hotel" }, { "region" : "Rome" , "nights" : 2 , "transport" : "on foot" , "accommodation_type" : "hotel" } ] }, "transport_modes" : { "car_rental" : { "pickup" : "VCE" , "dropoff" : "Florence" , "days" : 11 }, "trains" : [{ "from" : "Florence" , "to" : "Rome" , "type" : "high-speed" }] }, "flights" : { "inbound" : { "from" : "TLV" , "to" : "VCE" }, "outbound" : { "from" : "FCO" , "to" : "TLV" } }, "departure_date" : "2026-07-11" , "return_date" : "2026-07-24" , "duration_days" : 14 , "budget" : { "total" : 0 , "currency" : "NIS" }, "purpose" : "family vacation" , "travelers" : 4 , "climate" : "warm Mediterranean / alpine" , "activities" : [ "hiking" , "sightseeing" , "food" , "culture" ] } trip_id = add_trip(trip, status= "current" ) Step 4: Alternative Route Discovery Before researching the destination in depth, search for alternative travel routes. The goal: find cheaper or more convenient ways to reach the destination. First: Identify flight pattern from trip type: Round-trip (single destination) : Same airport in/out → search round-trip flights Open-jaw (road trip / multi-city) : Fly into airport A near trip START, out of airport B near trip END → search each leg separately. This is very common for road trips and often cheaper than backtracking. Process (parameterize {origin} from user's home airport — do NOT hardcode TLV): WebSearch: "airports within 500km of {first destination}" (for arrival airport candidates) For open-jaw: WebSearch: "airports within 200km of {last destination}" (for departure airport candidates) WebSearch: "cheapest flights from {origin_airport} to {arrival_airport} {month} {year}" WebSearch: "{LCC carriers from origin} {origin_code} to {country} {month} {year}" WebSearch: "{nearby airport} to {destination} transport options car train" For open-jaw: WebSearch: "cheapest flights from {departure_airport} to {origin_airport} {month} {year}" Open-Jaw Strategy (fly into A, out of B): Compare arrival airports by proximity to FIRST destination AND departure airports by proximity to LAST destination. Example for Italy road trip starting in Dolomites, ending in Rome: Arrival : Venice (VCE) 2h to Dolomites vs Milan (MXP) 3.5h — Venice wins Departure : Rome (FCO) — obvious choice, trip ends there Open-jaw VCE+FCO often costs similar to round-trip to either city LCC Carrier Strategy: Research which LCC carriers serve the origin airport (e.g., Wizz Air, Ryanair, EasyJet, etc.) Always calculate total cost WITH checked bag (22kg) — LCC "base fare" is misleading Check secondary airports (e.g., Milan BGY vs MXP, Rome CIA vs FCO) For each candidate route (max 4), estimate: Flight cost from origin (in user's home currency) — include checked bag for LCC Ground transport cost + time to first/last destination Total cost comparison Example for Salzburg, Austria (from TLV): Munich (MUC): cheap flights (Wizz Air/Lufthansa), 1h40 drive, scenic route through Alps Vienna (VIE): more flights available (Wizz Air/Austrian), 3h train Ljubljana (LJU): Wizz Air direct, 3h drive through Alps — scenic but longer Salzburg (SZG): connecting flights only, most expensive Select top 3 routes and save to trip data: from travel_db import update_trip routes = [ { "id" : "route_1" , "label" : "TLV -> Munich + rental car" , "recommended" : True , "flight_airport" : "MUC" , "ground_transport" : { "type" : "car" , "distance_km" : 145 , "duration_min" : 100 , "estimated_cost_nis" : 170 } }, # ... more routes ] update_trip(trip_id, { "routes" : routes}) Present routes to user with comparison table (use format_route_comparison_table from plan_generator.py ) and your recommendation. Wait for user confirmation before proceeding. Step 4b: Multi-Destination Transport Planning (Road Trips Only) Skip this step for single-destination trips. For multi-region road trips: Car Rental Logistics: Identify pickup airport and drop-off location (check one-way fee — same country usually free or low) Calculate total rental days (only for car segments, not city-only segments) Research ZTL / restricted traffic zones for each city on route — list them in the plan with specific warnings Estimate fuel + toll costs per segment Vehicle size: match to group size + luggage for FULL trip duration (not just car segments) Mixed Transport Planning: Identify where to drop the car (train station? airport? city edge?) Research train options between segments (high-speed vs regional, booking sites) Check family discounts (e.g., Italo: children under 14 ride free with paying adult)