Put it to work · Lesson 10 of 16

Plan Trips and Meals With ChatGPT

Turn a vague plan into a clear list: a relaxed two-day trip and three easy dinners with one shopping list, and why your limits make plans better.

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THE WRITTEN LESSONFollow along at your pace

You can use ChatGPT to turn a vague plan into a clear list: a trip, meals, gifts or a busy week. In this lesson you try two examples, a relaxed two-day trip and three easy dinners with one shopping list, and see why your limits make a plan better.

Describe the trip you want

Let’s plan a short trip. Click in the message box and describe the trip in one message. Say where you are going and when, what you like, and what shape you want the plan in. Here, that shape is a day-by-day plan with morning, afternoon and evening.

Type this

Plan a relaxed two-day trip to Lisbon in May. I like museums and good food. Give me a day-by-day plan with morning, afternoon, and evening.

Then press Enter, or click the round blue arrow button at the right end of the box.

The ChatGPT home screen, which says Ready when you are. The trip request is typed in the message box: Plan a relaxed two-day trip to Lisbon in May. I like museums and good food. Give me a day-by-day plan with morning, afternoon, and evening. The pointer is on the round blue arrow button at the right end of the box. — Where and when, what you like, and the shape of the plan, all in one message.

Read the plan, day by day

ChatGPT builds a plan for each day, in the shape you asked for. Day one has something for the morning, the afternoon and the evening, with museums and food, just as you asked. In this example, the morning starts with coffee, a custard tart and a walk through the little streets of Alfama. The afternoon has lunch and the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, and the evening ends with a relaxed dinner.

It may even show small source links: a small grey tag at the end of a sentence, with the name of the source. It shows where a detail came from, so you can check things such as opening times.

Part of ChatGPT's plan for day one: an Afternoon section from 12:30 to 5:00 PM, with lunch in Chiado and the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, and an Evening section from 7:00 PM onward, with dinner in Chiado or Bairro Alto. A small grey tag at the end of a sentence, Museu Calo... +1, is boxed in green, with a label that says Source link. — A source link shows where a detail came from, so you can check it.

Talk back to change the plan

Day two follows the same shape: morning, afternoon and evening. This one starts in Belém with custard tarts and a walk past Jerónimos Monastery, then has lunch and a museum visit in the afternoon.

If something doesn’t fit, you don’t need to start over. Just talk back in the same chat, like in a normal conversation. For example, reply “Make day two slower.” or “Add a beach.”

Part of ChatGPT's plan for day two: a Morning section from 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM, with custard tarts in Belém and a walk past Jerónimos Monastery, and an Afternoon section from 1:00 to 5:00 PM, with lunch in Belém and a visit to the MAAT museum. Between the two sections, a label says Make day two slower. — Day two follows the same shape. To change it, just reply.

Plan dinners and one shopping list

Planning works for everyday life too. In a new chat, ask for the meals and the shopping list in one message:

Type this

Plan three easy dinners for two people this week. Then give me one shopping list for all of them, grouped by store section.

A new chat on the ChatGPT home screen, which says Ready when you are. The dinners request is typed in the message box: Plan three easy dinners for two people this week. Then give me one shopping list for all of them, grouped by store section. The pointer is on the round blue arrow button. — The last words tell ChatGPT how to sort the shopping list.

You get three simple dinners. ChatGPT spreads them over the week: chicken fajita wraps on Tuesday, tomato and spinach pasta on Thursday, and egg and veggie fried rice on Saturday, each ready in 20 to 25 minutes.

Under them comes one shopping list for all three, sorted by store section, like produce, meat and dairy. This list even has a small circle next to each item, so you can tick things off as you shop. It is ready to take to the shop.

ChatGPT's shopping list, headed One combined shopping list, with a label that says By store section. A line says 0 of 18 items checked, next to a Reset list button. Below it, the Produce section lists 2 bell peppers, 1 onion, 1 garlic bulb, 100 g fresh spinach and 1 bunch green onions, each with an empty circle to tick, and the Meat and dairy section begins. — One list for all three dinners, sorted by store section.

Give it your limits

Give ChatGPT your limits: your budget, your time, the people who are coming, and what you like or don’t like. The more it knows, the better the plan. The two examples above already had some: a relaxed pace, museums and good food, easy dinners, and two people.

Four cards under the heading Your limits: Budget with two coins, Time with a clock, Who's coming with two people, and Likes and dislikes with a heart. Below them, a label with a check mark says Check prices and opening times. — Budget, time, who's coming, and likes and dislikes all shape a good plan.

Check prices and opening times yourself

Always check prices and opening times before you go. They can change, and ChatGPT can get details wrong. When an answer shows small source links, they are a good place to begin checking.

YOUR TURN

In the next lesson, you will see how ChatGPT summarizes long text and files for you: Summarize files and long text with ChatGPT.

Read the full video transcript

In this lesson, you'll use ChatGPT to turn a vague plan into a clear list: trips, meals, gifts, or a busy week.

Let's plan a short trip. Plan a relaxed two-day trip to Lisbon in May. I like museums and good food. Give me a day-by-day plan with morning, afternoon, and evening.

ChatGPT builds a plan for each day. Day one has something for the morning, the afternoon, and the evening, with museums and food, just as we asked. It may even show small source links, so you can check opening times.

Day two follows the same shape. And if something doesn't fit, just talk back. Make day two slower, or add a beach.

Planning works for everyday life too. Plan three easy dinners for two people this week. Then give me one shopping list for all of them, grouped by store section.

You get three simple dinners, and one shopping list, sorted by store section, like produce, meat, and dairy. It's ready to take to the shop.

Give it your limits: your budget, your time, the people, and what you like or don't like. The more it knows, the better the plan. And always check prices and opening times before you go.

So remember: describe your plan, add your limits, and ask for a clear list. Before the next lesson, plan one real thing this week with ChatGPT, like dinners or a day out. Next, ChatGPT summarizes long text and files for you.