check out my video on the topic here

Everyone is currently talking about AI, and especially about ChatGPT. And it seems that this topic is dividing the nation into two camps. Some demonize this technology, while others love it or at least know how to use it to their advantage. I belong to those who see the dangers that this whole AI thing brings with it, but I am equally excited and fascinated by it. And I use it almost daily now.

And because I believe that many hesitate to embrace it simply because they don't really know the benefits that using ChatGPT can bring them, I want to shed some light on this issue with this post. Especially if you're traveling with a motorhome, caravan, or in any other way, ChatGPT can be incredibly helpful in many ways. So, open up to this topic, and let's get started with my first tip right away:

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Tip 1: Travel Information

Where have you previously obtained your travel information (entry requirements, currencies, customs, etc.) before a trip? You've probably opened a search engine and painstakingly collected all this information from various websites.

In the era of AI, you can have software like ChatGPT do that for you. If you're not quite familiar with how to use ChatGPT, you can simply request the information you want gradually with individual inputs. That's already cool and significantly faster than the search engine method. But the huge advantage of ChatGPT is that we can essentially input anything that comes to mind in the input field. ChatGPT gathers the information and presents it to us in an organized and structured manner. However, the more structured our input is (known as the prompt), the better the result that ChatGPT provides afterward. This has given rise to an entire profession - it's called prompt design. Apparently, companies are now willing to pay a lot of money for such prompt designers.

We'll still do this ourselves here. To get the desired travel information, I could, for example, feed ChatGPT with the following information:

Prompt:

„Ich plane eine Reise mit dem Wohnmobil von Deutschland nach Ungarn. Mein Wohnmobil ist 8,6 Meter lang und wiegt 5,5 Tonnen. Bitte beantworte mir die folgenden Fragen:

1. Is there anything I need to consider when crossing the border, and what items am I not allowed to carry with me?
2. What specific traffic rules and regulations should I be aware of?
3. Is there a toll system, and do I need a vignette?
4. Is it allowed to overnight in the motorhome outside of campgrounds and parking areas?
5. What are the alcohol limits for cyclists and drivers?
6. In which currency is payment made?
7. Are there specific etiquette or customs in restaurants, while shopping, or in other everyday situations? This is probably more relevant for long-distance travel.
8. Was muss ich beachten, wenn ich mein Haustier (Hund) mit auf die Reise nehme?“

We simply enter our questions and get all the information we need in one go, without having to search for it extensively. I've compiled this prompt and all the others I'm going to show you in an organized PDF file, which you can download for free here.

You can, of course, modify, expand, or shorten this list of questions as you like. Once you send it all, ChatGPT will provide you with answers to all your questions. You can then download the generated text with the answers and be perfectly prepared for your journey.

Note:

However, it must be noted that not all the information provided by ChatGPT is always 100% accurate. ChatGPT may sometimes assert things that are not necessarily correct. This phenomenon even has a name: hallucinating. No kidding! In case of doubt, it's a good idea to cross-check really important information with reliable sources. Or you can ask ChatGPT for the sources of the respective information. That's also possible.

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Tip 2: Attractions and Recommendations

What would a trip be without visiting landmarks or some hidden gems? Ask ChatGPT about it:

Prompt:

I'm planning a trip to Paris in May. Please answer the following questions for me:

1. Which attractions do I absolutely have to see?
2. Which places offer the most beautiful views of the city?
3. Which culinary specialties of the country or the region should I try, and where can I find them?
4. Do you have any insider tips for me?
5. What's the best way to get around there, for example, using public transportation?
6. Are there any recommended day trips from there?
7. What is the weather like there at that time, and what clothing should I pack?
8. Can you give me tips on how to minimize my travel expenses?

If you think of anything later (even days later) that you've forgotten, you can always refer back to the previous conversation, ask more questions, and then request ChatGPT to summarize all the information for you again.

Perfect! So, in terms of attractions and more, we've already gained a good overview for our trip in no time. But of course, you're also highly interested in the culture and history of your travel destination. Therefore, let's have ChatGPT compile the key highlights for us with the next prompt.

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Tip 3: History and Culture

Let's say you're planning a trip to the Czech Republic and you'd like to get informed in advance about the country's history and culture.

Prompt:

Tell me interesting facts about the Czech Republic and divide it into the following sections:

1. Key historical events
2. Cultural peculiarities
3. Art, literature, and music
4. Museums and exhibitions

And if you want to delve deeper, for example, into history, simply type your questions into the input field, and ChatGPT will provide you with the corresponding answers in seconds. You can converse with ChatGPT just like with a good friend. A very, very smart and good friend.

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Tip 4: Learning Languages

ChatGPT is also useful for language learning. The developers of ChatGPT have reportedly stated that they themselves are not sure how many languages their software can handle, but it's said to be over 120. So, if you want, you can have ChatGPT teach you Swahili. In our example, let's start with Spanish first:

Prompt:

I want you to teach me Spanish. I'm a beginner and can dedicate about 10 minutes a day to learning. My learning goal: I want to be able to have a general conversation in Spanish. Please show me our curriculum, divide it into modules and lessons, and give an estimate of how long it will take me to reach my learning goal. After that, I'd like us to start with the first lesson.

With this prompt, you'll get a ready-made language course and can start learning Spanish (or Swahili) right away. It's your choice!

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Tip 5: Recipes

On the ChefGPT website, you have the option to enter ingredients you have in your fridge and generate a delicious recipe from them. It's a great way to cook when you don't feel like going shopping or the stores are already closed. If you want, you can sign up for free on the website and get up to 5 recipes per month in the free plan. But as you probably already suspect, ChatGPT can do that with the right prompt as well:

Prompt:

I have the following ingredients:

• 500g pasta
• 400g rice
• 1 onion
• garlic
• 200g cream
• 2 eggs
• approximately 150g salami
• approximately 80g sliced Gouda cheese
• Toast bread
• salt
• pepper
• curry
• margarine
• parsley

Please show me a recipe for a delicious lunch for two people. I have a gas stove with three burners and an oven available. It doesn't have to use all the ingredients in the recipe.

And you'll get a delicious recipe that even I could cook. If you want, you can also ask ChatGPT directly for a recipe and the required ingredients, and it will provide you with a corresponding ingredient list and the recipe for cooking.

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Tip 6: Vehicle Technology and Diagnostics

ChatGPT is also well-versed in vehicle technology. As you may have seen, I've had some technical issues in recent weeks and months, and ChatGPT has provided me with valuable information and ideas for my repairs. I did this by reading the engine's fault codes and then sharing the error code with ChatGPT. But even for simpler matters, ChatGPT's knowledge can be very helpful:

Prompt:

I have a motorhome with the following base vehicle: Fiat Ducato Multijet 180, 3.0 l, year 2012, 177 HP, chassis 250/290. Please give me instructions for an oil change. List the tools and accessories I need and highlight things I should pay attention to.

ChatGPT may not replace a master mechanic, but it has certainly helped me understand my vehicle and get an overview of the basic functioning of engines. It's a comforting feeling to always have someone around who knows their stuff.

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Tip 7: Travel Diary

Perhaps you like to keep a diary during your travels, and you probably wouldn't want to miss out on that. Writing on real paper with a proper pen still feels quite different from just typing or speaking a text.

But maybe you don't always have the time and peace to do that. In that case, you can use ChatGPT as a travel diary and have it summarize your experiences at the end of your journey:

This prompt is a bit more complex than the others. I've saved such elaborate prompts sorted by topic in a file and copy them to my clipboard as needed and then paste them into the ChatGPT input field. You can download the list of prompts I use in this article here.

Prompt:

I want you to become my interactive travel diary. Your goal is to save my journey, including my thoughts and experiences, for a later summary. Please refrain from making your own suggestions or answering questions in this initial request. Instead, follow only the following process:

1. First, you ask me where the journey is going. I will answer your question, but we will continue our conversation by going through the next steps.
2. Based on my input, you create 2 sections:
   a) Revised summary: You write a revised summary of all the information I have shared with you up to that point, without any additions from you.
   b) Questions: You ask relevant questions about my journey and feelings that you believe their answers would make my travel diary more interesting.
3. We will continue this iterative process as I provide you with additional information, and you update the prompt in the 'Revised summary' section until the journey is complete.

You can reopen and extend the resulting dialogue just like any other, even if you've started or opened other chats in between. ChatGPT will save everything, ask you questions, and summarize it all at the end if you wish. As I mentioned before, a handwritten diary on paper with ink probably can't be replaced by ChatGPT. But for someone like me, who can barely write their own name by hand anymore, a digital travel diary like this is certainly an interesting use case.

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Tip 8: Natural Remedies and Home Remedies

Especially on vacation, things can occasionally happen that have a negative impact on our health – an insect bite, sunburn, or muscle soreness. There are many effective home remedies that can help alleviate pain, itching, or other symptoms. But you don't always have these home remedies readily available when needed. And here is where ChatGPT can be useful.

Prompt:

I have a wasp sting on my upper arm. What soothing home remedies can I use? Please provide as many tips as possible, specify the duration of each measure, and create the list of measures in a logical order, starting with the most effective. Then give me general information and guidance on the next steps.

First, ChatGPT will express its sympathy. Then you'll receive your list of tips along with the duration of each measure. As you can see, ChatGPT can be of assistance in situations like this as well.

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Tip 9: Reading Recommendations

I'm personally not much of a bookworm, but for many people, there's nothing better than snuggling up in a warm blanket by candlelight during bad weather, listening to the rain patter on the motorhome's roof, and reading a good book. Before your journey, let me provide you with a list of great books for such gloomy weather, so you'll be prepared for any weather conditions during your vacation:

Prompt:

I'm looking for interesting travel reports about the Carpathian Mountains. Give me 10 recommendations, including all relevant information for ordering (title, author, year, ISBN if available, etc.). List your recommendations in descending order of publication year and provide me with a note at the end of the list regarding the currency of your information.

Statt “Reiseberichte” kannst du natürlich auch “Liebesromane”, „Abenteuergeschichten“ oder was immer du lesen möchtest eingeben.

ChatGPT doesn't have direct access to the internet, so it can't provide meaningful links. Additionally, ChatGPT's knowledge only extends up to September 2021, and older books may be out of print or no longer available. In this case, it's a good idea to conduct a targeted internet search afterward. And if you can't find what you're looking for, the next tip is definitely for you!

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Tip 10: Writing Stories

Because how about writing your own stories instead? ChatGPT can provide really good ideas for a rough concept, and then you can refine and develop these ideas into a finished story through a dialogue with ChatGPT. This prompt is a bit more elaborate again:

Prompt:

I want us to write a story together. The story should have an introduction, a middle part with a conflict, and an ending with the resolution of the conflict. Please refrain from making your own suggestions or answering questions in this initial request. Instead, follow only the following process:

1. First, you ask me what the story should be about and in what style it should be written. I will provide you with my answer, but we need to refine it through constant repetitions by going through the next steps. Maintain the specified writing style throughout the process.
2. Summary: Based on my input, you create a summary of the story. The summary should include the revised structure and a brief description of the content of each section.
3. We will continue this iterative process as I provide you with additional information, and you update the prompt in the 'Summary' section until the story is complete.

You can generally answer ChatGPT's questions, but you don't have to. If you're not initially sure about the style of your story or if you want to leave it entirely to ChatGPT, start with just an idea for your story. Or let ChatGPT provide one. Then, use the structure that ChatGPT generates as a basis to gradually insert, modify, and add more scenes to your story, developing it from scratch together with ChatGPT. You can also ask ChatGPT for additional ideas and suggestions at any time during the process.

That sounds like a lot of fun! I've already written a complete adventure story with Luca and Hannah, who have an adventure in an old jungle temple. If you're interested, you can find reading and audio samples at the following links. I've also recorded the story as an audiobook, also using AI.

It definitely sounds like a lot of fun! I might give it a try sometime. Thanks for the suggestion!

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Tip 11: Initial Diagnosis for Health Concerns

Often, we rush to the doctor too quickly, only to have our minor ailments assessed and then sent back home. I hope all the doctors out there can forgive me, but especially during vacations, one would prefer to avoid such visits whenever possible.

Just like any doctor in the world, you can also describe your symptoms to ChatGPT and get relevant tips. You can always go to the doctor at home if you need to. But initially, having an initial diagnosis can be not only helpful but also reassuring in case of any issues. So, for example, you can input:

Prompt:

I have the following symptoms: Slight dizziness when getting up quickly, mild headaches. The symptoms first appeared this morning when I woke up. Please provide me with tips for relief and ask me relevant questions for an initial possible diagnosis.

ChatGPT will tell you that it's not a doctor but can provide you with some tips for relief. Get well soon!

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Tip 12: Route Planning

For route planning, I've unfortunately found that ChatGPT isn't quite up to the task. The attractions I wanted to see along my route were too far off the path. Making a detour to Alsace while driving from Hamburg to Paris would be a detour of nearly 400 kilometers.

But for many other purposes, ChatGPT is simply great, as you can see. And I wouldn't want to be without it anymore.

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The use of ChatGPT in other areas of life

Of course, you can use ChatGPT effectively not only for your travels but also in all other conceivable areas of life, such as your job, self-employment, and in your business. It can help generate text, respond to emails, assist with marketing, customer service, and much more.

If this sounds like an interesting topic to you, take a look at my nearly one-and-a-half-hour online video course specifically on this subject: ChatGPT in Business. A highly fascinating topic in my opinion (only available in German language).

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I hope I was able to infect you with my enthusiasm for ChatGPT and its possibilities and provide you with some exciting tips for your next journey. Download my list of prompts from this post here and give it a try yourself. You'll notice that it's a lot of fun! (Note: The list is only available in German language!)

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My video for this post

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