Your AI road trip planner: daily legs, stops and where to sleep
A good road trip is mostly about pacing: how many hours to drive each day, where to stop for a view, and which town to sleep in. Paste this to-do and your agent works out the route, splits it into comfortable daily legs, finds overnight stops and gives you a map link for every day.
The prompt
- Plan a road trip from [START] to [END] between [DATES]. We are driving a [VEHICLE] and want to drive at most [MAX HOURS] hours a day. We like [INTERESTS]. Split the route into daily legs with drive time and distance, 2 or 3 stops per day (viewpoints, short walks, food), and a town to sleep in each night with 2 places to stay and links. Add a Google Maps link for each day, where to get fuel or charge on long empty stretches, and any road closures or seasonal warnings you find. Give me a PDF and an Excel sheet of the legs. Do not book anything.
What to change
- [START]: Where you set off, e.g. "San Francisco".
- [END]: Where you finish, e.g. "Las Vegas". Write "back to the start" for a loop.
- [DATES]: E.g. "May 3 to May 10". The agent checks for seasonal road closures.
- [VEHICLE]: E.g. "rental SUV", "electric car (300 km range)", "campervan". It changes fuel stops and parking.
- [MAX HOURS]: E.g. "4". Most people enjoy 3 to 5 hours of driving a day.
- [INTERESTS]: E.g. "national parks, diners, short hikes, photography".
Example result
- San Francisco to Las Vegas, 7 days in May
- Rental SUV · max 4 hours of driving a day · national parks, short hikes, diners
- The route at a glance
- • About 1,100 miles (1,800 km) through the coast, Yosemite and Death Valley
- • Longest day: 4 hours. Two short days for rest.
- • Tioga Pass through Yosemite usually opens late May to June; check the park site. Backup route via Bakersfield is in the PDF.
- Day 1: San Francisco to Monterey (2 h)
- • Stops: Half Moon Bay bluffs, Santa Cruz boardwalk, lunch in Capitola
- • Sleep: Monterey or Pacific Grove
- Day 2: Big Sur and back inland to Paso Robles (3.5 h)
- • Stops: Bixby Bridge, McWay Falls viewpoint, Pfeiffer Beach if the road is open
- • Sleep: Paso Robles
- • Fuel up in Carmel; gas in Big Sur is limited and expensive
- Day 3: Paso Robles to Oakhurst (3.5 h)
- • Stops: a diner lunch in Fresno, sunset at the south gate of Yosemite
- • Sleep: Oakhurst or Fish Camp
- Day 4: Yosemite Valley (short driving day)
- • Tunnel View, Lower Yosemite Fall walk, Mist Trail to the first bridge
- • Park entry may need a reservation in peak season; check before you go
- Day 5: Yosemite to Lone Pine via Tioga Pass (4 h)
- • Stops: Olmsted Point, Tuolumne Meadows, Mono Lake
- • Sleep: Lone Pine, under Mount Whitney
- Day 6: Death Valley (2.5 h)
- • Stops: Zabriskie Point, Badwater Basin, Artist's Drive in late afternoon light
- • Carry extra water. No fuel for long stretches, and summer heat is extreme.
- • Sleep: Furnace Creek or Beatty
- Day 7: to Las Vegas (2 h)
- • Return the car, or keep it for Red Rock Canyon
- In the Excel sheet
- • Day, from, to, miles, drive time, fuel stop, hotel options, map link
How to do it with todo.is
- Copy the prompt and fill in your start, end, dates and how many hours you want to drive.
- Paste it on the Today screen in todo.is, or text it to your agent on Telegram.
- You get a PDF route plan plus an Excel sheet of the legs, with a map link for each day.
- Ask for a variant such as "add a night in Sedona" or "make it a loop" and the plan is redone.
Tips for a better result
- Keep driving under 4 or 5 hours a day. Stops always take longer than the map says.
- For electric cars, give the real range. The agent plans charging stops with a margin.
- Mountain passes and desert roads close by season. Ask the agent to flag them for your dates.
- Download offline maps for the remote parts: phone signal drops in parks and canyons.
road trip planner: FAQ
- How many hours a day should you drive on a road trip? Three to five hours a day keeps it fun and leaves time for stops. Plan a short or no-drive day every three or four days.
- Can the agent plan a one-way rental road trip? Yes. It can note that one-way rentals often have a drop-off fee and show options, but you compare prices and book yourself.
- Can I get the route in Google Maps? Your agent adds a Google Maps directions link for each day. Very long routes are split because Maps limits the number of stops per link.
- Will it warn me about road closures? It searches for seasonal closures and recent notices when it plans. Conditions change, so check the official road or park site before you drive.
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