If you are planning a road trip or trying to get a company to fix a problem, AI can give you a useful first draft in minutes. The trick is not asking it to “do everything.” It is giving it the details that matter, asking for a sensible result, and then checking the parts where a confident mistake could cost you time or money.

Try at least one before Sunday. That is the whole assignment.

Use Case 1 of 2

Use Case 1: Planning a road trip using AI

At 8:15 p.m. on Tuesday, October 13, Linda Morales, 58, opened a notebook and wrote “Charleston, South Carolina” at the top of a blank page. She and her husband wanted to drive there from Pittsburgh in May, stopping for two nights along the way. Linda knew what she wanted: pleasant scenery, no exhausting ten-hour driving days, hotels with easy parking, and activities that would not require climbing steep hills. What she did *not* want was an itinerary that looked impressive on a screen but left them too tired to enjoy the trip. She had already searched several websites, but each one gave her a different answer. AI could help her turn preferences into a reasonable first plan - not by making the decisions for her, but by organizing the possibilities.

Here is the exact prompt to use:

Copy and paste this into ChatGPT or Claude:

> I am planning a road trip for two adults from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Charleston, South Carolina, in May 2027. We have 7 days total, including the drive home. > > Our priorities are: > - No more than 5 hours of driving on most days > - Two overnight stops in each direction if practical > - Scenic routes and interesting small towns > - Comfortable, quiet hotels with free parking, ideally under $220 per night before taxes > - Restaurants with good reviews and some lighter meal options > - Activities that involve easy walking, with minimal stairs and no strenuous hiking > - At least one unplanned half-day for rest or weather delays > > We do not want to change hotels every night. We prefer staying two nights in a place when that makes sense. > > Create a day-by-day draft itinerary. For each day, show the starting point, destination, approximate driving time, suggested stops, possible activities, and where we would spend the night. Group nearby activities together instead of sending us back and forth across a city. > > Separate your suggestions into three categories: > 1. Possible ideas to investigate > 2. Things that usually require advance reservations > 3. Details I must verify on official websites before booking > > Do not invent hotel names, restaurant names, opening hours, prices, or road conditions. If you are uncertain, say so. Point out any day that may be too ambitious and offer a slower alternative.

Why this prompt works: It gives AI the information a travel agent would need: dates, starting point, total time, driving limit, budget, mobility needs, and preferences. It also asks for a *draft* rather than pretending the first answer is a reservation-ready plan. Most importantly, it tells the system to identify uncertainty and separate ideas from facts. Asking it to group nearby stops reduces the common problem of spending half a vacation crisscrossing a city.

Use Case 2 of 2

Use Case 2: Writing a complaint letter that actually gets results

At 10:40 a.m. on Thursday, October 15, David Chen, 64, was sitting at his kitchen table with a folder of papers beside him. Three weeks earlier, an appliance company had delivered a new refrigerator with a dented door and a freezer that would not stay cold. David had called customer service twice. Each representative promised that “someone would get back to him,” but nobody did. He was angry - and his first draft of a letter showed it. It began with six paragraphs describing how unacceptable the company was. The facts he needed were buried in the middle. AI could help him make the complaint clearer and more persuasive, provided he supplied the actual evidence and asked for a specific remedy.

Here is the exact prompt to use:

Copy and paste this into ChatGPT or Claude:

> Help me write a firm, professional complaint letter to [company name]. Do not exaggerate, threaten, insult, or make legal claims unless I provide a specific source for them. Use only the facts below. > > My name: [full name] > Mailing address: [address] > Email and phone: [contact information] > Order or account number: [number] > Product or service: [exact description, model, and serial number if available] > Date purchased: [date] > Date delivered or service provided: [date] > Amount paid: [$ amount] > Problem: [describe exactly what happened, including dates] > What I have already done: [list calls, emails, visits, and dates] > Names or departments I contacted: [details, if known] > Documents I can provide: [receipt, photos, warranty, repair report, emails, etc.] > > I want the company to: [state one specific remedy, such as a full refund, replacement, repair at no cost, or reimbursement of $___]. > > Please write a letter of 350 - 500 words with: > - A clear subject line > - A brief chronological description of the problem > - The specific remedy I am requesting > - A reasonable response deadline of [date] > - A sentence saying what I will do next if I do not receive a response > - A list of enclosed documents > > Before writing the letter, identify any missing facts that would make the complaint stronger. Do not invent information. Keep the tone calm, factual, and firm.

Why this prompt works: A useful complaint is not a performance of anger; it is a well-organized request. This prompt supplies the identifying details, timeline, amount paid, previous attempts to solve the problem, evidence, desired remedy, and deadline. Those details make it easier for a company to route the complaint and harder to dismiss as vague. Asking AI to find missing facts *before* drafting also prevents it from papering over gaps with invented details.