Road trips and complaint letters may seem unrelated, but both involve turning a vague, tiring problem into a clear plan. AI is surprisingly useful for the first draft: it can help you think through stops, timing, questions, and wording before you spend money, make phone calls, or lose your patience.

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 on Tuesday morning, Margaret Lewis, 63, was sitting at her kitchen table in Columbus, Ohio, with a coffee in one hand and three browser tabs open in the other. She and her sister wanted to drive to Asheville, North Carolina, in October, but Margaret had no interest in spending eight hours a day behind the wheel. She wanted a scenic route, two comfortable overnight stops, hotels with easy parking, and time for lunch somewhere that was not a fast-food counter. Every search seemed to produce either a giant list of attractions or a generic map that ignored her energy, budget, and preference for quiet hotels. The problem was not finding information. It was making the information fit the actual people taking the trip.

This matters because a road trip is not simply a line between two addresses. It is a series of decisions about fatigue, costs, weather, food, bathroom breaks, accessibility, and what you want to remember afterward. AAA recommends allowing fewer daily miles and more stops when fatigue is a concern, downloading important maps for areas with weak service, and checking whether accommodations can meet mobility needs. AI can help you create a sensible first plan, but it cannot replace checking the route and reservations yourself.

Here is the exact prompt to use:

Copy and paste this into ChatGPT or Claude:

> I am planning a road trip for two adults, ages 63 and 66. We will drive from Columbus, Ohio, to Asheville, North Carolina, leaving on October 12 and returning on October 17. > > Our priorities are safety, scenic roads, comfortable lodging, good local food, and avoiding exhausting driving days. We prefer to drive no more than 5 hours per day, not counting breaks. We would like two overnight stops on the way there and two on the way back, unless you can explain why a different arrangement is better. > > Our approximate lodging budget is $180 per night, excluding taxes. We prefer hotels with free parking, elevators, quiet rooms, and restaurants within a short drive. One traveler has mild knee problems, so avoid plans requiring long walks, steep trails, or frequent stairs. > > Please create three possible itineraries: > 1. The fastest practical route > 2. The most scenic route > 3. The best balance of comfort, scenery, and cost > > For each itinerary, provide the overnight towns, estimated driving time for each day, three worthwhile stops, lunch suggestions, likely tolls, and questions I should ask each hotel before booking. Flag anything that may depend on current road conditions, seasonal closures, weather, or reservations. Do not invent exact prices or opening hours. Clearly label anything that must be verified. End with a short pre-departure checklist for the car, medications, emergency supplies, downloaded maps, and important documents.

Why this prompt works: It gives the AI the details that normally remain trapped in your head: ages, dates, maximum driving time, budget, health considerations, and priorities. It also asks for alternatives instead of pretending there is one perfect route. Most important, it tells the system not to invent prices or hours and to identify facts requiring verification. The request for hotel questions is useful because it turns a pretty itinerary into a practical one. A good prompt does not merely ask, “Plan my trip.” It explains what a successful trip feels like.

Use Case 2 of 2

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

At 6:40 on Thursday evening, Daniel Ortiz, 57, was standing beside his washing machine with a folder of receipts spread across the counter. A repair company had replaced a part two weeks earlier, charged him $486, and assured him the leak was fixed. On Wednesday, water appeared on the laundry-room floor again. Daniel had already made two phone calls. The first person transferred him twice. The second said someone would “look into it” but could not say when. Daniel knew he was angry, but he also knew that an angry letter might make it easier for the company to dismiss him. What he needed was a short, factual record that stated what happened, what he wanted, and when he expected an answer.

This matters because a complaint is most effective when it gives the reader a simple path to resolution. The Federal Trade Commission recommends identifying the product or service, explaining the problem clearly, stating exactly what you want and how long you will wait, and including copies of relevant documents such as receipts, work orders, warranties, emails, and conversation notes. AI can organize those facts and remove unnecessary heat. It cannot decide whether your legal claim is valid or guarantee that a company will cooperate.

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] about [product or service]. > > Use only the facts I provide. Do not invent laws, policies, conversations, promises, or technical details. Do not exaggerate. Keep the tone calm, factual, and suitable for sending to a manager or customer-relations department. > > Facts: > - Date I purchased or received the product/service: [date] > - Product, service, model, order, invoice, or account number: [details] > - Seller or service location: [details] > - Amount paid: [$ amount] > - What went wrong: [clear description] > - Dates and details of previous calls, emails, repairs, or visits: [details] > - Documents I have: [receipt, warranty, photos, work order, emails, etc.] > - What I want: [refund, repair at no charge, replacement, cancellation, reimbursement, or another specific remedy] > - Reasonable deadline for a response: [date or number of business days] > > Write a letter of no more than 400 words. Include a useful subject line, a concise timeline, the specific remedy I am requesting, and a clear response deadline. Mention that I can provide copies of supporting documents, but do not make threats. After the letter, provide a short list of documents I should attach and three factual questions I should ask if the company calls me. Mark any sentence that needs more information from me.

Why this prompt works: It gives the AI a disciplined job: organize facts, not manufacture outrage. The timeline helps the recipient see the sequence quickly, while the requested remedy and deadline prevent the letter from becoming a general expression of disappointment. Asking for a subject line and attachment list makes the result usable. The instruction to mark missing information is particularly important because AI often fills gaps with confident-sounding guesses.

Know someone who spends too long on things AI could do in two minutes? Forward this to three people who subscribe and I will send you my free AI Prompt Starter Pack: 20 ready-to-use prompts for everyday life.

By Dr. Rowan Hayes