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How I Used AI To Plan My Vacation To Japan

As a tech consultant, I’m always looking for new ways to put AI to work. But today, I want to talk about something beyond the usual business applications – how I used Claude, an AI assistant, to plan my family’s Japan adventure. It saved me a load of time.

You might be thinking, “Wait, you used AI for travel planning?” Most of us default to the usual suspects: TripAdvisor, travel blogs, and those massive Google Docs we share with family members.

Instead of jumping between dozens of browser tabs and trying to piece together the perfect itinerary, I simply had a conversation with Claude about what my family and I wanted to experience in Japan.

The magic wasn’t just in getting suggestions – it was in the back-and-forth dialogue that helped refine our plans. When I mentioned we wanted to experience both traditional and modern Japan, Claude didn’t just spit out a generic list of tourist spots. Instead, it helped craft daily itineraries that made sense geographically and culturally. For example, when Claude suggested pairing a morning visit to the serene Meiji Shrine with an afternoon in electric Akihabara, it also explained how these contrasts would give us a deeper understanding of Japan’s cultural evolution.

AI adapted plans on the fly. When I mentioned concerns about travel times between locations or specific dining preferences, Claude would instantly recalculate routes and suggest alternatives. No more spending hours on Google Maps trying to figure out if my ambitious plans were actually feasible.

As someone who works with technology daily, I’ve seen plenty of AI use cases, but this experience reminded me why I love this field. It’s not about replacing human judgment – it’s about enhancing it and speeding it up. Claude didn’t plan my trip for me; it planned it with me, taking my preferences, concerns, and family dynamics into account every step of the way.

Be specific about your interests and constraints. The more context you provide, the more personalized your itinerary becomes. And don’t be afraid to ask for adjustments – that’s where AI really shines, iterating and refining plans until they’re just right.

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Preparing To Leave Your Job

More than a few neighbors and clients are currently concerned with losing their federal government jobs. Here are some things that you can do from a technology perspective:

1. Send yourself your administrative or personal files from your work computer:

Typically, you can not move files to a USB drive for security reasons. Therefore, you should select the files and folders and right-click on them and choose Compress Files. Then you can email the compressed file to your personal email account. Keep in mind that just because sending the email is successful, receiving is not guaranteed. The problem is file size. Google accepts files up to 25mb. Each service has its own size limitations that you can lookup from a Google search. Therefore, you need to check the file size (right click and choose Properties to see the size) before sending. You would need to select just the amount of files for your email to be accepted by your personal email server. Then verify that you have received the files.

2. Download important employment history files such as those from eOPF to show your employment history, typically from your work computer for your login credentials to work:
https://eopf.opm.gov/

3. Make sure that you have your home computer in order. This will allow you to work on your resume, job search, finances, etc. to deal with the situation. This includes having: a reliable internet connection, a backup system for your data, and a basic antivirus such as the free Microsoft Windows Defender Antivirus (Macs do not need anything as they have Anti-virus built-in).

4. Connect to friends and colleagues over LinkedIn. If you want to keep up with people and be better prepared to network and find new work, LinkedIn is a key tool.

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AI Chatbots

AI chatbots are big news. People ask me what they should be doing with them. Here are my ideas to get started:

  • Search: Instead of searching Google for websites, consider using an AI chatbot.
  • Proofreading: Chatbots can offer suggestions and make changes based on grammar and content.
  • Shopping: If you have a specific need, for example for an appliance that fits in a particular set of dimensions and has particular needs, Chatbots can shortcut your research.

Keep in mind that these chatbots do “hallucinate” so always verify important information.

The key is to interact with the AI Chatbots. Don’t just ask it to write you an email. Tell it what you are trying to do and ask it to ask you questions so that it can do a better job. Then provide it feedback and tell it what kind of changes you would like.

I think of these chatbots as smart and very literal minded assistants. The more information that you can provide, the better that the assistant will be able to do what you want.

I personally like using Claude, but I also use ChatGPT. Deepmind (the new chatbot from China) is also highly regarded. Give them a try and see how they fit into your life.

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Stolen Device Protection

Highly recommended: All iPhone users should turn on Stolen Device Protection. This will help against someone “shoulder surfing“ you and then stealing your phone and taking all your money.

As explained by Apple, you can turn on Stolen Device Protection in Settings:

  1. Go to Settings, then tap Face ID & Passcode.
  2. Enter your device passcode.
  3. Tap to turn Stolen Device Protection on or off. 
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Apple Vision Pro

I first used virtual reality goggles in 1994, when Sega set up a demo in Boulder, Colorado. It was very rudimentary. I virtually ran around for 20 minutes while vector-drawn teradactyls tried to attack me from above. I was disoriented, but fascinated. Apple has made a huge leap with the launch of the Vision Pro today. But I remain unconvinced that this is something most people will want to regularly use.

After using the Vision Pro for a week, I’m super impressed by the technology. It really feels like an amazing new interface. For Apple users, it’s both completely new and intuitive. Being able to place apps all around you is fun. Seeing immersive 3d videos and games is captivating.

But I don’t think many people will want to spend a lot of time with a headset on. The downsides are obviously weight and comfort. Even when that is improved, you’re still not in the real world. And the real world is great. There’s zero video jitter. You can make eye contact with people around you. There’s nothing smushed against your face.

I’ve ready many reviews saying that the Vision Pro is great, but that it’s really a preview of what’s coming in a few years. Just wait, they say, and the kinks will be ironed out. There will be more apps and we’ll find out how people really want to use this. I hope this is true. But I wonder if people are ever going to want to wear something on their head and live inside this for more than an hour at a time.

Like an immersive ride at Walt Disney World, it’s a lot of fun. I suggest signing up for a free demo at the Apple stores. These last about 20 minutes, and it really is a blast. But also like a Disney ride, you wouldn’t want it to last hours.