One of the most enjoyable activities is traveling on vacation – at least for most people, but it takes a special sort of individual who actually loves to plan the activities when it comes to traveling. I know I don’t love it, but I am also willing to admit that I have opinions on where to go and what to see. Today we are going to have a conversation where wanted interest and unwanted responsibility intersect. …  Welcome to EP 163: Architectural Wanderlust.

[Note: If you are reading this via email, click here to access the on-site audio player]

Today Andrew and I are going to talk about traveling for architects and how certain technologies have emerged that have made the process of planning excursions and itineraries a joy. Gone is the laborious process of buying travel books, searching the various “activities” based websites, where you are hoping that the comment and review from Frank from when he visited Bilboa last September actually is in some alignment with your own perceptions (or even values … is Frank an Architect?)

The premise for today's post and conversation are simple ... what happens when you use Artificial Intelligence to plan a vacation for you? What does the problem solving process look like, what sort of questions should you ask, and finally, a look about the sort of returns you get in response.

Question #1 jump to 6:02

Prompt Entered:
You are an architect going on vacation with the goal of selecting a place that is rich in its architectural culture as well as the opportunities to visit and experience significant architectural projects and properties. Once we have completed this exercise, I will ask you to put together a daily itinerary of things to see and places to visit. We will start this exercise by having you recommend 10 potential destinations for me to visit, but I want you to ask me a series of questions to make sure that you have the information and guidance you need to make an appropriate recommendation.

The Response:
To recommend the perfect architectural destination for your vacation, I’ll need to ask you a few questions to better tailor the suggestions to your preferences:

Style of Architecture: Do you have a specific architectural style you're most interested in (e.g., modernism, classical, vernacular, sustainable design, etc.)?
Cultural Experience: Would you like to immerse yourself in a place with a deep historical architectural legacy, or do you prefer contemporary and cutting-edge architecture?
Travel Comfort: Are you comfortable with long-distance travel, or do you prefer something closer (considering travel time as part of the week)?
Interests Beyond Architecture: Would you like a mix of architectural exploration with other cultural experiences, such as museums, cuisine, or natural landscapes?
Activity Level: Do you prefer a more relaxed trip with guided tours and time to reflect on the buildings, or are you looking for an immersive, on-the-go experience?
Sustainability: Would you like to visit places known for sustainable architecture and environmentally conscious design, or is this not a priority for you?

The prompt above was a good starting place to begin this exercise. To better understand your holiday objectives, getting the program to engage with about what you hope to accomplish is a great place to start. You could get as specific as you want here, adding in all sorts of parameters, but for my process, I wanted to keep this fairly high level in order to potentially discover some place I should be visiting that I might not be considering.

Question #2 jump to 13:10

I asked ChatGPT to prepare a World map indicating the locations that were selected ... this was a completely failed experiment. This image is the result of 11 attempts.

Prompt Entered:
For each of these cities, can you rate how safe they are for tourists on a scale from 1-10 based on the US State department travel announcements?

The Response:

Barcelona, Spain