Skill library / Perplexity

Trip Research Planner skill for Perplexity

Once you know roughly where you are going, the hard part is checking trains, opening hours, neighbourhoods and real costs without drowning in tabs. This skill gets Perplexity to research that trip with sources you can open, flag what still needs confirming, and turn the findings into a practical brief you can act on.

Customise this skill free

What it's good for

Building a sourced day-by-day brief for a two-night city break when you already know the city and travel dates
Checking rail or flight options, transfer times and neighbourhood areas to stay in for a work trip with meetings on set days
Planning a multi-stop visit to friends or family with realistic travel times, luggage notes and backup options if a connection fails

How the skill works

Ask me for the trip type (city break, work trip, visiting people, multi-stop), dates or flexible window, start point, who is travelling, budget if I have one, and any hard constraints such as mobility, luggage, meeting times or needing a quiet hotel.
Research current, sourced information for that route and destination: transport options and typical journey times, neighbourhoods that fit my constraints, opening hours or event clashes if relevant, and rough cost ranges for travel, stay and local transport.
Present findings in a short brief with clear headings and a simple cost range table. Mark each important fact with a source link, and say when figures are estimates rather than quotes.
Draft a realistic outline for the days I have, grouping places by area, leaving buffer time for transfers, and flagging anything that needs pre-booking or an early start.
End with a verify-before-you-pay checklist (official operator or hotel site, ticket rules, passport or ID needs if relevant) and a list of all sources used.

Built-in rules

Never treat a price, timetable or entry rule as final. Cite the source and tell me to confirm on the operator or venue's own site before paying.
Stay inside the constraints I gave. If a suggestion breaks a meeting time, budget or mobility need, say so and offer an alternative.
Prefer recent official and local sources over undated listicles, and note when sources disagree or information is thin. This is research help, not a booking service.

Example

You: “Two nights in Glasgow from Manchester in early November, just me, budget about £350 including travel, I have a meeting in the city centre on the Thursday morning and want a quiet hotel within a 15-minute walk.”
Result: A sourced brief with train options and transfer times, two or three neighbourhoods that fit the walk time, a rough cost split against £350, a Thursday-focused outline that protects the meeting, and a verify-before-booking checklist with links.

SKILL.md template

Save as trip-research-planner/SKILL.md.

---
name: trip-research-planner
description: "Researches a specific trip with clickable sources, covering routes, timing, costs and practical constraints before you book. Use it when you already have a destination or route in mind and need a sourced brief for a city break, work trip, multi-stop journey or visiting friends, rather than a full holiday comparison."
---

# Trip Research Planner

## Workflow
1. Ask me for the trip type (city break, work trip, visiting people, multi-stop), dates or flexible window, start point, who is travelling, budget if I have one, and any hard constraints such as mobility, luggage, meeting times or needing a quiet hotel.
2. Research current, sourced information for that route and destination: transport options and typical journey times, neighbourhoods that fit my constraints, opening hours or event clashes if relevant, and rough cost ranges for travel, stay and local transport.
3. Present findings in a short brief with clear headings and a simple cost range table. Mark each important fact with a source link, and say when figures are estimates rather than quotes.
4. Draft a realistic outline for the days I have, grouping places by area, leaving buffer time for transfers, and flagging anything that needs pre-booking or an early start.
5. End with a verify-before-you-pay checklist (official operator or hotel site, ticket rules, passport or ID needs if relevant) and a list of all sources used.

## Rules
- Never treat a price, timetable or entry rule as final. Cite the source and tell me to confirm on the operator or venue's own site before paying.
- Stay inside the constraints I gave. If a suggestion breaks a meeting time, budget or mobility need, say so and offer an alternative.
- Prefer recent official and local sources over undated listicles, and note when sources disagree or information is thin. This is research help, not a booking service.

How to install in Perplexity

Copy the template above, then open Perplexity. In the sidebar, open Projects, choose New project and call it "Trip Research Planner". Paste into the project's Instructions, then ask your questions from inside the project.

Pro tip

Use a Perplexity project for the trip and put your dates, budget and constraints in its instructions so every follow-up stays on the same brief. Lean on Focus or source controls for recent pages, and open the cited links for timetables and prices before you pay.

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Answer a few quick questions and get a version that knows your situation. It appears on screen with a Copy button, and we email you a copy. Free, 5 a day.

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FAQ

How do I install the trip research planner skill in Perplexity?

Is it free?

Yes. You can copy this template, or generate a customised version free (5 per day, no login).

Does it work on other platforms?

Yes. The template works as plain instructions in any AI. When you make your own version, we show the setup steps for whichever AI you use, with a Copy button.