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Plan a trip on a budget
Plan a trip that stays under a hard budget. Builds a day-by-day itinerary, an itemized cost table that adds up, and a buffer, using the prices the user or live sources provide. Use when the user asks to plan a trip, weekend getaway, or vacation on a budget.
Self-tested · demo prices, live prices untested
What "self-tested" means: our own AI agent ran this skill against the fictional demo files and we published its real output, failures included. The same agent also wrote the skill and the demo data, so this is not an independent review. Check results yourself before you rely on them.
Drop the folder into your agent's skills directory (e.g. ~/.agents/skills/ or ~/.claude/skills/), or paste SKILL.md into any chat assistant. Demo files included:
demo/request.md
Test record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Status | Self-tested (demo data; live travel prices untested) |
| Version / date | v1.1 re-test: 2026-10-14 (v1.0 first test: 2026-10-13) |
| Model / agent | Grok Bot (the same agent that wrote the skill and the demo data, so this is not an independent test) |
| Input | demo/request.md: 2 fictional travelers, fictional town "Port Alder", fictional price list, $650 hard budget |
| Method | Grok Bot re-ran SKILL.md v1.1 from scratch on the unchanged demo file. Totals and every add-on check were computed with a Python script. |
What changed in v1.1
- Failure fixed: v1.0's first pass scheduled paid activities nobody asked for (kayak, whale-watch) and came in at $746, over the $585 planning cap. The cut rule was price-only and would have cut the dinner the travelers wanted. A tip also suggested spending into the 10% buffer.
- Fix: step 3 now plans stated interests plus free activities only, and unrequested paid ideas become optional add-ons. Step 6 has a new cut order: unrequested items first, then cheaper substitutes, and a stated interest only after asking. Step 7 allows add-ons only if they fit under the cap, never in the buffer. Step 4 now requires stating any meals assumed not needed.
v1.1 result (real output)
Budget: $650 total. 10% buffer = $65, so the planning cap is $585. First pass total: $546, under the cap on the first try (v1.0 needed 3 passes).
Stated interests mapped: hiking → Lighthouse Trail (free); seafood + one nice dinner → Saturday seafood dinner; museum → Maritime Museum. Free extra: ranger tide-pool walk.
- Fri: Bus in (breakfast at home before leaving, assumed). Lunch. Lighthouse Trail hike (free). Casual dinner.
- Sat: Breakfast. Maritime Museum. Lunch. Tide-pool walk (free). Nice seafood dinner.
- Sun: Breakfast. Free beach morning. Lunch. Bus home (dinner at home, assumed, not budgeted).
| Item | Price | Qty | Subtotal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coastal Express bus, round trip (per person) | $48 | 2 | $96 |
| Harbor Hostel private room (per night) | $72 | 2 | $144 |
| Breakfast (Sat, Sun) × 2 people | $9 | 4 | $36 |
| Lunch (Fri, Sat, Sun) × 2 people | $14 | 6 | $84 |
| Casual dinner (Fri) × 2 people | $22 | 2 | $44 |
| Nice seafood dinner (Sat) × 2 people | $48 | 2 | $96 |
| Maritime Museum × 2 | $15 | 2 | $30 |
| Town shuttle (4 rides × 2 people) | $2 | 8 | $16 |
| Total | $546 | ||
| Room under the $585 cap | $39 | ||
| Left in the $650 budget | $104 |
Optional add-ons (not requested, each checked against the cap) | Add-on | Extra | New total | Fits under $585? | |---|---|---|---| | Bike-share day pass × 2 (Sun) | $24 | $570 | ✅ yes | | Kayak 2 hrs × 2 | $70 | $616 | ❌ no, so not suggested | | Whale-watch × 2 | $130 | $676 | ❌ no | | Seabird Inn instead of the hostel | $94 | $640 | ❌ no | | Train instead of the bus | $62 | $608 | ❌ no |
Book now: bus seats, the Harbor Hostel private room, the Saturday dinner reservation, and a tide-pool walk slot if sign-up is required. Tips: (1) The hike and tide pools are free, so plan the days around them. (2) If you want one more paid thing, the bike share ($24 for two) is the only add-on that keeps the full buffer. (3) Shuttles are $2 a ride; walk short hops.
Check against v1.0: no unrequested paid activities in the plan; under the cap on the first pass; the nice dinner kept; buffer untouched; meal assumptions stated.
Remaining known failures / limits
- Live pricing untested. All prices are from a fictional demo list.
- The interest mapping is the agent's judgment (e.g. "seafood" was taken as satisfied by the one nice dinner). A user might have wanted seafood at more meals.
- The "breakfast at home Friday" and "dinner at home Sunday" assumptions are now stated, but not confirmed with the user.
- Self-tested only: the same agent wrote the skill, the demo data, and ran the test.
History
- v1.0 (2026-10-13): pass 1 included unrequested paid activities ($746, over the cap); needed 3 passes; the cut rule was price-only; a tip used the buffer; Sunday dinner was an unstated assumption. All fixed in v1.1.
The skill file
---
name: plan-a-budget-trip
description: Plan a trip that stays under a hard budget. Builds a day-by-day itinerary, an itemized cost table that adds up, and a buffer, using the prices the user or live sources provide. Use when the user asks to plan a trip, weekend getaway, or vacation on a budget.
license: MIT
metadata:
library: TriedSkills
job: Plan a trip on a budget
version: "1.1"
---
# Plan a trip on a budget
## Inputs
Destination (or a shortlist), dates and length, number of travelers, a **hard budget** (total, and whether it includes travel), interests, and constraints (mobility, diet, no car). Prices come from either a price list the user supplies or live searches; say which you used.
## Steps
1. Restate the budget. **Reserve a 10% buffer** first; plan with the remaining 90%.
2. Price the fixed costs first: transport and lodging. Choose the cheapest option that meets the constraints. Show the runner-up.
3. **Plan stated interests first.** Fill each day with morning, afternoon, and evening, using only (a) the user's stated interests and (b) free activities. **Don't schedule a paid activity the user didn't ask for.** List unrequested paid ideas separately as *optional add-ons*.
4. Budget food per person per day, using realistic meal prices from the source. **State every meal you assume is not needed** (e.g. "Sunday dinner at home after the bus").
5. **Compute the total with code or explicit arithmetic.** Show every line item: price × quantity = subtotal.
6. If the total exceeds the planning cap (90% of the budget), cut in this order: (1) anything not tied to a stated interest, (2) cheaper substitutes for lodging, transport, or meals, (3) only then, a stated interest, and **ask the user** before cutting it. Say what you cut.
7. Optional add-ons may be suggested **only if they still fit under the planning cap**. Show the new total. Never suggest spending the 10% buffer.
8. Give 3 money-saving tips specific to this plan, and list anything that needs booking ahead.
## Output format
Budget summary → day-by-day plan → cost table with total and buffer → what to book now → tips.
## Guardrails
- Never present an estimated price as a quote. Label every price with its source and date.
- Don't book or pay for anything. Hand the user the booking list.