I created a prompt for Chat GPT to instantly write a description of your location with all of the info that potential sitters might need to have! This will allow them to quickly gather details on whether or not your sit would be a good fit for them.
Its knowledge cutoff is September 2021, so things may not be 100% accurate, but I tested it with a few places I’ve stayed and it was pretty close to perfect! Giving the names of local restaurants, etc. will allow sitters to get a feel for the area without giving private, personal details. All you have to do is sign up for a Chat GPT account (if you haven’t already), plug in you address and go.
Here’s the prompt to copy and paste:
*Please write a description for house sitters visiting our home ADDRESS in CITY, COUNTRY. Please do not include the actual address. Discuss nearby amenties and attractions, travel time to drive to the nearest airport and to the nearest major airport. I do not need distance to either of these, just travel time and name.
Please also tell me how long to the nearest grocery store and whether or not I can walk there (not along a road without sidewalks, please). Please do the same for the nearest area with restaurants, coffee shops, and cafes, and recommend a standout local favorite. Let me know how walkable the location is.
Tell me if the house is accessible by public transportation and, if it is, how long it would take to get there from the nearest airport. I do not need an intro or a conclusion, please begin with “our home”.*
Great idea! As wary as I am about the rapid pace of AI infiltration into our lives, I’m finding chatGPT to be a helpful assistant in many situations.
My last sit was 9 days in New Orleans. I told it where we would be staying, the kinds of things we like to do and eat, and asked for an itinerary. The response was terrific. We didn’t actually follow the daily itinerary but used lots of the suggestions and they were spot-on for us.
As @carambolage said, it’s data cutoff is September 2021. So we were sure to check opening hours and addresses, especially because so many restaurants closed during the pandemic.
It says “the nearest grocery store is only a short drive away and can be reached within 5 minutes. Unfortunately, the grocery store is not within walking distance…” In reality, I can see Whole Foods from my house!
“The nearest area with restaurants, coffee shops, and cafes is also only a short drive away and can be reached within 5 minutes. However, this area is also not very walkable due to the lack of sidewalks along the road.” Wrong - I can walk - on sidewalks - to lots of places.
“Unfortunately, our home is not easily accessible by public transportation.” It is about 100 feet from a bus stop!
Maybe it’s because I’m a writer by profession, so its something I enjoy and find easy to do, but this wouldn’t actually save me any time. In the time required to craft a prompt that gives accurate info, and then edit/fact check and make necessary corrections, I could have just written it from scratch. I know for some folks it might be handy though. (but also count me in the creeped out camp )
I’m obsessed. I’ve moved on to using it to help plan a month long trip to the northeast US and Quebec I said “Find me midrange hotel with parking and a view of the river” and it spit out four great options! And it warned me that it’s a popular time of year so to get crackin’! Yeah, it’s super weird but, so far, surprisingly helpful.
For sure. It’s definitely equal parts creepy and helpful. I’m also a writer and use it a lot for work, especially when I have that “blank page” feeling. Honestly sometimes the most helpful thing it does is do such an unhelpful, terrible job that my confidence in writing whatever I was trying to write balloons and I finish it in 15 minutes.
I am also now totally obsessed. I just used it to plan a cross country drive (not a fun road trip–just getting our camper van back home, so we don’t have a ton of time to lollygag) and it planned a hike not too far off the main route for every day of driving, so we can get out and stretch our legs. It would have taken me HOURS to do that before. It’s not great at everything, and it’s not 100% accurate, but it does give me a great head start to logistical stuff like that.
I’ve never used Chat GPT but I just tried your prompt and that is amazing.
)
I said “Find me midrange hotel with parking and a view of the river” and it spit out four great options! And it warned me that it’s a popular time of year so to get crackin’! Yeah, it’s super weird but, so far, surprisingly helpful.