AI for Vanlife: How to Use ChatGPT for Travel Planning, Routes, and Maintenance
AI as Your Vanlife Co-Pilot
Highlights from Our Confidence Call with Terisa Davis
One of the things we love most about the Adventure Together community is how much wisdom lives inside it. Every woman brings a different background, skill set, and curiosity to the table—and when we share that knowledge with one another, we all become stronger travelers.
On our most recent community Zoom call, we had the pleasure of welcoming Terisa Davis as our guest speaker. She led us through a practical and fascinating conversation about how AI tools can become a helpful co-pilot for vanlife decisions—from trip planning to vehicle troubleshooting. She is adept at utilizing Artificial Intelligence (AI) and is also the author of a book called: How AI Helped me to get my SH*T together.
For many of us, AI still feels a little mysterious. But Terisa broke it down in a way that made it approachable, practical, and even fun.
Here are some of the highlights from the conversation.
AI Doesn’t Replace Your Judgment — It Supports It
One of the most important points Terisa made early on was this:
AI is a tool for brainstorming and gathering ideas—not making decisions for you.
For those times you’re planning a route, diagnosing a strange noise in your van, or searching for camping options, AI can help generate possibilities. But the final choice always comes down to your own judgment, experience, and verification.
In other words:
AI can help you think… but you’re still the driver.
The Secret to Good AI Responses: Better Prompts
Terisa shared a simple formula for writing prompts that produce better results when using AI tools.
Role + Context + Goal
For example:
Role: “Act as a vanlife mechanic.”
Context: “I’m hearing a squealing sound from the engine of my Ram Promaster van.”
Goal: “Give me a checklist to determine if it’s safe to drive to a repair shop.”
This structure helps AI tools give more relevant and useful answers. Learning this approach makes AI feel much less intimidating.
Three AI Tools That Can Help Vanlifers
Terisa walked us through three AI tools she commonly uses and how each can support different parts of vanlife:
ChatGPT
Great for brainstorming, organizing ideas, and asking questions.
Gemini
Helpful for mapping, route planning, and location-based searches.
Claude
Often useful for deeper explanations or mechanical troubleshooting.
Each tool has slightly different strengths, but the key takeaway was that you don’t need to master them all. Even using just one can make life on the road easier.
Real-World Vanlife Uses for AI
What made the session especially fun was hearing how people in the community are already using AI in their daily lives.
Some of the creative uses shared included:
• Planning travel routes with safe grades and good cell service
• Finding dog-friendly hiking trails
• Diagnosing vehicle noises before heading to a mechanic
• Creating meal plans from pantry ingredients
• Designing custom stickers and artwork
• Organizing van maintenance schedules
• Brainstorming storage ideas for small spaces
One example Terisa shared was using AI to help diagnose a belt squeal in her vehicle, getting step-by-step guidance on what to check before deciding whether it was safe to drive to a repair shop.
That kind of quick information can be incredibly helpful when you’re on the road.
Using AI for Travel Planning
Terisa also demonstrated how she uses AI to plan travel routes.
When she planned a trip from California to Utah, she used AI to help evaluate:
steep grades
5G coverage
dog-friendly trails
camping options along the way
The group also experimented with planning a birding road trip from Michigan to Texas, identifying wildlife refuges and migration hotspots along the route.
It was a great reminder that AI can be a powerful starting point for adventure planning.
Important Conversations: Privacy and Energy Use
The conversation also touched on some thoughtful concerns around AI.
Several participants asked questions about:
• Data privacy
• Energy consumption and data centers
• How much personal information to share
Terisa encouraged everyone to be mindful of what they input into AI tools and suggested avoiding overly specific personal information.
At the same time, she acknowledged something many of us are noticing:
AI is quickly becoming integrated into everyday technology.
Learning how to use it wisely now can help us stay informed and empowered as it becomes more common.
Community Wisdom Makes Us Better Travelers
One of the things that stood out during this call was how much learning happens when women share their experiences.
Vanlife often asks us to solve problems and make decisions in unfamiliar places. Tools like AI can help us gather information and think through options, but they don’t replace experience or intuition. Used as a co-pilot, AI can help you feel less alone and more confident in your decisions on the road.
That’s where this community comes in. Confidence builds through shared knowledge, real experiences, and honest conversations.
That’s also why we host these Zoom gatherings—to create space for someone to share a skill or perspective that benefits everyone.
We learn from each other, ask questions, try new things, and build confidence on the road—together.
Ladies, want to join our next Adventure Together Zoom call?
We host regular conversations to help women feel more confident in vanlife—wherever they’re starting from.
Adventure on,
Amy
