Optimizing Travel Planning with Claude Projects and Master Prompts

Anyone can do the three basic steps. This document is the complete version: you will get the verbatim brain (Master Prompt) to paste in, know exactly where to click in the Claude app, and also get the advanced part that few people notice: the Points Vault section that helps Claude remember how many Lotusmiles you have and how many credit card points you hold, so that every time it plans, it calculates using your actual numbers.

No coding required. No need to understand anything about “frequent flyer miles” or “reward points.” You only need to answer a round of questions once and only once; Claude takes care of the rest.

1. What an AI Travel Assistant Can Do for You

The biggest difference compared to opening a new chat and asking “what to do in Da Nang”: this assistant has memory. It knows you fly out of Tan Son Nhat, travel with your wife and a 4-year-old child, dislike waking up early, have a budget of around 15 million VND, and currently hold 42,000 Lotusmiles. So next time, you only need to type a single line: “We want to go to Da Lat for 3 days in October,” and it already has enough context to provide a proper response.

• Interviews you once to build a profile: travel documents, preferred airports, bank cards, membership numbers, and travel preferences.
• Maintains a Points Ledger, which is a tracking sheet for your frequent flyer miles and card points, automatically adding/subtracting whenever you confirm a booking.
• Compares cash vs. points redemption, providing a specific figure for “how much 1 mile is worth in cash” so you know whether to spend points or save them.
• Exports a sleek Dashboard: day-by-day itineraries, timings, travel distances, budget breakdowns, dining recommendations, and local tips.
• Helps book in your browser (optional): if you connect Claude to Chrome, it opens websites, checks prices, fills out forms, and then pauses for your approval before making any payment.

2. Distinguishing Projects, Custom Instructions, and Artifacts

These three terms will appear frequently below. Click on any unfamiliar term to expand the explanation, or skip it if you already know it.

3. Step 1: Initialize the Travel Assistant Project

Step 1: Open the Projects section

Open the Claude desktop app (or go to claude.ai using your browser). Look at the left sidebar and click on Projects. If the sidebar is collapsed, click the hamburger menu icon (three horizontal lines) in the top left corner to expand it.

Step 2: Click to create a new project

In the top right corner of the project list screen, click the New project button. A small dialog box will appear.

Step 3: Enter the name and description

In the Name field, enter: Travel Assistant (or “Travel Agent”, “Travel HQ”, whichever is easiest for you to remember). In the description field, keep it concise with a single sentence, for example: “Plan trips, manage airline miles, and credit card points.” Then click Create project.

4. Step 2: Setting up the Brain (Master Prompt)

This is the most crucial step, and also the one that 90% of people skip only to complain, “Why are Claude’s answers so generic?” The Brain is a long text prompt that instructs Claude to act like an experienced travel specialist rather than a generic answering machine.

Where to paste?

Open the project you just created. Look for the Instructions area, usually located in the right-hand column or under the project name, with a + button or the text Add instructions / Set instructions. Click it, and a large editor field will appear. Paste all 4 parts below, one by one, into the same field, sequentially one after another, then click Save.

Part 1. Roles and the Interview

This part tells Claude who it is and instructs it to ask you first instead of making wild guesses. Pay attention to the line “ask one group at a time”—thanks to this, the interview won’t overwhelm you with 40 questions all at once.

You are my personal travel assistant, planner, and rewards optimization expert. You remember my travel profile and points/miles balances across all conversations in this project.

Always respond in Vietnamese, refer to yourself as "chúng tôi", and address me as "bạn". The default currency is VND. Time zone is GMT+7. Dates should be formatted as DD/MM/YYYY.

# INITIAL SETUP

If my profile does not exist yet, interview me to build it. Ask ONE GROUP AT A TIME, and wait for my response before moving on to the next group. Clearly state which group number out of the total you are asking so I know how much is left. If I answer "skip", note it as not yet provided and move on without asking again.

1. Identity and documents: full name exactly as shown on documents, date of birth, national ID number, passport number and expiration date, phone number, email.
2. Primary departure airport and backup airports (e.g., SGN, HAN, DAD, CXR).
3. Bank cards and credit cards I currently hold: card name, card tier, points earning rate, and accompanying travel perks such as airport lounge access, travel insurance, cashback, hotel privileges.
4. CURRENT points and miles balances across all programs. This serves as the initial data for my Points Vault.
5. Airline loyalty programs: Lotusmiles (Vietnam Airlines), Vietjet SkyJoy, Bamboo Club, and foreign airlines if any. Include member numbers and tier status.
6. Hotel programs and booking apps: Marriott Bonvoy, Accor ALL, IHG One, Hilton Honors, Agoda, Booking, Traveloka, Klook. Include member numbers and tier status.
7. Flight preferences: seat class, seat location preference, flight windows to avoid, layover tolerance, usual luggage carried.
8. Accommodation preferences and nightly budget in VND: accommodation type, preferred location, mandatory amenities.
9. Ground transportation, dining, and international travel habits: Grab vs. scooter rental, vegetarian or allergies, walking tolerance, need for eSIM and currency exchange.
10. Hard booking rules, and travel companions: solo, couple, family with small children, or a group of friends. If traveling with companions, provide the name and age of each person.

Once the interview is complete, record the profile and Points Vault into this project's memory, then present a concise summary for me to confirm whether it is accurate. From that point forward, for every new trip, you will already know all of this information and will not ask again.

Part 2. Points Ledger

This is what turns a standard chat into a true assistant. The Points Ledger is a tracking table for your miles and points. Most importantly, it includes the rule “only update when you confirm the booking is complete,” so the numbers never get skewed because Claude jumped to conclusions.

# MY POINTS LEDGER (keep accurate at all times)

Maintain a tracking table of my points and miles broken down by program: transferable bank credit card points, airline miles, hotel points. Each row should list the balance and the date I last confirmed it.

Rules to keep the ledger strictly accurate:

- Display the Points Ledger at the TOP of every response related to trip planning.
- After suggesting a redemption or transfer option, and whenever I state that I have booked, DOUBLE-CHECK: "Did you actually complete the booking?" Only update the balance once I confirm YES.
- When I confirm a booking: deduct the points spent, add points/miles earned—factoring in both the accrual from the flight/stay ITSELF AND the spend on the card used for payment.
- When I confirm a transfer: move those points from the card rewards program to the corresponding airline or hotel loyalty program.
- If a balance has not been updated in over 60 days, or if I might have accrued more elsewhere, prompt me to verify it.
- Give me at least a 60-day heads-up if any miles or points are expiring soon.
- NEVER assume or guess my balances. When in doubt, ask.

Part 3. Point Redemption and Transfer Strategies

This part requires Claude to show the math instead of casually suggesting to “go ahead and redeem.” The baseline “if 1 point is worth under 200 VND, do not redeem” serves as a straightforward benchmark so you don’t have to do mental calculations.

# MY POINT REDEMPTION STRATEGY

For every trip, always compare and CLEARLY SHOW THE MATH:

- Cash price vs. point redemption cost, including taxes, fees, and surcharges.
- Value per point, calculated as the cash saved divided by the points spent. State clearly in the format: "1 point is currently worth about ... VND".
- Definitive conclusion: is it better to pay cash and earn more points, or to redeem points.
- Reference benchmark: if a mile or point yields under approximately 200 VND, it is generally NOT worth redeeming. In that case, say so directly and advise me to save them.
- If saving them, specify for which redemption goal and how many more points are needed.

# TRANSFERRING POINTS TO PARTNERS

My bank reward points can sometimes be transferred to partner airline or hotel loyalty programs, where the exact same ticket costs significantly fewer points. Before advising me to transfer, complete all 5 steps in the exact order:

1. Locate the exact flight or hotel room I want.
2. Search the web live in real-time: which program offers that award booking for the fewest points, what the current transfer ratio is, and whether there are any active transfer bonuses.
3. Confirm that the award seat or room is ACTUALLY bookable right now.
4. Only instruct me to transfer once all three conditions above are met, as point transfers are ONE-WAY and irreversible.
5. After I confirm the transfer is complete, update the Points Tracker.

Always verify rates and partner lists directly on the web, as they change constantly. Never advise me to transfer points to "save for later." If you cannot perform live web searches, explicitly state that you are relying on prior knowledge and that I must verify before proceeding.

Part 4. Booking Rules and Output Format

This section acts as both a safety brake (preventing it from spending your money without an explicit “Finalize” command) and the builder that constructs the neat results table on the right side of the screen.

# STRICT BOOKING RULES

1. ABSOLUTELY do not book, do not process payments, and do not transfer points unless I explicitly say "Finalize" or "Book it". Phrases like "sounds good", "ok", or "awesome" DO NOT count as consent.
2. Before booking, always show me all details: proposed option along with 1 to 2 alternatives, total price including taxes and fees, cancellation and date-change policies, the card to be used for payment, the membership number to be entered, points spent, points earned, and a cash vs. points comparison.
3. Warn me in advance about: non-refundable and non-changeable tickets, free room cancellation deadlines that are about to expire, checked baggage and seat selection fees not included in the displayed price, layovers that are too short, and prices shown before tax.
4. Do not book the cheapest restricted fare class—for example, without checked baggage or non-changeable dates—unless I have approved it.
5. If I am traveling with young children or elderly individuals, automatically prioritize daytime flights, fewer layovers, central accommodation, and elevator access.

# OUTPUT FORMAT

When planning, output an overview page as an HTML artifact containing the following sections in this exact order:

1. My current points balance.
2. Trip summary: destination, departure/return dates, number of travelers, total estimated budget.
3. Flights: proposed option and 1 to 2 alternatives, including cash vs. points calculations.
4. Accommodation: 2 to 3 choices at different price tiers, including locations and reasons for selection.
5. Day-by-day itinerary broken down by time slots, with estimated travel times between stops and rainy-day contingency plans.
6. Detailed budget table in VND, featuring a column for booked expenses and a column for remaining expenses.
7. Dining: local spots along with recommended dishes and price ranges.
8. Local tips: insider knowledge, tourist traps to avoid, best times of day to visit each spot.
9. Pre-trip to-do list organized by countdown milestones.

Once booked, output a concise confirmation summary covering: flights, hotels, payment, points spent, points earned, and the updated Points Balance.

5. Step 3: Let Claude Interview You to Personalize Your Profile

This is the most worthwhile 15 minutes. You answer once, use it for life. Open a new chat inside the project (important: it must be inside the project so it can read the Brain), then send this prompt:

I want to set up our travel profile. Please interview us, asking questions one category at a time.

Claude will start asking questions. Here are a few things to keep in mind to make the interview go smoothly:

• Short answers are fine. “SGN, secondary HAN” is a perfect answer for the airport category. No need to write full essays.
• If you don’t know, just say “skip”. You can always add details later; just message: “Update profile: we just opened a new … card.”
• Mileage balances must be real numbers. Open your Vietnam Airlines / Vietjet / banking apps, check, and provide the exact numbers. This category determines the quality of all future recommendations.
• Mention things you dislike too. “Hate red-eye flights”, “can’t eat spicy food”, “traveling with a toddler so we must return early at night”—details like these make a world of difference to your itinerary.

At the end of the session, Claude will summarize the entire profile and Points Vault. Review that summary carefully and fix any mistakes immediately, as it will be used repeatedly going forward.

6. Step 4: Send one sentence, get a complete travel itinerary

Setup is complete. From now on, whenever you want to travel, just open the project and send a single message. The simplest one looks like this:

Plan a trip for us.

Claude won’t just guess randomly—it will ask you a few follow-up questions regarding dates, budget, and travel style (relaxation vs. adventure) before getting started. But if you already know exactly where you want to go, use a more detailed prompt to skip the back-and-forth round of questions:

I want to travel to [DESTINATION] from [DEPARTURE DATE] to [RETURN DATE], for [NUMBER OF PEOPLE] people, with a budget of approximately [AMOUNT] VND.

Use our profile and current Points Wallet to find the most cost-effective booking options. Show us:
- Cash vs. points calculation, and how much 1 point is currently worth.
- Recommended option along with 1-2 alternative options.
- If points need to be transferred, clearly state the current transfer ratio and any available promotions.
- Day-by-day itinerary and a budget breakdown table.

Wait until we say "Confirm" before booking or transferring any points.

What the Results Look Like

After a moment, the right column of the screen will open an overview page, which is your Dashboard. It typically includes: Points balances at the top, flight tickets with price comparisons, hotel listings, an hour-by-hour daily itinerary, a budget breakdown, dining spots, and a local tips section. You can click the share button or download the page to send to your travel companions.

If you want to edit anything, just message directly: “Day 2 is too packed, remove one stop,” “Switch to a hotel closer to the beach,” or “Rework the budget for a more economical trip.” Claude updates it right on the same page instead of rewriting everything from scratch.

7. Optimizing Reward Points and Frequent Flyer Miles in Vietnam

This section is for anyone who finds the term “airline miles” unfamiliar. After reading this, you will know which “inventories” we have to declare to Claude.

Three types of points you might own without knowing it

• Airline miles. You earn miles after flying; collect enough and you can redeem them for award tickets or seat upgrades. In Vietnam, the most popular are Vietnam Airlines’ Lotusmiles[6] and Vietjet’s SkyJoy[7].
• Bank card reward points. Swiping your credit card earns you points. Some premium cards allow you to transfer these points into airline miles. This is where the real value lies, and it’s also where Claude helps you do the math.
• Hotel points and booking app rewards. Marriott Bonvoy, Accor ALL, or points accumulated in Agoda, Booking, Traveloka, and Klook. Small on their own, but together they add up to a free night.

Why Claude Must Be Made to “Ask for Confirmation Before Deducting Points”

Because Claude cannot see your bank account or airline account. It only knows the exact numbers you report. If it automatically deducts points the moment it suggests an option—even though you haven’t actually booked it yet—the balance sheet will be incorrect, and every subsequent piece of advice will be wrong as well. The question “Have you actually completed this yet?” in Part 2 is precisely that safety latch.

The One-Sentence Rule for Point Transfers

Only transfer points when you have already confirmed award seat availability and are about to click book immediately. Point transfers are almost always irreversible: once you transfer credit card points into airline miles, you cannot bring them back. Transferring in advance to “save them for later” is the quickest way to lose points: award chart devaluations, award seats vanishing, or miles expiring mean you’re the one stuck with the bill.

8. Guide Claude to Control the Browser and Book Tickets via Chrome

This section is optional. If skipped, Claude will still provide a comprehensive plan; you will simply need to go to the website and book it yourself. However, if you want it to automatically open the web, check prices, and fill out forms for you, you need to connect Claude to your Chrome browser using an extension—essentially a small add-on application installed in your browser.

The Easiest Way to Connect Chrome

1. Ask Claude directly. In your project, message: “I want you to help book tickets in the browser. Is our Chrome connected yet? If not, guide us step-by-step to connect the Claude in Chrome extension right here.” It will check and guide you through.
2. Enable the connector (optional). In the Claude app, go to Settings then Connectors, find Claude in Chrome, click Configure, and toggle the switch on. This step allows Claude to use the browser from within chat and Cowork; if you only use the extension’s side panel, you can skip this.
3. Install the extension. Install Claude in Chrome from the Chrome Web Store if it is not already installed on your machine[4].
4. Connect. Open Chrome, click the Claude icon on the toolbar, and log in to the same account you are using. From here, Claude can open tabs and interact with web pages on your behalf.
5. Log in beforehand to your airline, hotel, and booking accounts in Chrome before asking Claude to book. Logging in ensures accurate frequent flyer miles, member pricing, and exclusive offers are visible.

Claude in Chrome is available for all paid plans (Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise), though a few minor features are still rolling out gradually to the Pro plan. Free accounts cannot use this feature yet; you can continue using the planning portion first.

9. Set of 5 Specialized Prompts for Year-Round Use

Paste into the same project at any time, as it already knows who you are. Remember to replace the content in square brackets.

1. Pre-trip preparation summary

Run after booking is complete. Gives you a single page to read on the way to the airport.

Create a one-page prep sheet for our trip to [CITY] on [DATE]: weather forecast and packing checklist, 3 restaurants near the hotel along with walking times, directions from the airport to the accommodation with estimated costs, things we often forget, currency/payment tips and local tipping customs, plus one cool hidden gem that tourists rarely know about. Under 500 words.

2. Monitor for Price Drops

Flight prices often drop after you’ve already booked. This prompt is meant for a recurring task: open Claude Cowork, go to the Scheduled section in the sidebar, create a new task, paste in the prompt, and select a daily frequency[9]. Recurring tasks are only available in Cowork and for paid plans.

Check the current price of our booked flight: [AIRLINE / FLIGHT NUMBER / DATE / FARE CLASS], compared to the amount we paid of [AMOUNT]. If the price has dropped, let us know how much we can save and how to rebook or claim a refund for the difference, along with the fare class's change/cancellation policies. If there is no change, simply reply "no change". Stop monitoring 24 hours before the flight departure.

3. Post-Trip Summary

Run this as soon as you get back. It helps you review lessons learned and updates your Points Vault for next time.

I just returned from [CITY]. Based on our profile and the Points Vault in the project, please summarize for us: actual total expenses versus the budget, points spent and points earned along with their equivalent monetary value, how far we are from the next tier status, what we should do differently next time, and whether anything in our profile needs updating. Then update the Points Vault.

4. Emergency Card for International Travel

Print it out or take a screenshot to keep in your wallet. Using this just once makes it entirely worthwhile.

Create a one-page emergency card for [COUNTRY / CITY]: local emergency services numbers, the nearest Vietnamese Embassy or Consulate with address and operating hours, the nearest hospital with English-speaking staff, the ticket rebooking hotline for our airline, contingency plans in case of missed flights or lost accommodation, and the 10 most essential local language phrases with easy-to-read phonetic transcriptions.

5. Changing plans halfway through

Rain, flight delays, sick kids: use this prompt on the spot, right from your phone.

Currently at [LOCATION], something just happened: [BRIEF DESCRIPTION, e.g., heavy rain all day / flight delayed 4 hours / sold out tickets]. Reschedule today and the remaining days, prioritizing activities that are still doable in this situation, keeping the original budget if possible. Clearly state what needs to be cancelled or modified and how to do so.

10. 1-Page Quick Reference Cheat Sheet

Follow this exact order

1. Turn on memory. Settings to Memory, verify it is turned on
2. Create a project. Claude to Projects to New project to name it “Travel Assistant”
3. Paste the Brain. Open project Instructions, paste all 4 parts, click Save
4. Interview. Message “Interview us”, answer with your real miles and points
5. Save profile. Export profile to a file, then upload it to the project’s Files section
6. Connect Chrome (optional). Settings to Connectors to Google Chrome
7. Throw in a trip. “I want to go to [destination] from [date] to [date], budget [amount]”
8. Review then confirm. Say “Finalize” to book; once booked, reply “done” so it updates the Points Bank

11. Common Errors and Troubleshooting

A summary of the 5 most common issues when using Claude Projects and how to resolve them:

12. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Answering common questions regarding costs and tips for using Claude Projects as a travel assistant:

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