On holiday, one traveller uploaded a photo of an unfamiliar washer-dryer to Grok and said what she was washing and that she didn't want to tumble dry. It recognised the brand, model and language, translated the controls and told her exactly how to set it, right down to temperature and spin speed. The year before, guessing had ruined new board shorts.
Here's a photo of the washing machine in my holiday rental. I want to wash [WHAT YOU'RE WASHING, E.G. SWIMWEAR AND T-SHIRTS] and I [DO / DON'T] want to use the dryer. Identify the machine if you can, translate the buttons and dial, and tell me exactly which programme, temperature and spin speed to choose, step by step.
Replace the [PLACEHOLDERS] with your own details before you send it.
How to try it
- Take a straight-on photo of the control panel with the dial and buttons readable.
- Send it to Grok with what you’re washing and whether you want to dry.
- Check the care labels on anything delicate before you press start.
More travel use cases
Plan a budget road trip for the whole family with Grok
One dad asked Grok for a budget-friendly North Dakota holiday combining wildlife photography, things for teenagers and a pace an elderly relative could manage. He got a 12-day road trip with mileage, times, destinations and prices.
Plan a [NUMBER]-day road trip through [REGION] starting and ending in [TOWN]. Interests: [E.G. WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY, ACTIVITIES FOR TEENAGERS]. It must be budget-friendly and manageable for [E.G. AN ELDERLY RELATIVE]: no more than [HOURS] of driving a day. Give each day's route, mileage, driving time, stops, overnight town and rough costs.
Keep a living holiday itinerary with ChatGPT
One traveller has ChatGPT pull her holiday plan together: as she adds flight times, accommodation, tickets, free days and wish-list activities, it keeps the itinerary updated and adds restaurant and sightseeing ideas.
Keep a running itinerary for my trip to [DESTINATION] from [DATES]. Here's what's booked so far: [FLIGHTS, HOTEL, TICKETS WITH TIMES]. Things I'd like to do: [LIST]. Lay it out day by day, keep free days free, and suggest restaurants near each day's plans. Each time I send an update, give me the full revised itinerary.
Gather holiday research into one notebook with NotebookLM
In a Hacker News thread on everyday AI tools, one user said they use NotebookLM to explore sources in bulk and to prepare holidays.
Using only the sources in this notebook, create a short trip briefing for [DESTINATION]: top things to see, practical tips (transport, money, opening days), food to try and anything my sources disagree on. Cite which source each point comes from.
Reference: X @kristen__beck