Hard constraints first
A strong, well-supported incompatibility can remove a destination. Version 2.1 retains one narrow hard exclusion: a walkable-only traveler whose deal-breaker is needing a car will not receive maximum-car-dependence records.
Transparent by design
How TripPaca matches a trip.
TripPaca 2.1 is a deterministic comparison model. The same answers, catalog, and model version produce the same ranking—without an LLM, popularity boost, or hidden commercial influence.
New dataset integration · model 2.1
Which data actually changes the quiz?
Dataset 5 replaces the monthly weather inputs for all 301 curated destinations with NASA POWER/MERRA-2 1991–2020 normals. Crowd patterns, activities, budgets, party fit, and transport ratings remain editorial. Dataset 6 historical distributions and Dataset 4 airport evidence are context only, not new scoring dimensions.
Climate is assigned using each curated representative coordinate and the source native grid, not an inferred place boundary. The nearest-axis rule preserves larger-coordinate ties and the source’s noncyclic east-longitude clamp. Mountain, island, coast, and region-scale destinations may vary greatly from their representative point; no terrain correction is applied.
Daily context is available for 296 destinations across 295 occupied cells; five destinations have only monthly evidence. The calendar-day panel shows P10–P90 daily-mean temperature and observed ≥1 mm precipitation frequency using ±7-day pooled observations, Local Solar Time, and a 1991–2020 baseline. These frequencies are historical descriptions, not future probabilities. Minimum source coverage gates remain enforced; nulls are not replaced with zero.
Airport context is available for 106 destinations with a unique exact-name/alias, same-country source-place candidate within 25 km of the representative point. This is a conservative anchor crosswalk, not proof of destination boundaries. Only source-scheduled conventional IATA gateways are shown; the source flags may be stale. Source access scores and confidence rubrics are not usability probabilities. Geographic distance, country-code mismatch, and airport presence cannot establish flights, travel times, border crossing, or passenger eligibility.
Static excerpts retain source IDs and provenance. No quiz profile is sent to a matching API. Opening historical context loads a public, content-fingerprinted climate-cell file; standard hosting request logs may record that file request. No private answers are added to analytics or share links.
Climate attribution: NASA POWER; place identities: GeoNames, CC BY 4.0; airport records: OurAirports public-domain data. TripPaca transforms these into a bounded planning projection. No source organization endorses TripPaca.
Preferences second
Nine fit dimensions receive normalized weights. Weather and chosen interests carry the most base weight, with extra weight for the selected deal-breaker.
Explain the outcome
Reasons come from weighted contributions. Caveats come from low-scoring dimensions and reviewed destination watch-outs.
Match score
Fit—not destination quality.
A 92% match means the destination aligns strongly with this profile under model 2.1. It does not mean the place is objectively 92/100 or that there is a 92% chance of a perfect trip.
displayed score = (16 + weighted fit × 0.82) × deal-breaker penaltyDimension scores use 0–100 scales. Weighted fit is their normalized sum. The deal-breaker penalty ranges from 0.55 to 1.00, and displayed scores are capped at 98 to keep uncertainty visible.
The underlying catalog is ordered by fit score, then data confidence, then stable slug order. That final rule makes ties deterministic.
Nine dimensions
What gets compared
- Seasonal weather
- 20% base. Distance from the selected temperature feel to NASA POWER monthly mean temperature, with a precipitation-rate penalty. Flexible weather reduces this weight.
- Experiences
- 25% base. Average of TripPaca’s 1–5 editorial scores for the selected interests.
- Trip length
- 12%. Full credit inside the ideal range, with stronger penalties below the minimum worthwhile length.
- Traveler party
- 10%. Editorial fit for solo, couple, friends, younger family, older family, or multigenerational travel.
- Cost fit
- 10%. Broad comparative bands, not live prices or quotes.
- Travel effort
- 10%. Great-circle distance from the selected gateway converted to broad effort bands. It is not flight duration or route availability.
- Pace
- 5%. The destination’s typical rhythm compared with relaxed, balanced, or packed.
- Crowds
- 3%. Selected tolerance compared with monthly crowd classification; weight rises when crowds or tourist intensity is the deal-breaker.
- Transportation
- 5%. Walkability, transit, and car dependence compared with logistics tolerance.
Data governance
Open facts, original classifications.
TripPaca separates objective signals from editorial judgment. It uses broad bands where precise commercial data is not defensible and does not copy competitor descriptions or proprietary cost databases.
NASA POWER/MERRA-2 · Dataset 5 · 1991–2020
Dataset 5 equal-year monthly normals for 1991–2020, mapped from the curated representative coordinate to the nearest native axis with upper-coordinate ties and a noncyclic east-longitude clamp. Coarse grid evidence, not a forecast or terrain-corrected local measurement.
- Fields
- monthly mean temperature, monthly precipitation rate
- Rights basis
- Source attribution and upstream terms retained in Dataset 5; see NASA POWER referencing guidance. NASA does not endorse TripPaca.
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-01
GeoNames geographical database
Geographic identity and representative coordinates were consolidated and manually reviewed against open geographic records. Region-scale destinations use a representative center, not a boundary centroid.
- Fields
- place names, country codes, coordinates
- Rights basis
- Creative Commons Attribution 4.0.
- Retrieved
- 2026-08-31
TripPaca structured editorial classification
Broad 1–5 comparative classifications are used instead of fabricated dollar estimates. Every page labels these as editorial signals, and the model treats them as directional rather than live facts.
- Fields
- activities, vibe, party fit, cost band, pace, transport, trip length, crowd pattern, summaries, tradeoffs
- Rights basis
- Original TripPaca editorial work; no competitor descriptions or proprietary cost databases used.
- Retrieved
- 2026-08-31
OurAirports open airport database
A reproducible generator selects 186 scheduled passenger gateways from the current public CSV. TripPaca stores the generated records locally for fuzzy origin search and distance calculations.
- Fields
- gateway airport names, IATA codes, municipalities, airport coordinates
- Rights basis
- Public domain.
- Retrieved
- 2026-08-31
All 301 records have geography, 12 monthly climate values, structured fit signals, source families, and review dates. Data confidence stays separate from match score because editorial classifications remain judgment calls.
Recommendation families
Five useful choices, not five near-duplicates.
The raw ranking remains score ordered. The displayed top five takes the highest-ranked eligible result from each recommendation family before filling any remaining slot. This prevents closely related islands, subregions, or city-region variants from crowding the shortlist without altering their scores.
Paca’s Wildcard is also deterministic. It searches outside the displayed top five for a sufficiently strong candidate, then favors a different region or destination type. It never replaces or secretly re-scores the ranking.
Commercial firewall
Planning paths happen after the match.
Provider availability, affiliate configuration, advisor availability, projected commission, and commercial performance are not inputs to eligibility, scoring, ordering, explanations, family selection, or the wildcard. With no partner configuration, the DIY Trip Kit uses ordinary non-affiliate Expedia and Viator links. Any configured compensated link is labeled and uses only genuine account-issued parameters.
What TripPaca cannot know
Static data has a boundary.
TripPaca does not determine live safety, political conditions, entry eligibility, visa rules, medical risk, airfare, availability, closures, flight schedules, or current weather. Climate is not a forecast. Geographic distance is not flight time. Cost bands are not a quote.
Always verify material details with current authoritative sources before booking. TripPaca is a structured starting point—not a substitute for destination-specific research.
Model version 2.1.0301 destinations · 186 gateways · reviewed August 31, 2026Try the destination matcher →