Whats the furthest ahead you have planned a road trip?

[Roadgeekteen]

?

[Max Rockatansky]

Usually I have the big trips mapped out about a year in adavance.  I don't start booking things usually until four months out. 

[Rothman]

I've done things both ways.  My recent two-week trip out west at the end of June had to be planned pretty close to it due to meeting up with others -- April or so.  I've also planned out trips longer beforehand.

Word to the wise:  If air travel is involved, fares are pretty expensive too far away from your departure date.  60 days beforehand or so is better.  I've seen a looser trend with hotels, where it's more expensive too far out before your stay.

[ZLoth]

My Colorado road trip, which I am planning on taking in June, 2018, has been in the planning since Fall, 2012. It has been aborted twice.... once in April, 2013 (including cancelling all hotels) for that June due to work-related issues, and once again as a post-Vegas trip in May, 2015 for that August due to medical issues (the two week trip was reduced to one week).

Will third time be the charm?

[doorknob60]

I'm planning that I want to take a road trip to Dallas in April 2024 for the next US Total Solar Eclipse (plus just visiting Texas, gives me a good excuse to go there). Obviously nothing is set in stone yet. A lot can change by then, and I can't reserve anything this early. But hey I still have it planned.

[Max Rockatansky]

I'm working on three for next year in April, June, and September.  The June trip is my target for completing the circuit of all 47 National Parks in the Continental United States with Acadia in Maine.

[pumpkineater2]

About a year ago I started planning a trip starting from Phoenix and going through Nevada (Vegas), Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and possibly El Paso, and then back to Phoenix, approximately 2,600 miles over the course of 6-7 days. I intend to do this July 2018. Just last month (July 2017) is when I finally decided on exactly what routes I want to take and mapped it all out on google maps. So about one and a half to two years ahead.

[corco]

I began planning my Eastern Europe roadtrip in earnest a good nine months before I left, and began booking things about four months out.

For clinchathon type roadtrips, I tend to map those generally out in advance of going out to clinch the system - so for instance, the trip I'm going to take Labor Day weekend to clinch the Oregon highway system was planned back in May of last year, though I may not have had a specific date assigned for it until more recently. Once I finish clinching Oregon, I'm planning to tackle Nevada and California simultaneously and am starting to plan those trips - some of which may not occur until 2020! But I like to plot these out in advance to make sure a) I'm clinching the entire system and not missing anything stupid and b) doing so as efficiently as possible. For that process, I'm anticipating taking 1 5-day trip, 2 4-day trips, 9 3-day trips, and 7 2-day trips over the next three years, so what I will have before I set out is a menu of those 20 trips that I can pick and choose when to take.


Otherwise, I tend to plan things a month or two in advance. Lately it's been longer, since in the last couple years my roadtrips have been either a pre-meditated clinchathon as referenced above, or a fly-and-drive deal, which requires more planning because of the flying part.

[roadman]

The earliest advance planning I've ever done for a road trip was my 2013 Wakefield MA - Chambersburg PA - Ashville NC - Altoona PA -Wakefield MA trip.  The principal purpose of the trip was to attend my niece's wedding outside of Ashville, but I decided to take some additional vacation time as well.

Because I had to arrange dialysis treatments en-route, I began planning for the trip almost three months in advance, and finalized my treatment arrangements and hotel reservations about two months in advance.  All that early planning paid off though, as the trip went flawlessly and I consider it one of the best road trips I've ever taken.

[Beltway]

?

Probably at least 2 years.  I had always flown on my trips from Richmond, VA to Chicago, as it is almost 800 miles and that is too much for me to do in one day.

I thought when I retire I would try it driving, and stop for the night in Dayton, OH, where I could visit the US Air Force Museum.

Google Maps now routes the quickest route by I-64, US-35, I-75 at Dayton, I-70, and I-65 to NW Indiana.  So that is the route that I planned and studied off and on for two years until I actually did retire in May.

I took the trip in July, and it was relaxing and interesting, visited people I know in NW Indiana and visited the US Air Force Museum.   Very scenic trip on I-64 between Charlottesville, VA and Charleston, WV.

[Roadgeekteen]

The earliest advance planning I've ever done for a road trip was my 2013 Wakefield MA - Chambersburg PA - Ashville NC - Altoona PA -Wakefield MA trip.  The principal purpose of the trip was to attend my niece's wedding outside of Ashville, but I decided to take some additional vacation time as well.

Because I had to arrange dialysis treatments en-route, I began planning for the trip almost three months in advance, and finalized my treatment arrangements and hotel reservations about two months in advance.  All that early planning paid off though, as the trip went flawlessly and I consider it one of the best road trips I've ever taken.

3 months is not that long.

[TheArkansasRoadgeek]

I [suggested] two road trips in my lifetime that actually happened, and they were: Florida and Houston, TX.

[leroys73]

3 years

[NWI_Irish96]

About a year ago, I planned a trip for my family (2 adults, 2 kids) to fly to Las Vegas and then a 10 day road trip to LA/Hollywood/Anaheim, San Diego, Tucson, Grand Canyon, and Hoover Dam before back to Vegas for the return flight.  Job transfer has postponed my ability to get the time off at the right time to take the trip, but each day's route and itinerary are still sitting and waiting for action.

On the flip side, in 2000, I took a solo road trip where when I left from Chicago, the only firm plans were that I would be gone for 7 days and would visit Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore, and the biggest ball of twine in Minnesota.  Routes and lodging (mostly camping) were figured out on a day to day basis.

[Jordanes]

I planned to see the eclipse of August 21, 2017 sometime in 2009. I didn't have the details hammered out, as I originally was going to the Kentucky welcome center along I-24 and ultimately ended up going to Spring City, TN instead, but it was planned years in advance.

I made plans a month ago to go to Niagara Falls for the eclipse of April 8, 2024. That is dependent on if my friends go or not; if not, I will go to see it in Olney, IL.

As of now, I am planning to see the eclipse of August 12, 2045 in Orlando. That's only some 27&1/2 years in the future. 

[Beltway]

I planned to see the eclipse of August 21, 2017 sometime in 2009. I didn't have the details hammered out, as I originally was going to the Kentucky welcome center along I-24 and ultimately ended up going to Spring City, TN instead, but it was planned years in advance.
I made plans a month ago to go to Niagara Falls for the eclipse of April 8, 2024. That is dependent on if my friends go or not; if not, I will go to see it in Olney, IL.
As of now, I am planning to see the eclipse of August 12, 2045 in Orlando. That's only some 27&1/2 years in the future. 

I haven't yet decided where to view the 2024 eclipse, could be anywhere from Ohio to New York, it will depend on the weather.

I started planning for viewing the 1970 eclipse around 1964.  We lived in Florida then and it would have been somewhere around Apalachicola.  We lived in Virginia in 1970 and I went to Virginia Beach to see it.

[CNGL-Leudimin]

As for eclipses go, I'm planning to view the August 2026 eclipse (Metonic cycles, anyone?). Even though the totality path passes right outside my hometown I may go to one of my favorite towns, which happens to lie near the center line.

For "normal" trips, I plan them about 2-3 months in advance.

[MNHighwayMan]

I planned to see the eclipse of August 21, 2017 sometime in 2009.

Damn, now that's planning. I first remember hearing about the eclipse in late 2014/early 2015, and roughly planning out a trip, but it ended up that I was unable to go see totality for a few different reasons. Still got to see a 95 percent eclipse at home, though, which was pretty sweet.

Next time, though, I'm not going to make that mistake. I'm definitely going to ensure that I, without fail, can see the April 2024 eclipse in totality.

[slorydn1]

I still have plans on my computer for a complete lap around the US (almost complete, it excludes the UP of MI and areas NE of NYC) that I first drew up when my wife and I were dating in 1998. We have not yet taken this trip.

It would be basically a 17 day trip with a couple days allotted to hang out in both Lewiston ID and Chicago IL. I have basic routing, daily stop and starting points, projected fuel stops (etc) on it that I have adjusted over the years for different vehicles max ranges, new freeway routings and all of that, but the basic trip is the same as I planned in 1998. I will probably retire in January of 2028, so it will probably be a 30 year wait to execute these plans.

[leroys73]

I planned to see the eclipse of August 21, 2017 sometime in 2009. I didn't have the details hammered out, as I originally was going to the Kentucky welcome center along I-24 and ultimately ended up going to Spring City, TN instead, but it was planned years in advance.
I made plans a month ago to go to Niagara Falls for the eclipse of April 8, 2024. That is dependent on if my friends go or not; if not, I will go to see it in Olney, IL.
As of now, I am planning to see the eclipse of August 12, 2045 in Orlando. That's only some 27&1/2 years in the future. 

I haven't yet decided where to view the 2024 eclipse, could be anywhere from Ohio to New York, it will depend on the weather.

I started planning for viewing the 1970 eclipse around 1964.  We lived in Florida then and it would have been somewhere around Apalachicola.  We lived in Virginia in 1970 and I went to Virginia Beach to see it.

That is some planning.

I did make plans for the August 2017 eclipse a few days before.  It was an Iron Butt certified 1000 miles in 24 hours to see it.  Should I start making plans for the 2024 eclipse now?  I am now 69 years old.

[kkt]

About a year, to see the 2012 Transit of Venus in Yellowknife, NT.  About the same for last year's total eclipse of the sun.

Already thinking about where to see the 2117 Transit of Venus!  It will call for a trip to Australia or East Asia.

[Beltway]

About a year, to see the 2012 Transit of Venus in Yellowknife, NT.  About the same for last year's total eclipse of the sun.
Already thinking about where to see the 2117 Transit of Venus!  It will call for a trip to Australia or East Asia.

I watched both the 2004 and 2012 Venus transits here in Richmond.

[JMoses24]

That is some planning.

I did make plans for the August 2017 eclipse a few days before.  It was an Iron Butt certified 1000 miles in 24 hours to see it.  Should I start making plans for the 2024 eclipse now?  I am now 69 years old.

If you're still living in Dallas, you won't have to leave your backyard. The totality path in 2024 goes right through. That's where I plan to be.

To answer the original question, when we moved to OKC, we had a general plan of our routing early on, but the mileage limit on the truck dictated a change to use the turnpikes instead of the free routes.

When planning a storm chasing trip, that has been done from as long as 3 days out (our trip to the Tulsa area last May -- which interestingly enough spawned the move here) to as short notice as 10 minutes (this was a quick run to the Rushville, Indiana area from our then-home base in Cincinnati).