Well MD, I guess I gotta go with that ^^^ with a LITTLE planning thrown in. I take at least two long trips a year. And the planning usually consists of:

1. Find a likely travel companion if I don't already have one.
2. Decide in general where I want to go. For this trip I KNEW I wanted to see Mt. Rushmore and Yellowstone.
3. Find the date my companion(s) can go. If I am alone, I don't bother with this step.
4. Make reservations for the ultimate destination if I think there is any chance there will be a crowd.
5. Do a little maintenance on the target vehicle in prep.
6. Call the bank and threaten to cancel my accounts if they cut off my debit cards while I am traveling (banks seem to think I need their "permission" to travel).
7. Get 5C out of the bank in case they do cut off my cards.
8. Gas up the car and go. Other than those for the destination location, I never make reservations all along the way at hotels. I just figure I will find one when I need it. (With that said, I DO make sure to travel with a hotel guide for my favorite chain so that I can call and make reservations at least 4 hours before I plan to stop. I do it this way because I really never know for sure where I will be when it is time to get some shut-eye. I also make sure to dive off the road as soon as I see clouds and rain because the hotels do fill up fast when it starts to rain.)
9. Enjoy the trip - wandering wherever I want to go. The long miles between cities is great to me because if I do not have to be anywhere at any particular time I am more likely on a back-road rather than an interestate and I always find those roads interesting and beautiful. Even stopping in and slowing down for the hundreds of small towns is great because they are just a slice of Americana. [BTW- this is how I found the giant Superman statue and the Superman museum in Metropolis, IL])

I never try to plan too much. In fact, after most trips, I really don't have any idea how much I spent on the trip - knowing that would put a damper on it; especially if I concider the stops in Casinos - where BTW I usually get a night for "free."

Take off, explore, take a camera and at least 10 gigs of memory stick, and enjoy.

I remember one year coming home from a spur of the moment trip to Montreal; no shoes or socks, a pair of loose shorts and a wife beater on; nothing else; driving 1000 miles home - 200 through light to heavy rain with the top of my convertible down all the way. I could see people pointing and laughing because I guess they thought the roof was stuck or something. I was warm, safe, and dry inside and loving the air. [The Mazda RX7 is the all around best convertible I have ever been in.]

This is a little score card I like to keep.

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2006 X5 Sport 4.4i