Member III
When I was younger, flexibility was the name of the game, and planning was left to a minimum (e.g. General Route, Potential Campsites, Number of Days, etc.)
with only 2 fixed points - start and end location / dates.
That offered spontaneity, flexibility and the great unknown.
Having 2 young kids changed all that......
With young kids, planning is necessary for many different reasons.
From number of days holiday available from school, campsites with adequate facilities, general store locations, Ferry Bookings, etc..
Also, we typically book a number of "events" along the way (e.g. whale watching tours, horse riding tours, glacier tours, etc.).
Therefore, the number of "hard points" in the plan increases....
We typically leave some time / days between each "hard point" on the map / plan, to allow for some degree of flexibility.
However, the Start and End locations / dates, plus the booked events locations / dates are always "hard points".
As the kids now move into their teenage years, I hope the degree of flexibility will grow with time.
However, to them, internet connectivity seems to be far more important than oxygen, food or campsite location !!!
Its really hard to get them completely "Off Grid"
We have also used Google Earth to pre-plan our routes.
But I still prefer to look at maps, books, info leaflets, etc. and plan routes directly onto a paper base map.
Why? Paper base maps don't need power...........
Still prefer to not rely solely upon digital data - like to use a hand compass and paper map, and then verify with digital info and maps.
Goes back to my basic training as a field geologist.......
Having a plan also helps some folks keep focus.
That can be an important issue
with only 2 fixed points - start and end location / dates.
That offered spontaneity, flexibility and the great unknown.
Having 2 young kids changed all that......
With young kids, planning is necessary for many different reasons.
From number of days holiday available from school, campsites with adequate facilities, general store locations, Ferry Bookings, etc..
Also, we typically book a number of "events" along the way (e.g. whale watching tours, horse riding tours, glacier tours, etc.).
Therefore, the number of "hard points" in the plan increases....
We typically leave some time / days between each "hard point" on the map / plan, to allow for some degree of flexibility.
However, the Start and End locations / dates, plus the booked events locations / dates are always "hard points".
As the kids now move into their teenage years, I hope the degree of flexibility will grow with time.
However, to them, internet connectivity seems to be far more important than oxygen, food or campsite location !!!
Its really hard to get them completely "Off Grid"
We have also used Google Earth to pre-plan our routes.
But I still prefer to look at maps, books, info leaflets, etc. and plan routes directly onto a paper base map.
Why? Paper base maps don't need power...........
Still prefer to not rely solely upon digital data - like to use a hand compass and paper map, and then verify with digital info and maps.
Goes back to my basic training as a field geologist.......
Having a plan also helps some folks keep focus.
That can be an important issue
