Preparing versus Planning

[MOAK]

My wife and I began traveling with others only a couple of years ago. Before that we traveled alone. I’m nearing 70 years young and still learning. This time out I learned about the huge differences between how people plan & prepare. My wife and I prepare everything thoroughly for each trip, keeping in mind worst case scenarios. Vehicle maintenance, our own physical maintenance and our mental attitude being our top prioities, along with collecting maps, and tweaking the gear & clothing. Our planning usually consists of deciding where we are headed and how many weeks/months until we are back home. This past trip we all agreed on 9 weeks out. Unfortunately we were accompanied by a micro manager planner that in the 11th hour had to be home 10 days earlier. It was agreed that he would split off and head home when he needed to. The agreement fell by the wayside. The two styles did not mix well. I planned each work day for my entire career. We planned long range to be able to retire. I/We are done planning. Prepare & Go! A drivers meeting? For 3 drivers? Destinations? Driving too damned fast on dirt/gravel roads? Rolling till you’re ragged? Missed photo opportunities? Missed wildlife? Missed spectacular campsites? All because of a ridiculous time line in order to live up to a self imposed plan? Hmmm, my wife and I decided to drag our feet. Sparks flew. Lesson learned. Be careful who you travel with, especially trusted family members. Otherwise- it was a great trip. Once I get my computer fixed I’ll tell the story and download some photos. Thankfully everyone else we have ever traveled with has been a very positive experience. Let’s hear of your negative & positive experiences traveling with others.

 

[Flipper]

Different strokes for different folks. For all the reasons mentioned, that’s why we roll solo. Generalized planning instead daily seems to work for us. Too many unforeseen issues now days usually weather and Mother Nature.

 

[grubworm]

just like any relationship...gotta set boundaries...

my wife and i travel together the majority of the time, but we do travel with others on occasions. anyone who travels with us knows us and knows that we do what we want when we want and that we stick together and do a lot of things on a whim. 5 years ago while we were dating, she went to ohio with me to get a travel trailer and instead of coming straight back home like we intended...we went to gatlinberg and got married in a drive thru chapel. that's the kind of "whims" we're known for...

we just did 3 weeks with my sister-in-law and her husband. we traveled to wyoming together and did some hiking and sightseeing in the tetons and then when they wanted to go into jackson hole and eat and be around people, they already knew not to ask us to go because they know we hate crowded tourist towns and they weren't offended because we set that boundary a long time ago. we later did yellowstone with them and some days we explored together and some days we did our own thing. nobody was offended on the days we went our own way because they know thats just us. we later went into south dakota while they were still back in wyoming. they ended up having transmission problems, so we doubled back to help and ended up exploring a few days with them while their truck was in the shop. once their truck was fixed, we dropped down into west texas for a few days while they went back home to the swamps. we were "together" for the most part, but still very independent and we were right there a few hours away when they needed our help. THATS the perfect way to travel with other people if you ask me...

 

[MOAK]

just like any relationship...gotta set boundaries...

my wife and i travel together the majority of the time, but we do travel with others on occasions. anyone who travels with us knows us and knows that we do what we want when we want and that we stick together and do a lot of things on a whim. 5 years ago while we were dating, she went to ohio with me to get a travel trailer and instead of coming straight back home like we intended...we went to gatlinberg and got married in a drive thru chapel. that's the kind of "whims" we're known for...

we just did 3 weeks with my sister-in-law and her husband. we traveled to wyoming together and did some hiking and sightseeing in the tetons and then when they wanted to go into jackson hole and eat and be around people, they already knew not to ask us to go because they know we hate crowded tourist towns and they weren't offended because we set that boundary a long time ago. we later did yellowstone with them and some days we explored together and some days we did our own thing. nobody was offended on the days we went our own way because they know thats just us. we later went into south dakota while they were still back in wyoming. they ended up having transmission problems, so we doubled back to help and ended up exploring a few days with them while their truck was in the shop. once their truck was fixed, we dropped down into west texas for a few days while they went back home to the swamps. we were "together" for the most part, but still very independent and we were right there a few hours away when they needed our help. THATS the perfect way to travel with other people if you ask me...

Agree completely. The other couple that traveled with us were very cool about everything, they’d explore in their vehicle while we would go hiking, they went on a boat tour while we did something else, getting together in the evenings for conversation, comradery & libations. When our kids travel with us they have no problem getting an hour or two out in front of us, doing their things and meeting up at the end of the day. This trip was a tough lesson, but it has been learned. I suppose maybe I shouldn’t be venting on these forums, but my wife & I were blindsided. I just thought I’d put it out here to open up the conversation, instead of having to keep it to ourselves. Thankfully, once we figured out what was happening, we dealt with it, shelved it, and still had a great time. BTW, computer is in the shop, I crashed it. So no trip report or photos yet. I’m still processing the 14,000 mile trip.