Planning
Trip planning: what can be controlled
You cannot control the weather, or the traffic, or maintenance work. You can control the other things: how you divide your trip, when you leave, and how flexible your plan is.
Three variables
Every trip is a compromise between three things: the distance, the kind of road, and the time you have. If one of them changes, so do the others.
People often forget the third. A plan is made on distance and on a map, and then pressure is put on the time that remains.
Distance
Kilometres on the road, not on the map. A country road is slower than a motorway per kilometre.
Type
Motorway, national road or local road — each of these affects speed and other things besides.
Time
The time of day, the season, and the time you have of your own to stop.
How to divide a trip
No one else can tell you how much time your trip will take. You can, however, make your plans more flexible.
Not travel advice
We do not give recommended times or itineraries. We know nothing of your circumstances.
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01
Choose the points that matter most
You cannot do everything on the way. Choose two or three things that matter to you.
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02
Leave time between the points
Do not plan every hour. Leave gaps so that you can answer to conditions.
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03
Decide how you will return
Will you have to come back the same way, or is there another route?
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04
Be ready to abandon it
If weather or traffic becomes a problem, you can change the plan. That is the most important part.
The thing that cannot be controlled
There are things that cannot be planned for. Maintenance work can arrive with little warning, and an incident on the road can disrupt the best route. No website can promise that a journey will be easy.
What you can do is be ready for the things that cannot be controlled. That is why we carry a disclaimer on every page, and why we do not give times.
How to budget a day
No itinerary is recommended here. We can describe how a day is divided reasonably.
Allow two-thirds more
If you think the trip will take two hours, allow it three. The roads are often not as quick as they are imagined to be.
Leave one break
Let there be one stop in the plan that you have no intention of reaching. That is the thing that gives you flexibility.
Do not plan the return journey too tightly
If you have to come back the same way, allow more time. The traffic is usually worse as you come back.
The return journey
The return journey is often forgotten. People plan the way out carefully, and then come back along the same road without thinking about it.
The return can be harder than the journey out. There is tiredness, the light is failing, and the traffic is changing. If you are coming back in the evening, expect it to take longer.
If there is another route, it is worth weighing even if it is longer. There is no need to take the same road twice.
Flexibility
The most important thing is flexibility. If you have a plan in which every hour is filled, you will not be able to answer to conditions.
Editorial
Content is written and reviewed in accordance with our editorial policy.
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