Road Trip Plan

I am starting to get excited about my road trip. My GoFundMe campaign has raised almost $3,000 from 30 donors, which covers about a third of my costs. I am going to run my credit card up even further so that I can cover whatever I cannot raise. It is an amazing experience for me, to get this kind of help from so many people.

I am confident enough in making this trip that I have already put together a travel plan. I have "the spreadsheet" that I have built up over the years and that now seems to have a reputation all its own. This spreadsheet started as a sail planning tool where I could set up destination ports, run times, layovers for tide and current changes, all kinds of things which might impact a sailing trip. It was no great matter to change it to a road trip planning tool.

The spreadsheet includes times for departure, drive times, allowance for stops, arrival times, and such. It even includes a budget section for food, hotel, and miscellany. This is how I get to have a budget plan so quickly. I even break it down to average cost per day!

The reality is, however, that once I get in the truck and head down the road, whimsy takes over. The plan doesn't exactly go out the window; it just gets relegated to what it really is; a plan. I have always said that a plan is a guide, not a prison. You make a plan to tell you how to get to where you want to go. Once you are underway, other things come into play, things like snow on the roads, an interesting side trip, traffic, you name it. The plan is the start of things, but never the finish.

That's what will happen starting March 8th. I will get in the truck and start out on the road, with a plan. I will drive to where the plan says I should drive, or perhaps not. I will try to stay on the budget for food and hotel, or perhaps not. What I will really do is enjoy what I can enjoy for as long as I can enjoy it. That seems to be the best plan.