Do you ever get on the road... on time?

[Sugarfoot]

I voted for 2 hours late. I usually have the TW ready with all but cold food at any given time, and I could buy that on the road if I wanted. I usually pack the truck and hitch a day or two before. Yes, the dog is sometimes an issue, but usually not the cause. If Mom is coming along, add another hour.

It's stuff I did have time to get done before planned departure. Like going through stacked up mail and email, making sure Mom has everything she needs while I'm gone, serious housecleaning (I've given up as of late ), finishing laundry, loose ends at work, etc. If I had a secretary, a maid, a caretaker, and a personal shopper I'd be out the door by sunrise for a leisurely journey on the back roads. Instead I end up speeding down the interstate.

Originally Posted by CrawfordGene

People who leave on time probably have tidy desks . . . . Gene

I was going to post a pic of mine to support the converse of your theory, but I'm too embarrased.

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, most trips start on Friday so I pull my trailer forward to gain access on Wednesday. First off the trailer gets a bath. We keep plenty of clothes and non parishable food items in the trailer. All cooking utensils Etc. are always packed. We only need to pack refrigerator items and a few bathroom items from the house. Most food items are precooked at home and frozen. All tools and necessary items that I carry in the back of my Lincoln are stored in my garage on a hand truck, ready at all times. Thursday night I back my trailer and Lincoln, all hitched, loaded and ready to go, back to storage possition. I then plug my trailer into my house to run my refrigerator over night. Wife's car is now parked in front of my Lincoln. Friday is street sweeper day, so most of the cars are off of the street, making it easier to get out in the morning. [very narrow street with many cars] My wife drives her car around the block as I pull out my trailer. As I drive around the block, my wife parks her car in the driveway, then gets in my Lincoln and away we go. Last Friday we left at 6:00 AM to hopefully be at Jackson Rancheria, for a rally, shortly after noon. [over 400 miles] This time after the rally we are on vacation. Right now we are in South Dakota. Read: "Bob & Lee's random trip" We do leave on time, but traffic dictates our arrival time.

[gaylejoe]

Most of the time we are hooked up and loaded the night before but we never set an alarm. When we wake up is when we depart. That also covers any overnight stops at a Walmart. Most of the time we are on the road by 9AM. Thats the beautify of having your own private bedroom behind you, theres is no rush to get anywhere.

[Caryl]

Well, we incorporated some of these good ideas into our weekend plans. I made sure the trailer was clean with all the bedding and supplies in place. I packed the clothes and some of the food the day before and low and behold, we got out earlier. Not as early as I wanted to, but at least 1.5 hours saved. So now we are in a campsite in MO. listing to the lovely sound of rain on a tin roof.

Thanks for the good ideas. Next time, I will pack all the food the night before and gas up. I forgot the gas up part.

Caryl

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by Caryl

Thanks for the good ideas. Next time, I will pack all the food the night before and gas up. I forgot the gas up part.

Caryl

I hope you didn't find out the hard way, by having to slog 5 miles in the rain carrying a gas can...
BTW, we save "trips" to and from the house to the TV, and the TV to the trailer, by using a couple of good-sized plastic totes. One for food, one for clothes and toiletries. We each grab a tote and carry it out, and go back in to get the dog and laptop, and we're ready. It's just "the best-laid plans of mice and men" that interferes...

[TinShack]

Being two Virgos, my wife and I suffer from extensive "vacation creep" which is leaving before the scheduled departure time. We get very excited about even weekend trips and usually start packing the weekend before. Many times we are finished packing the day before we are scheduled to leave and since there is nothing else to do, we go!

[InsideOut]

I voted for "within an hour" but it's really "within 20 minutes"...rarely, are we more than 10-15 minutes late. But when we are, it's more like 4 hours because of some crisis with work, truck (new battery, oil change, etc.) or the trailers (last minute new tires, broken plumbing line, etc.). As a matter of fact, we pulled out this morning for a half day at work before heading out...we were only 5 minutes late to work...arrived at 7:35. Now if we can leave at noon as planned we'll be in good shape!

Shari

[Fyrzowt]

my wife and I suffer from extensive "vacation creep" which is leaving before the scheduled departure time. We get very excited about even weekend trips and usually start packing the weekend before. Many times we are finished packing the day before we are scheduled to leave and since there is nothing else to do, we go!

I voted for "within an hour" but it's really "within 20 minutes"...rarely, are we more than 10-15 minutes late.

These are both true for us. I have been known to have someone come in early and finish out my shift so we could leave a few hours (or a day) early.
Dave
__________________

[FreshAir]

Originally Posted by Stefrobrts

I voted for leaving two hours late, but I almost voted we are hooked up the night before. Because often we are hooked up the night before, and still end up leaving two hours late

DITTO!
Neil.

[FreshAir]

Originally Posted by ROBERTSUNRUS

Hi, most trips start on Friday so I pull my trailer forward to gain access on Wednesday. First off the trailer gets a bath. We keep plenty of clothes and non parishable food items in the trailer. All cooking utensils Etc. are always packed. We only need to pack refrigerator items and a few bathroom items from the house. Most food items are precooked at home and frozen. All tools and necessary items that I carry in the back of my Lincoln are stored in my garage on a hand truck, ready at all times. Thursday night I back my trailer and Lincoln, all hitched, loaded and ready to go, back to storage possition. I then plug my trailer into my house to run my refrigerator over night. Wife's car is now parked in front of my Lincoln. Friday is street sweeper day, so most of the cars are off of the street, making it easier to get out in the morning. [very narrow street with many cars] My wife drives her car around the block as I pull out my trailer. As I drive around the block, my wife parks her car in the driveway, then gets in my Lincoln and away we go. Last Friday we left at 6:00 AM to hopefully be at Jackson Rancheria, for a rally, shortly after noon. [over 400 miles] This time after the rally we are on vacation. Right now we are in South Dakota. Read: "Bob & Lee's random trip" We do leave on time, but traffic dictates our arrival time.

REALLY.....I didn't think anyone was this organized! There is a God.
Neil.

[Whizzo]

Fascinating thread. To us, the whole idea of a wonderful silver pod being readily accessible means we can either do first up crack 'o dawn, or wait until the crowd thins. The flexibility itself means resetting the scheduled departure to "whenever!"