The only time I timed stuff out was when I took my wife (then my girlfriend) out west for the first time. I had to show her everything and introduce her to everybody. I think I timed it more to see if it was possible than for any other reason. We flew in and out of Denver. We drove from Denver to Moab (meet friends), Moab to Page, AZ; Page to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon; GC to Gallup, NM (through the Navajo/Hopi reservations); Gallup to Durango, CO (see friends) via Chaco Canyon; Durango to Boulder (see friends); Boulder to Denver. It took us something like two weeks. Nowadays, we just show up with a general list of things we want to see, and play it by ear.
mack, were you really in Moab without seeing Arches National Park?
Chaim Mattis Keller
As with most people, I vote for a balance between planning and spontaneity.
I once spent a week in Florida with some friends, visiting Walt Disney World and some other attractions. On our second day, I asked “Okay, which of the major WDW parks do we want to visit today?” One of the guys said “Who cares? Let’s just see what happens.”
Personally, I think that’s pretty ridiculous. I can understand not planning everything in meticulous detail, but if you won’t even decide which theme park to go to … well, that’s carrying spontaneity a bit too far.