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Phew,
For a second there, I thought that was ONE Trip! 
Left the kids in June, and on Christmas, still deciding where to go next...
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I can see the confusion, the Mrs. probably would have liked that trip.
Glad to see you weren't confused about
"the youngest, 15 on that trip." considering I left out the second comma. I only have 3 kids not 16+.
"the youngest, 15, on that trip."
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I always go with the flow.
The caveat is that, unlike in the ever so distant past, the flow isn't rainwater cascading down a mountain side but simply from one drain pipe to another.
That's just how life works. When it works at all.
| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "As far as we know, our computer has never had an undetected error." - Weisert | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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I once went to Bullhead City Arizona on a whim. 2 days drive there, 1 day visit, and 2 days back. So no, I do not think you are crazy.
But now with a wife and child I find I cannot be quite so spontaneous.
Within you lies the power for good - Use it!
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30. Married. No kids. Dog.
If we knew the dog would be welcome where we were going, 5 hours for a weekend trip isn't unthinkable for us. Otherwise getting a sitter for the weekend pretty much shuts things down.
No dog? Short notice makes it (more) difficult (but not impossible) to find accommodations, at least for reasonable rates.
If the five hour drive were the only variable in the decision? Sure, why not? Better than sitting around at home like we do every other weekend. Unfortunately nothing in life is ever so simple...
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I never want to go north of here, I'd only end up in Luton.
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Just keep going. You'll be OK once you get past the Watford Gap. Mind you, you probably won't understand any of the local lingos.
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I may not last forever but the mess I leave behind certainly will.
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snorkie wrote: Does anybody else find this to be true?
Yes.
You're crazy 
Bastard Programmer from Hell 
If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^]
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I don't often leave on a unplanned trip on only a few hours notice, but that's just because I would have already made plans a day or two ahead. I am always planning somewhere to go. I don't need accommodations, because I usually go camping, so dogs are just fine. I live in the western USA, so there is plenty of public land where camping is free.
We keep my SUV loaded for camping most of the time, so just need to grab some clothing and food and we're gone.
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Before marriage and kids this was standard practice, to the point where I once decided to go to New Zealand (from Sydney) on a Thursday, quit the job on Friday, flew out with a one way ticket on Saturday, return 4 months later.
Now I need to book a holiday 4-6 months in advance so deployments are handled while I'm around.
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity
RAH
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Back when I was younger and foolisher, my wife and I and/or kids (before we had kids and after) would sometimes pack up the car for a weekend and start heading down the street before deciding where we were going.
Those were fun times. Lots of good memories.
I'm retired. There's a nap for that...
- Harvey
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Many moons ago when I was in college I came back from work and my friend said lets go to Melbourne and within an hour we were on our way from Sydney to Melbourne driving 900km....
Zen and the art of software maintenance : rm -rf *
Maths is like love : a simple idea but it can get complicated.
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Did you ever get there? 
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Yes took us just over 9 hours and one time we almost run out of fuel...
Zen and the art of software maintenance : rm -rf *
Maths is like love : a simple idea but it can get complicated.
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My schedule is as flexible as my wife allows it to be.
If you have an important point to make, don't try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time - a tremendous whack.
--Winston Churchill
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I am so flexible that I am called "free electron" sometimes.
I don't like planning as it can make you blind for the numerous opportunities of the moment.
My lifestyle is so anarchic, that one day I can sleep between 8am and 4pm, and the following day 10pm to 6am.
I go to sleep when I'm sleepy, wake up when I'm awake, go to work when I'm bored being home, go back home when I'm bored working. My biological clock has no respect for sunlight.
I like this lifestyle.
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Having kids and an ex - spontaneity to that level could lead to an Amber Alert....
That being said, when something interesting comes up I generally try to make it work. Took off with the kids last Friday for a last-minute spring ski weekend. You only get about a week of skiing in above-freezing weather, so you take it - especially when you luck into a discounted hillside condo rental. Took about four hours to get it all put together, packed up, and on the road.
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My schedule is flexible as wind when it comes to travelling. I have many times decided on a busy Friday afternoon for weekend trips with friends, which usually was trekking!  Just one phone call and I am there! Travel freak 
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The older you get the more obligations you develop. Also, I agree with the post that it is a personality thing. Some people can just "wing it". Others are horrified by the thought.
So, enjoy it while you can now, because as you get older, the obligations catch up to you like the wake of a boat.
Finally, the downside of being "footloose and fancy free" is the Indiana Jones quote, "it's not the years... It's the miles ". I am living proof of that one. 
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I think this sounds super-cool and fun. "Crazy" to me is taking your life savings and betting it on the Super Bowl, or quitting your stable job to pursue an acting career right after your baby is born. Taking a spontaneous road trip just sounds like a blast. I agree that most people find this kind of approach too risky, and that's a shame. This approach to life always reminds me of the line in the poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by TS Eliot where he says, "I have measured out my life with coffee spoons". I say keep doing what you're doing and ignore the naysayers.
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TL;DR all the comments (I read a lot though). I thought I would add my 2 cents here. I have noticed this myself; people in my circle of friends who do not have children are MUCH less flexible.
I have a couple of related theories:
1) As a parent you get used to occasionally having other people's vomit in your face and diarrhea on your lap, so you learn to flow with life's little hazards; whereas adults without children likely do not experience this, and are used to things being 'just so'.
2) On the other hand, adults without children may be self selecting. They do not have children BECAUSE they want to avoid experiencing these things.
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Remember - if you do a half-assed job now you leave yourself room for improvement.
| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "As far as we know, our computer has never had an undetected error." - Weisert | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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Same if you do a piss-poor job! 
Anything that is unrelated to elephants is irrelephant
Anonymous
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The problem with quotes on the internet is that you can never tell if they're genuine
Winston Churchill, 1944
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I'd just like a chance to prove that money can't make me happy.
Me, all the time
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The wife and I used to do that before the trouble. Many a Friday evening we'd be wondering what to do, then I'd say, "Vegas", she'd say "OK", and off we'd go. Now Vegas is a little farther and it's no longer a straight shot on a super-highway.![Jig | [Dance]](https://codeproject.freetls.fastly.net/script/Forums/Images/jig.gif)