Part of the reason for knowing where you’re going is anticipating the conditions to expect when you get there, as well as along the way. Map your route, consult Weather.com , and get a feel for what the sky is going to be doing where you’re going while you’re on the road. Regardless of how badly you want to go, or how much to had to forego to carve out this specific block of time, if your plans mean you’ll be heading into gale force winds, blinding blizzards, or a volcanic eruption—do you really need to get all up in that piece? The beauty of America is there’s always someplace else to go. Flexibility has saved many a life.