On the other side I have a friend who doesn't leave home until she has every stop laid out and booked. Sometimes that can be a month or more straight travel with 20 or so bookings. She is very much in favor of it, saying she'd rather drive to where she knows the stop is good, than risk not finding a reasonably safe, comfortable place to stay.
This is how I do it...ALL reservations made months in advance, and I have it all mapped out, and planned out, and don't deviate from my plans.
Because I know how many miles I can ride each day, and how many hours to stay in the saddle, it is never a question to me how far I will get, so all is pre-planned. It hasn't failed me in 50+ years of riding.
On a Saddlesore 1000, (in 24 hours)just ride the 1000 miles, then find a motel/hotel. On a Bunburner 1500, (in 36 hours) same thing, with maybe a stop at a large truck stop to use their bathroom/shower rooms as a break. On a BunBurner 1500 GOLD, (in 24 hours) just ride the 1500 miles, then find a motel/hotel. On a Pile Driver 2000, just ride the 2,000 miles in under 24 hours, and sleep when you are done. On a Coast to Coast ride, sleep when you get to the other coast.
But...yes Mike....doing a pre-planned stop can at times get you to your pre-planned reservation hotel many hours before your body/mind is ready to stop for the day. Those are the chances you take in doing pre-planned reservations.
"IF" you are interested, I do have a very good tip for getting a Power Nap at a large truck stop, for FREE, and I can share this little known secret with you, if you want.
Two Million Mile Rider
Exploring the World in Comfort
If it is a Sunday night, you can always get a room. That's the slowest night in the motel business. Other days I use hotels.com to find me what's available where I want to stop that night. I usually start looking about 3-4 pm for a room for that night. Have I ever not found a room for the night? No.
Among the major chain motels, the quality of their locations can vary widely. Yes, you might get oil field worker's dirty hallway, and other times you get a palace. But you will have a dry place to lay down your head and you will meet interesting, helpful people.
NOTE: I saw a place on hotels.com, did not book it, decided to just ride there and see. At the front desk, they quoted me $50 more than the online rate. When asked about it, she said her hands are tied by corporate. If I wanted, I could booked it online right there in the lobby for the lower price. So I did. She said a lot of people do that, she didn't mind. If she minded, I would have stepped outside and booked it at the lower rate standing next to my rig.
I like the having the flexibility and the adventure of where I'll be the next night. Where you will not find me moteling are large cities. People are afraid of bears and such, but I always say, the most dangerous animal in the world walks on two feet.
The exception to not booking ahead are places like Prudhoe Bay, Alaska that requires 24 hour advance notice for security reasons.
Great question with some really good answers here.
Jan
I usually start looking about 3-4 pm for a room for that night.
Yes, but.....WEATHER also plays a big part on when to look for a room.
If you are doing a ride through some VERY HOT areas, I would want to know that I have a room reserved in advance, so that by Noon, or 2pm at the latest, I can get into that room, and out of the heat, so that I can shower, relax, sleep, then get back On The Road about 3 am....to ride when it is coolest about 5 am...and beat most of the morning traffic, then ride until Noon or 2 pm the next day, then get back into a room, or...OUT of the HEAT.
Same goes for if it is VERY COLD. But I prefer cold weather riding versus HOT weather riding. I have all of the Gerbing heated clothing, so I can plug it into the bike, and ride in comfort for more miles, than when it gets extremely hot, and you can only take off so much, or use so many 5 lb bags of ice.
I am tempted.....tempted I say.....to drive my sidecar rig out to Mena, Arkansas next June, for the USCA national Sidecar Rally, with NO prior reservations made along the way, to Mena or back from Mena, just to test those riptide waters.
Two Million Mile Rider
Exploring the World in Comfort
Yes, but.....WEATHER also plays a big part on when to look for a room.
If you are doing a ride through some VERY HOT areas, I would want to know that I have a room reserved in advance, so that by Noon, or 2pm at the latest, I can get into that room, and out of the heat, so that I can shower, relax, sleep, then get back On The Road about 3 am....to ride when it is coolest about 5 am...and beat most of the morning traffic, then ride until Noon or 2 pm the next day, then get back into a room, or...OUT of the HEAT.
I was concerned about finding a room in the early afternoon before the peak heat hours this summer, being off the road well before the "standard" 3 pm check-in. Tried a nice motel at 12:30 pm, asked "Do you have a room for tonight that I could check into now? I need to be out of the heat and back on the road at midnight". All of which is true.
Her was response was positive, "Oh, we welcome day sleepers when we can." If they have a room that was not occupied the night before, they will let you check in early and pay for one night. That's in the USA, not sure about other countries.
If she had said no, there were two more motels within a block.
I found in Europe they were strict about not allowing early check-ins, or wanted to charge for two nights.
